November, 2006 Calendar In This Issue: Money Messages A Money Autobiography Winter Family Retreat Half-Day Prayer Retreat Belief: It's something Americans shop for Advent The Susan Tree For All Souls Day St. Augustine's Columbarium Chapel & Niches

by Gretchen Haight
For the Healing Prayer Group

Waking up to God's presence in our lives requires that we have a way to communicate with God. Prayer is our unique way of opening to God's presence in order to have a relationship that nurtures us and, I believe, also nurtures God. Prayer is so extremely personal that it's logical to think that one prayer practice cannot fit all of us. It's important then to look at many ways of praying in order to find one that fits us uniquely, one that allows us freedom to express our unique being to God.

From my own experience and from doing spiritual direction over the years, I've come to realize that if we hope to pray with any consistency, we must find a practice that feels like a drink of cold water on a hot day. We must also resist the temptation to think we need to pray exactly like anyone else. This freedom allows prayer to become a great adventure−a discovery of ourselves and of the God who longs for a relationship with us.

Our retreat day will begin on the patio at 8:30am with sign-up, coffee and bagels; Ann's presentation will begin in the sanctuary promptly at 9:00. It will be a workshop, not just a lecture, so there will be plenty of opportunity to practice the various ways of praying Ann will introduce us to. Ann's presentation will end at 1:00, but all who wish to are invited to stay and walk the labyrinth (Ann will give a short introduction to the labyrinth). Bring a lunch or snack, we'll take a short break, then have plenty of time to walk the labyrinth unhurriedly.

This is the only such retreat day planned so far for this year, so we hope that many of you will be able to join us for a peaceful half-day Saturday at church. Ann Jaqua led the women's retreat several years ago, and everyone appreciated her gentle permissiveness with regard to prayer. She helped change old beliefs about and habits of prayer. We're delighted to be able to offer this half-day workshop to the whole church community. It seems fitting to open ourselves to new ways of praying just before Advent season, a time of anticipating the new.

Ann Jaqua is a spiritual director, adjunct staff member of the Centerpoint spiritual direction training program and cofounder of Stillpoint, the Center for Christian Spirituality in Santa Barbara. She draws upon her training as a biologist and her work with the Sojourners Community in Washington, D.C. to address ecological and social justice issues as a retreat leader and spiritual director. She is currently developing group spiritual direction training programs for faith communities.

There will be a $20 charge for the retreat. Scholarships are available. We want everyone to have the opportunity to attend.

If you have any questions about the day, please call me (my number is in the directory), or call the Rev. Laura Queen at church.

Copyright © 2006 St. Augustine by-the-Sea