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Developing your spiritual life under girds everything else we need in
life. Life is an ongoing spiritual journey through which people try to
find and stay in touch with God. Each of us is seeking answers to
ultimate questions of what life is all about. Our church doesn’t offer
pat answers, but offers us support when we are confronted by life’s most
difficult choices. We are both supported and challenged to grow.
Park Hill UCC offers many opportunities for adult spiritual growth:
Worship
Study
Retreats
Support
Fellowship
Service and Social Action
WORSHIP
The central
way to explore your faith is worship services on Sunday
mornings. Instead of rote rituals, our worship challenges us to
sustain our relationship with God to serve the greater good of
God’s world. Learn more about what you might expect to see
and experience in worship.
During Lent
we offer weekly
Taize services – a brief, contemplative
worship service using repetitive music, short readings, and
plenty of silence in which to center our lives. These services
at 6 pm on Wednesdays precede a potluck meal and book study.
STUDY
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We have a Lenten series every year,
usually a book study in combination with a short Taize
worship service and potluck. In 2008 we followed the book
Soul Feast by Marjorie Thompson; in 2009
we discussed What Matters to You? Matters to Us. For
participants, this is an exploration of personal faith and
spirituality.
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On occasion, the pastor hosts a series
of coffeehouse conversations around the Park Hill and
Stapleton areas. For a schedule, send an
email. This is a wonderful opportunity for
first-time seekers to explore faith outside the walls of a
church building.
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We offer various book study or other
kinds of series throughout the year as often as possible,
sometimes led by the minister or members of the
congregation. The most recent book study focused on The
Last Week by Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan.
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We have also had joint educational
series with members of Temple Micah. The next will be on
Thursday evenings in October - 8th, 15th, and 29th - at 7
pm. The rabbi and our minister held their most recent annual
joint sermon at both congregations on the weekend of May
9-10. In 2010 we will observe Holocaust Remembrance Day on
April 10-11 at services for both congregations.
RETREATS
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We have such busy lives that sometimes
adding a weekly study to our schedule is too much stress to be
worth it. So, we are going to start one day retreats that
provide a concentrated time of spiritual growth and reflection,
hopefully every fall and spring. Our first was on May 2nd and
focused on something developing an Open Heart, Open Mind, and
Open Will. It was led by Rev. Melinda Townsend at the
church.
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Every year in August we hold an all-church
retreat weekend at our UCC camp called LaForet near Colorado
Springs. The retreat is a combination of fellowship, fun,
reflection, and worship. Nothing too serious, but with time for
the exploration of deeper meaning, as well. There you can walk
the Labyrinth, sit in the woods, pray in the chapel, or take a
nap between meals with church friends.
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A work trip might not sound like a retreat,
but a week away to do something meaningful for others is one of
the best ways to grow spiritually – especially in a place where
we can do nothing but be open to what is coming next. A new
group of adults and youth will be going to the Pine Ridge Indian
Reservation for a week of work, study, cultural immersion, and
community building, June 5-11, 2010. The group may be full, but
let us know if you would be interested in a trip next year.
SUPPORT
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A group of women meet every Tuesday morning
at 11:30 for meditation and conversation – a place of deep
sharing. It is not your grandmother’s Ladies Fellowship!
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A Men’s
Support Group meets twice a month on Thursday evenings at 7:45
pm. It is a unique group of men honestly sharing the real stuff
of their lives. It’s not a head-trip meeting but a meeting of
hearts and souls united in support.
FELLOWSHIP
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We have gatherings for members and friends
of the church who are in the Generation Gap – from 20-40, with
or without children, in or not in a relationship. It is a time
to develop friendships and share common concerns.
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From time to time collections of interested
persons attend a play, movie or concert, and then meet later for
conversations on how the presentation has touched their souls.
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We love to eat together! Every year we
randomly assign those who want to participate in our Circle
Suppers. Every month or so a group of 8 will gather in a members
home to share a meal and conversation, and then every year, move
to a different group. It’s a great way to meet new people and
develop deeper and longer lasting relationships.
SERVICE AND SOCIAL ACTION
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One of the
best ways to grow in our spiritual lives is simply getting our
hands dirty and joining with others to make a difference in the
world. We do a lot of that – from serving meals to the homeless,
gleaning in the fields, participating in a protest march,
staffing a booth at the LGBT Pride Festival, and many other
things. Get Involved!
For a list
of what we are currently involved in, click
here.
For other
resources, check out our
PHCC Library
And there are
many other resources to begin or sustain your spiritual growth, but
an excellent place to start is connecting through the larger United
Church of Christ with an online prayer chapel, Bible Study,
discussion forums. Lots of really great stuff. Go to
www.ucc.org/
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