Lenten Study Series: Giving Back Compassion

Sunday, February 21, 2021
Sunday, March 28, 2021

Lent is a season traditionally marked by sacrifice, but after a year that has forced us to sacrifice so much, what if instead we viewed Lent as a season marked by compassion and fullness through personal devotion and study? Drawing from Scripture and Henri Nouwen's Compassion: A Reflection on the Christian Life, we will take a critical look at ourselves and explore the various ways Jesus is calling us to lives of compassion.

Join us in two different settings (or one of our Spiritual Practices each week):

Small groups where participants will gather by Zoom and explore Compassion in our lives through Henri Nouwen’s book entitled Compassion: A Reflection on a Christian Life in conjunction with Bible texts related to compassion.

 

Sunday morning sessions of Exploring the Faith where participants, led by church pastors, will explore the meaning of compassion in our lives and engage in spiritual practices together.

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Small Groups - Get to know others and study compassion during Lenten study fellowship groups February 21 through March 28.

  • Tuesday 10 am, leader Kathryn Wistrom
  • Tuesday 7pm, leader Alice Holderby
  • Sunday 3 pm, T2A2, various leaders 
  • Sunday 7pm, leader Olivier Jolliet

PDF icon Lenten Study Guide: Weeks 1-3

 

Sign Up for Lenten Small Groups Here

 

This accessible and thin book is available for purchase.  Since we do not meet at church, please order your book directly (why not a used book to limit environmental impacts) at e.g. thriftbook or other providers

 

 

Exploring the Faith – 11:30 am by Zoom 

5 Sunday sessions led by church pastors 

 

  • Feb 21 - Introducing Henri Nouwen – Rev. Jay Sanderford
  • Feb 28 –  Spritual Practices – Rev. Jay Sanderford
  • March 7 – Spiritual Practices – Rev. Andrew Frazier

Are you in need of a deeper spirituality? Are you looking for ways to strengthen your current spiritual practice? Do you know what it means to have a spiritual practice or to cultivate your personal spirituality?  Resident Minister Rev. Andrew Frazier leads us in a discussion of spirituality and spiritual practice. The first session will attempt to help you define for yourself what spirituality is and introduce you to a number of potential spiritual practices.

 

  • March 14 – Rev. Rick Spalding – The Vast Mystery of the Other: Finding Words for Compassion
In this session we'll consider attempts by several artists - poets, novelists, even a painter or two - to describe or express the sources of compassion as it wells up in us.  How can we ever understand each other well enough to truly feel for and with another?   We'll stroll through a motley assortment of words and images - from the poets Naomi Shihab Nye and Maya Angelou, novelists Chaim Potundok and Maggie O'arrell, painters Pablo Picasso and Gilbert Stuart - and wonder together how to point with mere words to the wellspring of one of the holiest and most ineffable of human qualities.
  • March 21 – Spiritual Practices –Rev. Andrew Frazier
  • Resident Minister Rev. Andrew Frazier leads us in a discussion of our experiences based on the spiritual practices you chose; the challenges we faced, and the insights we gained.