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Bishop's Schedule
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March 3
St. Andrew's
Stillwater
March 5 - 14
House of Bishops
Kanuga Conference Center
March 16
Vestry Academy
St. Crispin's
March 17
St. James
Wagoner
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Save the Date
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April 15 - 16
Retired Clergy and Spouses Retreat
St. Crispin's
April 26 - 28
Altered (formerly Vocare)
St. Crispin's
May 2 - 4
Men's Retreat
St. Crispin's
August 2 - 4
Happening 10th - 12th Graders
All Souls' Church
Oklahoma City, OK
August 15 - 17
EFM Mentor Training
St. Crispin's
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Upcoming Diocese Events
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To register or for more information please go onto the Dicoesan Web Site below or call the local congregation:
Altered/Vocare
April 26-28, 2013
Open for Young Adults 19 - 30
http://tinyurl.com/aqvv8uj
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New Web Sites and Links
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Kevin Martin, Diocesan Congregational Development Officer's Blog
www.kevinoncong.blogspot.com
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Companion Diocese Uruguay
Holy God, source of healing and of peace, bless with your grace the companion dioceses of Oklahoma and Uruguay. Through our partnership one with another may we grow in mutual affection and communion, seek a more profound experience of truth, build up the Church in unity and give glory to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.
Web site for Diocese of Uruguay:
http://uruguay.anglican.org/
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The Next Issue of this Newsletter will be on Friday,
March 8, 2013.
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We Are Epiok.org
March 1, 2013
Issue 9
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 News, Events, and Offerings |
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Proposed Draft Documents from Committee on Same Gender Blessings and Meeting Dates
The proposed draft documents developed by the Committee on
Same Gender Blessings have now been published on the Diocese
of Oklahoma's website. You may click on the link below, or go to
www.epiok.org and click on the link on the front page entitled
"Same Gender Blessing Draft Documents."
There is a email link underneath the documents where you can
provide your feedback. In addition, there are two more gatherings in
the diocese in order to allow individuals the opportunity to provide
input:
Saturday, March 2 at 11 a.m. St. Paul's Cathedral, Oklahoma City
Monday, March 4 at 7 p.m. St. Andrew's, Lawton
Click here for link to web page.
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Episcopal Church's Executive Council Adopted Resolutions
During its Feb. 25-27 meeting here, the Episcopal Church's Executive Council adopted several resolutions. One of particular note:
Express appreciation for Young Adult Service Corps volunteer companions who faithfully completed their term of service, including Ms. Karen Langley, Diocese of Oklahoma, Assistant Project Coordinator, Itipini Project, Diocese of Mthatha, Church of the Province of Southern Africa, appointment began on Aug. 14, 2011 and ended Aug. 31, 2012.
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Pastoral Care in a Violent Culture - A Free Seminar for Clergy, Clinical Care Givers and Laity
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m.
INTEGRIS Cancer Institute
of Oklahoma * Proton Campus
5911 W. Memorial Road * Room C
Oklahoma City, OK
Located at the corner of Memorial and N. MacArthur
Led by Dr. Carrie Doehring - Associate Professor of Pastoral Care Iliff School of Theology - Carrie Doehring is an associate professor of pastoral care at Iliff School of Theology in Denver, Colo. She is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church, USA, with 17 years of congregational ministerial experience.
Her passion for teaching pastoral and spiritual care is evident in her books and numerous chapters and articles, including a recent article about teaching spiritual care in an online format. She currently is writing a second edition of The Practice of Pastoral Care: A Postmodern Approach (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox, 2006), which is used as a textbook in introductory courses and clinical pastoral education.
As a licensed psychologist she explores how people draw upon religious faith and spirituality to cope with experiences like trauma and prejudice.
8:30 a.m. Registration
9 a.m. Session One Self Care: Finding our Spiritual Resources and Wisdom
10:45 a.m. Session Two Spiritual Care to Survivors
Noon - Lunch Provided
1 p.m. Session Three The Challenges of Public Worship
2:45 p.m. Session Four Developing Action Plans to Prepare Ourselves and Our Faith Communities for Responding to Violence
To register for this free seminar, please call the INTEGRIS HealthLine at 405-951-2277.
If you have any questions, please call the Pastoral Care office at INTEGRIS Baptist Medical Center at 405-949-3195
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16th Annual Dallas Benedictine Experience
June 19-22, 2013
The Catholic Conference Center, Dallas, Texas
The 16th annual multi-denominational Dallas Benedictine Experience will take place at The Catholic Conference and Formation Center in Dallas, Texas from Wednesday, June 19 through Saturday, June 22, 2013. This monastic experience is presented by The Friends of St. Benedict, Washington, D.C. and is open to men and women, laity and clergy of all denominations. Participants will live on the campus of the center for four days, forming a temporary monastic community to experience the balanced way of life of The Rule of St. Benedict as it divides each day into private and group prayer, study, work, and leisure. Four Benedictine Offices (Lauds, Sext, Vespers, and Compline) will be chanted each day in English in Gregorian Chant. For more information, please e-mail heepspence@aol.com or call 214-339-8483.
The monastic experience will be led by two extraordinarily talented religious figures. Sister Mary Donald Corcoran, O.S.B., is the Superior of Transfiguration Monastery (Roman Catholic) in Windsor, New York. A Benedictine nun for 50 years, Sister Mary Donald holds the Ph.D. in Theology from Fordham University. She has directed the M.A. program in Spirituality at St. Louis University and has taught in the summer spirituality program at Fordham. The co-author of the book Spiritual Sisters and numerous articles, she serves on the Board of Directors of In the Spirit Foundation. She is a well-known teacher, writer, and leader of Benedictine retreats all over the country. This year will be her eighth time as a leader of The Dallas Benedictine Experience.
Dr. Alan Kolp (B.D., Harvard Divinity School, Ph.D., Harvard University) teaches at Baldwin-Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, currently holding the Baldwin-Wallace Chair in Faith and Life. He has been a Fulbright Fellow at Wilhelms Universitat in Munster, Germany. He was formerly dean of The Earlham School of Religion (graduate division of Earlham College, Richmond, Indiana). Dr. Kolp is the author of several books, including Fresh Winds of the Spirit and A Canopy of Light and Love and co-author of Integrity is a Growth Market: Character-Based Leadership. He has led seminars, conferences, and retreats for faith communities and other groups around the world. His breadth of Christian vision is indicated by his being a lifelong Quaker who teaches at a Methodist-related university, and who is also a Benedictine Oblate (St. Andrew Roman Catholic Abbey, Cleveland, Ohio). This will be Dr. Kolp's first time as a leader of The Dallas Benedictine Experience.
Father Daniel Forsythe, pastor of St. Basil the Great Byzantine Church in Irving, Texas, who was such a successful leader of the 2012 Dallas Benedictine Experience, will return in 2013 to give the homilies following the office of Lauds each day.
Sister Mary Donald and Dr. Kolp will give presentations on Benedictine values and their applications to life today. Both are also available for private spiritual meetings for those who wish it. |
Saint Simeon's Nominated for Oklahoma Nonprofit of the Year Award
Saint Simeon's has been announced as a finalist for a $10,000 award and the title of the state's top nonprofit, thanks to the prestigious Oklahoma Nonprofit Excellence (ONE) Awards, annually presented by the Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits.
On April 20, 2013, the finalists will join supporters at Tulsa's Southern Hills Country Club to celebrate the announced winners. Finalists divided into eight mission categories receive $5,000, with category winners receiving $7,500. An overall winner receives $10,000 and title of the top nonprofit in the state.
"As a senior living community of choice for Oklahomans, Saint Simeon's is honored to be nominated as Nonprofit of the Year," said Lindsay Hurley Fick, President and CEO of Saint Simeon's. "We are thankful to be recognized for fulfilling Saint Simeon's mission, offering superior care and service to the seniors we are privileged to serve."
Out of approximately 19,000 nonprofits statewide, only 24 were named finalists.
Awards are presented in eight categories: Seniors, Arts and Humanities, Community, Education, Health Services, Self-Sufficiency, Sports and Recreation, and Youth Development. Saint Simeon's has been nominated in the Senior category, along with Oklahoma Honor Flights and Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City.
The ONE Awards Selection Commission, a group of community leaders from across Oklahoma, will determine the finalists. The Commission, chaired by J. Jerry Dickman, includes Michael Cawley, Nance Diamond, Frederick Drummond, Ken Fergeson, R.H. Harbaugh, Kim Henry, David Hogan, Phil Lakin, Frank Merrick, Polly Nichols, and Dr. George Young. |
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Help Needed for Mission Camp
This year's Mission Camp will be held at St. Crispin's, March 17 with a 2 p.m. check in, until March 19, with a 2 p.m. check out. We are in need of two males to serve on staff for this event. Please contact Sabrina Evans sevans@epiok.org if you can help! |
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Registration Deadline for Mission Camp
All registrations for Mission Camp must be in this office by Friday, March 8. If you are unable to mail your registration so it arrives on time, please call the office 405 232 4820 and talk with Sabrina to make sure your child's name is on the list. Food orders will need to be placed on Monday and we need to make sure we have plenty ordered!
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St. Crispin's Summer Camp Blast from the Past (or Our Beginnings) Web Page in the Works!
With the help of Susan Haas, we are working on page for our Diocesan site that chronicles Summer Camp! Susan has a great scrap book which we will be using but we know there are tons more pictures (as evidenced by Facebook)! So, if you have a group shot from any previous years at Summer Camp, we'd love to have a copy! If you have other shots, we'd love to see them also. You can send it to sevans@epiok.org and it should be in a jpg format. |
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Stewardship and Development - Plan the Work, Work the Plan
Why is it so important to save a separate communications, stewardship and fundraising plan? Easy. It's the best use of your time. 80% of your donations will come from 5% of your congregation. Did you know what? By creating separate plans and "segregating" donors by giving levels, it allows us to focus on the donors that do give a bulk of the donations. Sure, you treat every donor with the same respect and gratitude you would expect, but high level donors want to know that their donations are truly making an impact. Think, how are you doing to convey your message to the various giving levels? How are you going to steward the various giving levels? And what are your church's expectations for fundraising? Have questions? Contact Emily Abernathy at eabernathy@epiok.org or via telephone at 405-232-4820 to set up your plans today!
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St. Mary's Chancel Choir Candlelight Dinner and Free Concert
The Chancel Choir Candelight 4 course gourmet dinner will be provided at 6:00 pm on Sunday, March 3. Tickets are $50 each. Reservations may be made by calling the office at 341-3855 or contacting Linda Mason at lmason31@cox.net or 340-0612.
 Concert - Following the dinner an all-Brahms concert will be provided by UCO faculty for free. The Brahms concert begins at 7:30 pm.
Musicians - Dr. Tess Remy Schumacher, Cello; Dr. Marilyn Govich, Voice; Dr. David Forbat, Piano; Ben Davis, Piano; Dr. Dawn Lindblade, Clarinet
There will be a light reception following the concert so you can mingle with the musicians.
All food is provided by choir members. All procedes from the dinner will go toward the Chancel Choir UCO Student scholarships. Four UCO students join the choir each year, and are supported by our scholarships. We share love and gorgeous music, too! |
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Cursillo #124 Scheduled for April 4 - 7
 Cursillo is a movement of the Episcopal Church designed to renew and deepen Christian commitment. Its goal is to help those in the church to understand their individual callings to be Christian Leaders by equipping and encouraging them to live out their Baptismal Covenant to serve Christ. To participate in the April 4-7 weekend at St.Crispin's, please consult with your clergy about sponsorship, and submit an application at least two weeks prior to the weekend. You can find the application at: http://www.epiok.org/links.html.
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Whole Creation Community - It is Better to Serve than Rule Over a Kingdom of Despair
Whole Creation Community is a spiritual community that brings together people of faith who will commit themselves to praying for God's creation, teaching stewardship of God's creation, and working to sustain God's creation. Please join us daily on facebook http://stpaulsokc.org/whole-creation for daily meditations. Below is a meditation/ reflection posted this week by Mother Tracey Fiore Carroll.
"You formed us in your own image, giving the whole world into our care, so that, in obedience to you, our Creator, we might rule and serve all your creatures." Eucharistic Prayer D
You and I have been given a sacred trust: the care of creation. Sometimes I think we get stuck in RULING creation and bending it to our purposes rather than remembering that we are also to SERVE creation. It is a gift, and we as God's own image need to learn or perhaps remember how to love and nurture all of creation so that it might be enjoyed by all God's creatures. Tracey
Focus Stories - Don't forget to be Cool!
This Sunday Pat Hoerth of Turtle Rock Farm and Cool Congregations leader will be presenting Cool Congregations to St. Paul's Cathedral. Cool Congregations is an earth stewardship multi-year program to help members of your congregation reduce their contribution to global warming. This program uses existing groups in your congregation to implement activities. It uses small group implementation to build community and celebrate quick wins.
For more information, go to http://www.coolcongregations.org/. You can also contact me and I will get you in touch with someone in Oklahoma who will come to your congregation and talk about becoming a cool congregation. Be one of the "cool" kids on the block!
Check out what you can do for UNDER $25 to reduce your carbon footprint. These tips are from Cool Congregations. http://www.iowaipl.org/resources/25_Simple_Steps_under__25.pdf
Adopt A Street-OKC
As part of the Whole Creation Community, we strive to keep our environment clean. Join SPC Green Team and the Brotherhood of St. Andrew for breakfast and our second Adopt A Street clean up event. We will meet at SPC on Saturday, March 9th at 8:30 am. The Brotherhood of St. Andrew will prepare breakfast and then we will work together to clean up the streets in our community. As a reminder, SPC has adopted Robinson Street between 4th and 16th Streets.
We welcome all congregations to join us in this effort. Maybe you just want to see what it is all about so you can adopt a street in your community. Regardless of your motivation, you are invited!
Please let me know if you are able to attend. We will need to ensure we have enough adult supervision for anyone between the ages of 11 and 18. RSVP Ferrella@hotmail.com or hsessing@gmail.com. You may also call the church office at 405-235-3436.
Order Coffee/Support WCC
Whole Creation Community has partnered with Pura Vida Create Good to provide you with your morning coffee!
The Create Good Foundation is:
Committed to helping the poor who live in coffee growing regions around the world through water and economic infrastructure investments aimed directly at creating sustainable communities.
Please click on this link to be directed to the Pura Vida Create Good website. A portion of your purchases will be rebated to Whole Creation Community.
You may also navigate directly to the Pura Vida Create Good website and make your purchase, attributing it to Whole Creation Community by typing WHOLECREATION in the "Coupon/Fundraising Code" box in your shopping cart.
Thank you for your support!
Contact Information:
Ferrella March
Ferrella@hotmail.com
405-397-7960
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Mind, Body, and Spirit in the 2nd Half of Life II - Event for All Ages!
We're doing it again. The Diocese of Oklahoma and the Senior Ministries Committee is offering a great opportunity to gather with your friends to learn about issues specifically tailored for those in the 2nd Half of Life. No, This event is open to all ages!
The date is April 4, 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. and will be held at Church of the Resurrection Episcopal Church, 13112 North Rockwell, OKC. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE REGISTRATION BROCHURE THAT CAME IN THE MAIL HAS THE CORRECT DATE AND NOT THE CORRECT DAY. IT IS ON THURSDAY, APRIL 4.
Program will include: Plenary Panel Session "Getting It All Together: The Messy Paperwork of Life." The Rev. Michael A. Jasper, Rector at Church of the Resurrection and Shirley Cox, Legal Services Developer, OK Department of Human Services will share their knowledge and the session will be mediated by The Rev. John Belzer.
Four workshops will be offered, of which you may choose two: Laughter Yoga, Driving Safely and Safety, Scripture, Aging, and Lectio Divina, and Being a Grandparent in Today's Society.
For Registration forms Click here . If you have questions now, contact Sabrina Evans, sevans@epiok.org, or call 405 232 4820.
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Safeguarding God's Children Training Opportunities
March 2
St. Paul's, Claremore
9:00 a.m. until noon
Rev. Kay Bowman will be our trainer.
To register, please call St. Pauls (918) 341-0168
March 9
St. Andrew's, Lawton
9 a.m. until noon
Contact St. Andrew's standrewslawton@att.net to register.
April 21st
St. Michael's, Norman
2: 00 p.m.
Contact Amy Gardner to register: awgardner@yahoo.com
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Oklahoma Episcopal Youth Events
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Dates of Interest
Province VII Mission Week in Dallas, July 8 - 13 - for HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS ONLY. Check out information at: http://province7youth.org/
Happening for 10th - 12th Graders - August 2 - 4, All Souls' Episcopal Church, OKC, OK. |
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Summer Camper Registration Forms Now On-Line
Yes, everything you need to register for Summer Camp 2013 is now on-line. Camp sessions are as follows: May 31 - June 1 ABC (overnight camp for children who have finished Kindergarten through 2nd grade) and a parent/guardian. This gives the child and parent a taste of the camp experience. Campers stay in cabins with other campers, swim, make crafts, and play like big campers! |
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June 2 - 8 Sr. High (10th - 12th graders)
June 9 - 15 8th and 9th graders
June 16 - 22 3rd - 5th graders
June 23 - 29 6th and 7th graders
June 30 - July 6 8th and 9th graders
July 7 - 13 3rd - 5th graders
July 14 - 20 6th and 7th graders
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Congregational Scholarships for Camp
Several of our congregations offer some amount of scholarship for summer camp for your members. If your church will be doing this, please contact Sabrina (405 232 4820) or sevans@epiok.org and let her know how much you will be offering. Summer Camp applications have started coming, and we want to make sure we get the information in and credited to their invoices. Thanks.
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Young Adult/Campus Ministry News
Altered: A Retreat for Young Adults 19-30
Who is God calling you to be? Come explore this question April 26-28, 20-13, at St. Crispin's. This is a weekend of exploring your faith, personal growth, meeting other young adults, worshiping God, singing, reconnecting with God, thinking about your life purpose, stepping back from your busy life, and especially relaxing. This retreat is run by and for young adults, led by Episcopal lay and clergy leaders from around the diocese. Go to: http://www.epiok.org/Christian%20Formation/vocare.html for additional information and registration form. |
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Episcopal Campus and Young Adult Ministers Offered Training in Chicago
Episcopal Campus and Young Adult Ministers of all stripes are invited to Chicago, June 26-29, 2013, for training, networking and celebration of our common work. Keynoter Diana Butler Bass will frame our time as she explores this moment in the life of the church. We'll also have plenty of time for fellowship and structured idea sharing, problem solving and brainstorming, as well as workshops on funding, vocational discernment, leadership development, and diversity in Episcopal contexts. In addition, our Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Disciple of Christ and other colleagues will hold parallel conferences in Chicago and join us for worship and fellowship.
Early bird registration ends March 15: $475 (including 3 nights accommodations and some meals)
http://www.episcopalchurch.org/events/young-adult-and-campus-missions-conference. |
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Christian Formation Resources |
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VTS 2013 VBS Fair
Virginia Theological Seminary has prepared their review of the 2013 Top Picks, Perennial Picks, and Other Reviewed Programs to help make your VBS curriculum choosing easier! Go to http://tinyurl.com/avpzq3a and see their list. |
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Lenten Art Project - Good for all Ages! Christian Mandala out of Sandpaper and Crayon
We're going to make a Mandala. A mandala is an ancient form of meditation used in many religions, including ancient Christian. It should be done quietly. As you draw and color, quiet your mind and body. Let your mind focus on the meaning of the design you are making. Let your prayers come to the surface of your mind. Send your prayers out to God like the lines of the design go out to the edges of the circle and out into the world.
Make a square out of ordinary copy paper.
Fold in half 3 times like you're folding to make a snowflake.
Draw with pencil on the folded paper the design you want. Youcan use Christian symbol designs. I just made crosses. Hearts are another easy design. Maybe someone would try a dove or a flame or leaves.
Cut out on the lines like you would for a snowflake.
Unfold the paper.
Tape the paper to a sheet of sandpaper.
Color with crayons on the sandpaper, using the cut paper as a pattern. At this stage, just get the basic lines transferred to the sandpaper.
Once you have the basic design drawn, remove the paper pattern.
Add more details to the design and add layers of crayon. Push hard to deposit lots of crayon wax on the sandpaper. This is like Lent, working hard, feeling the roughness of the sand, thinking about Jesus in the desert, and about the roughness of the cross that He endured. As you work, the crayon will sharpen. Maybe its like us being refined and sharpened, and improved by the roughness of Lent.
Use heavy duty scissors to cut off the extra sandpaper that's not part of the design.
Place the sandpaper design face down on a new sheet of copy paper.
Cover the sandpaper with a scrap piece of paper.
Iron over the piece until all the design is transferred to the bottom layer of paper. (Set the iron on Cotton.) Voila! It looks like a mosaic from an ancient church.
What you need: Sandpaper fine grit - 120
Crayons
scissors - for each child
heavy duty scissors
tape
copy paper
iron
old towel to iron on |
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Best Blogs and Websites for Christian Formation
Episcopal Café
www.episcopalcafe.com http://www.episcopalcafe.com
Lifelong Faith Associates www.lifelongfaith.com http://www.lifelongfaith.com/
http://www.faithandleadership.com/
http://www.ministry-to-children.com/
Thoughts From the Sheepfold http://fromthesheepfold.blogspot.com/
Sarcastic Lutheran http://www.patheos.com/blogs/nadiabolzweber/
PomoMusings http://pomomusings.com/
Finding Your Soul http://findingyoursoul.com/
Society of St. John the Evangelist http://www.ssje.org/
Crusty Old Dean http://crustyoldean.blogspot.com/
Sacred Space http://www.sacredspace.ie
National Catholic Reporter - Joan Chittister http://ncronline.org Huffington Post - religion page http://www.huffingtonpost.com/religion/
Martha Stewart - crafts http://www.marthastewart.com/crafts
A Holy Experience http://www.aholyexperience.com
Seth Godin http://sethgodin.typepad.com
Walking Together http://www.elizabethdrescher.com/blog
More Meredith Gould http://meredithgould.blogspot.com
In a Godward Direction http://jintoku.blogspot.com
CharlesLaFond http://charleslafond.com/blog
Lewis Center for Church Leadership (Wesley Theological Seminary) http://www.churchleadership.com
Rows of Sharon www.rowsofsharon.com; http://www.rowsofsharon.com Wind by Adam Thomas http://wherethewind.com/
Theholygeek.com
videosforyoursoul.com
Digital Mission http://vts-cmt.tumblr.com/
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Praying in Color = prayer + d o o d l i n g
 When multiple friends and family members received ugly and scary diagnoses, Sybil MacBeth found herself exhausted by the words of her prayers and stymied by a lack of focus. One summer day, she retreated to her back porch for a session of mindless doodling with a basket of her favorite colored markers. She drew a shape, put the name of a friend inside, and added lines and color. She drew another shape with another name and added detail and color. When the page was covered with designs and names, Sybil realized she had prayed. The action of drawing was a wordless offering of friends and family into the care of God. The page of drawings became a visual reminder to pray. This was the beginning of Praying in Color. Here are some reasons to Pray in Color: 1) You want to pray but words escape you. 2) Sitting still and staying focused in prayer are a challenge. 3) Your body wants to be part of your prayer. 4) You want to just hang out with God but don't know how. 5) Listening to God feels like an impossible task . 6) Your mind wanders and your body complains. 7) You want a visual, concrete way to pray. 8) You Need a new way to pray.
Here's what you need to get started:
1) Paper
2) Pen
3) Colored markers or colored pencils or colored gel pens
4) A table or clipboard or book to put your paper on.
Here's how to get started:
1) Write your name for God on a piece of paper. Draw a shape around it or just start to doodle. The drawing becomes a prayer space, a small prayer closet. 2) Add marks and shapes. Focus on the name you chose. Ask God to be part of your prayer time with or without words. If words come, pray them; if not, enjoy the silence.
3) To pray for a person, write their name on the page. Draw around it. Add color, if you want. Keep drawing as you release the person into God's care. 4) Add other people to your drawing. Think of each stroke of your pen as a prayer for them. Take a breath or say "Amen" between each person.
Check out Sybil MacBeth's web page for more ideas. http://prayingincolor.com/ |
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Contact Information
Sabrina Evans
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