Last year, Unbinding Your Heart groups weekly met at various times and places for the six weeks of Lent. Participants had daily devotional times using the exercises in the book. And then, once a week, the participants of each group gathered to share their experiences, discuss the chapter, to talk about their discoveries, and then, to pray. It was a fruitful time for our church.
This year, the model is slightly different. Again, there are the daily scriptures and prayers, but there is no chapter to read and discuss. The present model has a companion booklet that includes prayers for each day written by our neighbors and friends. There will be our extra piece to help the participants carry the reading with them throughout the day or into their sleep. There will be groups - “Thin Place Groups” - that gather at different times and different places for the six weeks of Lent.
This year, we will use the book, Celtic Daily Prayer. The goal is still to have the books be given free of charge to each participating member and regular visitor.
Why are we doing this? Each week we say we want to grow in faith together. We say we want to make disciples – either new ones, or we become disciples, or better disciples, ourselves. The larger goal is to provide the congregation with spiritual resources and practices to better carry out the other two parts of our mission statement.
The process begins on Ash Wednesday, February 17th.