Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices
Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices
February Summary
Hello Everyone! At our FPNP cohort meeting this month, we were taught three different faith practices focusing on meditation and awareness of ourselves and God’s presence.
The first practice was a prayer walk, where we slowly walked as a group in a circle and took time to focus separately on how our bodies felt as we walked, what we heard, what we smelled, and what we could see (even though we needed to focus on the ground or the person’s feet in front of us. It brought awareness to where we were and how God was with us while we walked.
The second practice was prayer coloring with Mandala sheets. There were different sheets and colors to choose from, and we chose based on what we “felt moved to color with.” It was a silent time of about 10 minutes where we focused on coloring, and in some ways, it showed us our spiritual state at that time.
The final practice was the Daily Examen Prayer type. It helps us see God’s presence in our lives and empowers us to respond generously to God’s invitation. It is a prayer that reflects on your day. Here is how to participate in the Examen Prayer:
1. Find a comfortable position to sit with your feet on the floor, hands in your lap, and eyes closed. Notice your breath and hold a moment of stillness.
2. Ask God to help you remember your day and give thanks for a moment for which you are most grateful and why it was this way.
3. Remember your day for a moment in which you are least grateful, what made it so difficult, and let God’s love fill you as you reflect on this more difficult part of your day.
4. Think about what is happening tomorrow. Ask God to help you be the person God created you to be as you preview the people you’ll see and the things you’ll do.
Try it! Attempt the Daily Examen Prayer for one week and share what you experienced, either by keeping a journal or talking to some of us at church!
We invite you to try these practices along with us as we bring you up to speed on what we’ve been learning over the last 16 months. If you have any questions or comments about these spiritual practices, feel free to let us know!
Yours Truly,
The FOG Faith Practices and Neighboring Practices group (Andrew Peterson, Carolyn & Dean Jahns, Ginny Trogen, Laura Olson, and Pastor Paul)
Overview: Family of God has been selected to participate in the Synod’s learning community – Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices. This is a two-year project that brings congregations together each month to experiment with practices – things we do consistently and with intention – that will deepen our life of prayer and our relationships in this neighborhood. The Minneapolis Area Synod has found that vital congregations are those that make space for lifelong faith formation and have an authentic relationship with the neighborhood. Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices is a learning community committed to the belief that faith formation and community engagement are two sides of the same coin. God is already at work in the neighborhood, and our task is to discover God’s presence in the face of our neighbor and to tell the story. That is what we will learn to practice over the next two years. Family of God has a team of five -Carolyn Jahns, Laura Olson, Andrew Peterson, Ginny Trogen, and Pastor Paul Burow -who will walk this learning journey, and each month invite the rest of our congregation to experiment with the practices they learn. Faith Practices & Neighboring Practices launched with a two-day retreat on October 6th and 7th. Keep our team members in prayer and be ready to discover what God is up to in this community where God has called us to be church.