Approaches to Prayer

Your expectations and objectives for the week.
Begin with this tentative description of prayer: a mysterious activity that the greater majority of people in our country say they engage in on a regular basis. In our human condition we are like the psalmist dancing, singing, carping, questioning or merely pausing and breathing into "the close and holy darkness." Help! What? Thanks! Whoops! Wow! are words exclaimed or merely felt in response to the often-inexplicable moments in our lives, be they joys or sorrows, regrets or gratitude. The intention of this workshop is to create the space and ambiance to delve more deeply into that yearning underlying this mysterious activity, perhaps a yearning to be known, to be heard, to be loved by both this transcendent and immanent presence for which we have so many names. What has been your experience of prayer, and what is the name we give to that presence? Has your way of praying or naming changed over time?
Consider as well, your intention. Perhaps you are new to prayer or find it scary yet feel drawn to the workshop all the same. Or you feel skeptical and doubt that prayer has any efficacy. Maybe prayer has always been the bedrock of your life and you long to dwell more deeply, to share and explore your experience with others to feel affirmed. Whoever you are or whatever your intention, you will be welcome. You will be encouraged to begin where you are.

A list of the specific areas or topics that you expect to cover. For some workshops this might include things that the workshop will NOT cover.

First Session: What is this yearning? For Whom or What do we yearn?
Second Session: Prayers and prayer practices we have known and loved-- or dreaded.
Third Session: Room for the Infinite-- Where in our daily life do we find the time to pray? Could it be that we may be praying when we don't even know it?
Fourth Session: The Gaze of Love or My Dogs taught me how to pray.
Fifth Session: We are like trees, walking. Be still my heart, these great trees are prayers. And back to Help! What? Thanks! Whoops! Wow!

A rough description of the format. This might include an estimate of the time to be spent in worship (most groups find 20 to 40 minutes daily gives good spiritual grounding), field trips you anticipate, writing activities (poetry, journaling, etc.), or other activities (role play, guided meditation, lecture, interactive exercises, discussion, etc.).
Though the order and timing of activities other than worship may vary, the rhythm of each session likely will flow in this way:
Worship the first twenty-five to thirty minutes
Knitting one session to another (you'll have to wait for an explanation of this process)
Food for the journey which may include a reflection, a story, a meditation, an audio or video presentation, or poetry reading, followed by quiet reflection (maybe journal time, drawing, etc)
Break
Small or large group sharing, time allotment contingent on number of participants,
Large group sampling, time allotment, also contingent upon number of participants
Prayer partners
Closing
Specific recommendations for advanced reading, or reading assignments during the Gathering.
The best preparation potential participants can make is to begin to pray for the Gathering, for each of us gathering, to reflect on your own experience of prayer and prayer practice—or lack of it, to have a sense of where in your prayer life you are and where you feel you are being lead, to identify favorite prayers, passages from sacred texts, hymns, symbols, metaphors and to be willing to share them as lead. While there are no reading assignments in advance, the workshop will draw from by such writers as Elizabeth Gray Vining, Thomas Kelly, Rainer Maria Rilke, David Kline, Douglas Steere, Mary Oliver, Karen Armstrong, Sharman Apt Russell, Holy Scripture as well as musicians and singers like Yo-Yo Ma, Taize, the Cambridge Singers.
Specific requests for items to bring to the Gathering, such as artwork or manuscripts in progress.
Mostly, come with an open heart and also a journal, sketchpad or musical instrument-- whichever medium you feel at home in or feel challenged to grow.