What does it take to nurture a life of meaning and purpose? In January 2019, that question launched our journey with the Myrtle Collaboration, a Lilly-funded program. Something new, but deeply embedded in our congregational DNA, began to take shape.
We are a very active congregation in a highly engaged community, but we recognized the need for grounding practices to sustain us in our callings. An idea for a new “Centering Space” developed. We were to launch the idea in worship on March 15, 2020 (www.centering-space.org)!
The physical space we envisioned – where we could host opportunities for contemplation, action, renewal and expression – pivoted to launch as an online space. Over the first year and a half, we hosted meditation courses, an Enneagram workshop, an art retreat, grief support group and more, all online. We used that time to transform our physical retreat space and multi-purpose rooms, and celebrated with an open house in December of 2021.
Since then, we’ve hosted a variety of offerings in person, online and in hybrid formats, often engaging as many, if not more, community members as church members. It’s a gift that keeps growing as we keep living into our baptismal calling as the church.
