Spirituality Group
The delight is in the law of the Lord and on His law he meditates day and night' (Psalm 1:2)
God calls each one of us to come into his presence and remain there - listening to him in the silence or through scripture and prayer, until he revels to us some truth about ourselves or Himself.
What does a Quiet Day entail?
Engagement with God
A quiet day is time set aside to be with a
Friend (John 15:4) making ourselves available to God, creating time and
space for God to speak into our lives (James 4.8). It involves
engagement in the disciplines of the spiritual life, such as study of
God's Word, prayer, journaling, resting and relaxation.
Engagement with ourselves
We are able to push the "pause" button; to stop, look, listen in order
to gain a deeper knowledge of ourselves, and new perspectives on what is
happening in our lives. Time is given for the seeking of God's mind upon
decisions, issues and conflicts that need to be faced.
Engagement with Others / the World
As we spend time with God we begin to see the
world and its people from His perspective. We may experience a deeper
for those in need and even hear the voice of Jesus: "You give them
something to eat". The time we set aside to go on retreat or on a quiet
day, "is a gift we give to God, and even more importantly, a gift that
we receive from Him, to be used as He wills. It may be a time of simple,
quiet, loving companionship with Him. Or, it may be a significant
turning point in one's spiritual journey. When we make space for him,
anything can happen."
Quiet Days and Retreats to daily life
These retreats began to emerge about 30 years ago as a response to an increasing demand for retreats by lay Christians. People beginning to take seriously the call to holiness and who started to own that they had a 'spiritual life' that was worth nurturing. Retreats to daily life are more diffuse than closed retreats because they interweave with the dynamics of everyday, it's pressures, pauses and focuses. This includes the dynamics of all the other people in my life. The everyday and ordinary is not a distraction or interruption but inherent to the retreat. Truly finding God in all things! Seeing God at work in the very fiber of our lives, talking to God, bringing to God the very essence of who we are and our experience!
Week of Guided Prayer:
Aim of these weeks of Guided Prayer is to offer help and support
to the prayer life of members as they continue to go about their
ordinary lives. What is offered in such a week is the opportunity for
folk to meet a prayer guide and reflect with him/her on their own prayer
life. Retreatants agree to spend time each day in personal prayer, about
a half hour every day and then meet with a prayer guide each day for the
same time. During meeting times the prayer guide is there to listen to
the retreatants, to offer guidance, reassurance and support. Prayer
guides are not councilors, nor spiritual directors. Prayer guides come
alongside you on your journey, entering into conversation, faith
conversation about our inner prayer life. This tends to bring a
deepening and newness in people's one on one relationship with God.
Open Door Retreats:
This retreat is based on the spiritual exercises of St
Ignatius, not the full exercises.
A group of 10-12 people meet weekly for 9 weeks, two hour sessions. A
variety of forms of prayer will be used, as well as the leaders own
lived experience, this helps retreatants to integrate their prayer and
daily life. Leaders share how they experience God creating them, as they
reflect back over their lives, the joys and pains, and how the
incarnation, passion and resurrection of Christ has influenced them. In
recognizing the pattern of God's hand at work, the retreatants are
enabled to discover how God is shaping and fashioning them as the potter
moulds the clay. Unlike the potter, God does not reject the lump
of clay, but continues to patiently form them with love and care. At the
end of these retreats people find that journaling, praying the examen,
spending time alone with God on a regular/daily basis has become a
pattern in their lives that they carry with them into the days, weeks
and years ahead.
Contact any of the under mentioned leaders if you are interested in any of the retreats or quiet days:
| Olive Billau | 012 3332806 |
| Hazel Cochrane | 012 3337730 |
| Merle Wiegand | 012 3312153 |
| Fanie Botha | 012 3338918 |
| Glinys Hepke | 012 3315148 |
| Regina Swart | 012 3333370 |
| Gladys Botha | 012 3310061 |
| Cecily Kruger | 012 3337070 |