Please call or email the contact person to confirm the group is meeting and to get specifics on the meeting location.
ABOUT THE OAHU CENTERING PRAYER GROUPS North Shore Group Our group includes three ordained clergy
men: 1 United Methodist Church, 1 United Church of Christ, 1 Christian
(one of the branches of the Disciples of Christ), and three lay women: 1
Episcopal, 1 United Presbyterian, and 1 United Church of Christ. It is a
great group. After a 15 minute checkin, we do Lectio Divina with a
passage from the coming Sunday Revised Common Lectionary text, usually
the gospel reading (reading it four times) and then doing a 20 minute
sit. Dan Benedict is the usual leader, but when he is not present one of
the others leads. We would be delighted to have others join us and are
willing to interrupt our usual pattern to use the teaching DVD with Fr.
Keating, if new comers would like to explore the fundamental of
Contemplative Outreach and Centering Prayer. Prayer Service: Word into Silence based on the prayer designed by Bede Griffiths, OSB Cam. for Shantivanam, Saccidananda Ashram Includes an opening mantra or hymn, a reading from Universal Wisdom (non-Judeo-Christian source), introduction to prayer from the Syrian Liturgy, Gospel reading from the lectionary for the day, 30 minutes of Centering Prayer, chanting the psalms and a closing prayer. Friday morning at 7 am Little chapel in Mystical Rose Oratory and Chaminade University  . # # # St. Timothy’s Centering Prayer Community By Rae and Steve Costa from the Fall 2011 Newsletter Hi! My name is Rae Costa. My husband, Steve, and I facilitate a Centering Prayer group at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church in Aiea on Fridays at 6pm. We started this group for several reasons. We have busy lives. Centering Prayer helps us deal with the many things that get thrown at us during the day and during the week. We need a time and place where we can leave that busy-ness behind and just be quiet. (Not being a naturally disciplined person, I need to be a facilitator to make sure I will be at the session and not back out if I am feeling tired.) St. Tim’s has a history of prayer groups such as the Order of St. Luke and the Daughters of the King. We also had a vibrant Centering Prayer group a few years back but as time went by, the members started to fall away for various reasons. As one of the former members, Steve felt a nudge to start up again. We also go to Mindfulness Meditation on Saturday afternoon, and I wanted to explore the Christian version of Centering Prayer. I find they complement each other. There are times when I find concentrating on my breath an easier path to silence, and at other times, my sacred word calms me down. No matter the path, the destination is always the same…God. We are currently watching Fr. Keating’s DVD series, and I find his insights and teachings a wonderful gift. Slowly, but surely, I am becoming able to “see” my actions, my intentions, my thoughts, and sometime to “catch” myself before the reaction sets in. And every once in a while, I am able to bypass the reaction all together. Here is what one of our members said…
That is THE reason Steve and I facilitate our group at St. Tim’s! # # # Faith Sharing Through Prayerful Drawing By the East Oahu [Aina Haina] Centering Prayer Circle By Jonna Zane from the Spring 2010 Newsletter Faith sharing is about discovering God’s presence and action in the joys, sorrows, hopes, and fears of the human journey and sharing one’s story with others. It is a gift of telling and hearing, not a method of problem solving. One’s story is received in reverence without judgment or discussion by those in the prayer circle. Among members of a Centering Prayer Circle, such sharing is encouraged as a means of supporting one another on the contemplative path. After Centering together the women of the East Oahu Centering Prayer Circle engage in faith sharing through prayerful drawing. Prayerful drawing is an expression of the deepest stirrings of the Holy Spirit in one’s soul which manifest in symbolic form through color, shapes, and lines on small black paper. Most often, members take about 10 minutes to draw in response to a passage of scripture read in the four movements of Lectio Divina. Each is invited to share her drawing and comments about it with the group. Occasionally, someone may choose not to share, and that is fine. At the close of the faith sharing period, each woman places her drawing in a small, personal book along with the date and comments she may wish to make about it. At the end of the year, it is quite amazing to look through the book and rediscover the musings and guidance of the Holy Spirit in one’s life. Amazing also are the bonds of community forged in the small group of women from different religious traditions through this sacred process of faith sharing. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18: 20
# # # First United Methodist’s Centering Prayer Community By Rev. Amy C. Wake, First United Methodist Church, Honolulu, from the Spring 2012 Newslsetter Two years ago, I was struggling to balance the demands of being a pastor of a large church and a mother of two young kids. I took a short renewal leave and started looking for a new spiritual discipline to keep me grounded and centered. A friend of mine suggested a weekly Centering Prayer group. I had no real idea what I was getting into, but my life was so hectic that 20 minutes of silence sounded like heaven. It was not easy at first, but I was relieved to find that my intention and consent was enough for God. And after a bit of practice and perseverance, I soon realized that 20 minutes of silence really is heaven! After my leave was over, it was no longer possible for me to participate in my weekly Centering Prayer group regularly. So instead, I prayed at home, signed up for every retreat I could attend, and came to as many Saturday Mornings of Prayer as my schedule allowed. I am hardly a perfect prayer, but Centering Prayer has helped me stay connected to the awe-inspiring, all-consuming, ever-loving presence of God. I couldn't keep it to myself. I started teaching Centering Prayer to my congregation, with the help of Contemplative Outreach videos. Only a few people showed up for the Advent series. But we tried again during Lent and this time around, we had more takers, and more people who came to discover the graciousness of silence. When Lent was over, they did not want to stop. So we continue to meet weekly. We start by watching a short video clip, giving people time to settle down from their hectic days (or arrive a little late). Then we use a CD with a few minutes of music, 20 minutes of silence, and then a minute of music to signal the end of the prayer. This way no one has to keep track of the time. We close with the Lord's Prayer. |
