Leading Contemplative Gatherings is sponsored by Spiritual Direction Colorado • In partnership with Oasis Ministries, Camp Hill, PA • In cooperation with Central Presbyterian Church, Denver

How can we create a safe environment for seasoned believers and youthful seekers to recount their sacred stories and find direction? If you feel called to lead spiritual retreats or short-term groups, this experience will provide skills for creating a contemplative ethos in limited time and for mining participant's gifts. As we model this meditative atmosphere, you will experience ways to build community, balance presentations with silence and conversation, and to incorporate prayer with music, movement, films, and art. Designing an event prepares leader's own heart and mind; out of this awareness of gifts and vulnerabilities the leader prepares the event.

Who should attend? Any who desire to integrate contemplative practices in group and retreat leadership and in personal life: lay leaders, pastors, youth ministers, educators, students, and those in specialized ministries.

Design and process  Between an opening retreat in October and a closing retreat in April each participant (or teams of two) will prepare and lead a 1-2 ½ day retreat or a 4-6 week group back home incorporating contemplative prayer practices. The October retreat will form Peer Groups of 4-5 (each with a trained facilitator) who will connect with each other between October and April by e-mail, phone, online or face-to-face to support each other and give feedback in planning and leading each participant's event.

Dates
Opening Retreat—October 17–18, 2008, 3–9 p.m. Friday (incl. supper); 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (incl. lunch) Saturday.
Closing Retreat—April 24–25, 2009, 3–9 p.m. Friday (incl. supper); 9 a.m.–4 p.m. (incl. lunch) Saturday.

Cost  Cost  $435 ($485 if you apply after August 15). Your application fee must be received before Sept 15 and can not be refunded after this date. A second payment of $150 is due Oct 1, and the balance of $150 is due November 1, 2008. (Some scholarship support is available, but please seek the support of your church or organization first.)

Application  Early application fee has been extended to September 15. Each applicant is asked to write a statement about why this program seems right at this time, and also to list one person who will be supportive of this process of spiritual growth and ask the person to write a “reference” letter. The program is limited to 24 participants.

Location  University Park United Methodist Church, 2180 S. University Blvd., Denver (across from University of Denver and Iliff School of Theology). The program will be offered in Pennsylvania in 2009–10.

Lodging  A local hotel will offer conference rates for those not commuting.

Leadership
Retreat leader   Dr. Kent Ira Groff, founding mentor of Oasis Ministries (Penn.) and a graduate of Shalem Institute, is a retreat leader, spiritual companion, and writer poet in Denver, Colorado. An ordained Presbyterian minister, he has been conducting contemplative retreats and groups at conference centers, seminaries, and campuses in the U.S. and abroad for two decades. Kent's writings include Active Spirituality, The Soul of Tomorrow's Church, What "Would I Believe If I Didn't Believe Anything? and Writing Tides. He describes his work as "one beggar showing other beggars where to find bread." Kent is a parish associate at Central Presbyterian Church, Denver.

Peer group facilitators   The Rev. John Blinn is a spiritual director and retreat leader, chair of United Methodist Spiritual Directors, and graduate of Shalem Institute. Barb Chambless is a spiritual director and co-chair of Spiritual Direction Colorado, and a graduate of Bennett Hill Benedictine Spiritual Formation program; The Rev. Michelle A. Danson, an Episcopal priest, is a spiritual director and retreat leader, a facilitator with the Benedictine Spiritual Formation program. Michelle is a trained presenter and facilitator with Contemplative Outreach Ltd, and works with Contemplative Outreach of Boulder County.

Preparation  Participants are asked to begin preparing in mid-August for the opening retreat.

1. 1.Begin readings with a bibliography that will be sent
   

2. 2.Have a spiritual director relationship in place
   

3. 3.Secure approval of a church or other community in which to offer the retreat or the short-term spiritual growth group. You may lead either (or both if desired) in your local setting or at a retreat center or site of your choice.
   

Format  Beginning and ending retreats, Friday through Saturday will create a spiritual laboratory. community-building and connective pieces are built into the program:

1. ✤Peer Groups. Participants will be in established peer groups at the opening retreat. These will be one of the on-going touchstones between retreats.
   

2. ✤Online Files. Folders will be established at www.box.net for the class so that assigned and suggested readings, design samples and templates, and participant retreat designs and reflections can be uploaded/downloaded and reviewed.
   

3. ✤Curriculum. A bibliography will be given to each participant upon registration. The interpersonal curriculum will include due dates of when participant-led retreat/groups will occur so that participants can hold one another in prayer and offer feedback. Blogs may be used to encourage conversation about various leadership topics through the year.
   

Features  There will be built-in evaluation. After the opening retreat, each participant will write a design paper (1–3 pages) outlining their goals and plans for leading their group or retreat, and submit it to his/her peer leader and peer group for feedback, then lead the event. Afterward, each participant will write a final integrative paper (3–6 pages) reflecting on their learnings and integrating their leadership experience with the readings.

Outcomes  You will take away methods to facilitate community building; to balance silence and interactive presentations; to foster meaningful sharing in limited time; to harvest learners' own insights; to incorporate creative use of music, art and movement; to create retreat days in and contemplative practices in the ongoing life of their organization.

For more information and the application form, click to email Kent Ira Groff at LCG@spiritualdirectioncolorado.org.

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Application Form for Leading Contemplative Gatherings

Mail: SDCO/LCG, P. O. Box 88350, Colorado Springs, CO 80908  •  Email: LCG@spiritualdirectioncolodrado.org

Name ____________________________________ Day ph ___________________ Eve ph ______________________

Street ____________________________________ City______________________ ST ____ Zip Code _____________

Email ____________________________________ Religious Affiliation ______________________________________

[  ] My check for $135 is enclosed—payable to Diocese of Colorado: SDCO/LCG

[  ] Visa or [  ] MasterCard    Card # _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _  _ _ _ _   _ _ _ _  Exp. date _ _ / _ _ 3-digit security # on back _ _ _

[  ] Request CEU Certificate (Continuing Education Unit pending approval by your professional group)

Prepare and mail your application materials

A. Print out and complete this application form. Attach a short statement (+/- one page, single-spaced) answering four questions:

1. 1.What draws you to participate in this program? Describe a setting where you might lead an event.
   

2. 2.How does contemplative experience matter in your life right now?
   

3. 3.Describe briefly person(s), reading(s) or experience(s) that have shaped you spiritually.
   

4. 4.Include name, address, phone # and email of a person who will companion and support you during this program. Ask her/him to email a brief statement about how LCG is a fit for you to: LCG@spiritualdirectioncolodrado.org.
   

B. Mail this application with your check to: SDCO/LCG, P. O. Box 88350, Colorado Springs, CO 80908