May I share my experience of plucking up courage to introduce meditation in my local Anglican church. To start a regular meditation group in my village felt like a gift I could offer, but somehow, I kept stalling before taking any action.
I decided that maybe a short afternoon mini retreat would be achievable. I wanted the session to be grounded in the Christian tradition, but not exclusive to churchgoers, therefore I needed to choose the words and readings carefully.
I followed the main advice of more experienced Regional Team members which was to start and end the session with silence. I started to plan and placed an advert in the local parish magazine:
Saturday 14th September 2.30 – 5pm
An afternoon retreat to explore how we can allow ourselves time away from busyness and ‘Doing’ in order just to ‘Be’. Meditation can be a mindful practice with amazing benefits to wellbeing, but also a bridge to silent prayer that has roots in early Christianity and other spiritual traditions. Come and find out why silence and stillness are so relevant to our lives today.
I was amazed to receive interest from 16 people, some parishioners and some not – of these 11 could make it on the day! The simple space was set up in a side chapel of the church with a circle of comfortable chairs and a welcome of quiet music. The basic format:
- Introduction: Keen to start with a period of silence, but mindful that some had not meditated before, a short explanation of meditation as a universal practice was needed, and that for Christians, meditation is a form of prayer – the prayer of the heart.
- Meditation: We shared a silence of 15 minutes, beginning and ending with Psalm 46:10 and words from Meister Eckhart.
- Posing questions:
- What is the point of sitting in silence?
- Is it just a waste of time?
- How is it relevant to our lives today?
- Is it just for monks?
- What about mindfulness?
- What are the links to spiritual or religious traditions?
- How do we find the time, or make the time in our busy lives for meditation?
- What difficulties might we encounter?
Each question was explored alongside readings from scripture, John Main, Richard Rohr and David Cole. Some sharing of experiences followed.
- Refreshment break: Simple refreshments and an opportunity to stretch legs, browse some books, share experiences or take quiet time alone with a handout for a mindfulness awareness practice.
- WCCM video: This lovely animation available on the WCCM in the UK homepage is a short summary of the basics. Helpful not only for new meditators, but as a refresher for the more experienced beginners!
- Meditation: Quiet music to settle, readings on the theme of ‘the art of peace’ from the book of that name by David Cole.
I am happy to say that there has been enough interest to establish a monthly meditation group going forward. The chapel was a beautiful space but rather cold – fortunately we have access to a warm and welcoming communal village space at minimal cost.
Julie Moore – Somerset Team Member