Present: Chris Hagen, Diane Oldfield, Nichola Riggle, Rick Martin, Elena Andrews, Jan Simpson, Joan Thompson, Mary Williams, Susan Wheeler, Vicki Rehkopf, and Linda Dollins
Mary opened
the meeting at 9:35 with a 10-minute period of Centering Prayer.
Mary remembered Audrey Spindler, a great contributor to CONSD, who died August 24, and encouraged us, if we wished, to write brief tributes for the November Newsletter.
REPORTS
COSD
update: Mary reported that COSD recently
sent out an update with a number of offerings for the San Diego contemplative
community. Included were notices about an
Introductory Workshop starting on Nov. 4 at Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church
in El Cajon and a daily Advent Centering Prayer sit on Zoom. Mary remarked that the Advent opportunity is
similar to the one COSD offered last spring during Lent which often had 25-30
in attendance.
Facilitator
enrichment: Mary, Nichola, and
Parth. Mary reminded us that CO is
offering an enrichment on Zoom on October 14. Every year CO offers a different topic for
facilitators. Parth was unable to attend
this SLT meeting, but Mary talked to her earlier about enrichment, and Parth
suggested an in-person event at St. Bartholomew’s which would be
collaboratively led. Parth suggested we
choose a companion practice to Centering Prayer practice such as the Welcoming
Prayer or Guard of the Heart for the topic.
The format could include break-out groups that report back to the larger
group.
In another
vein, Chris inquired whether anyone from the last SLT meeting had looked over
and then used the detailed information he provided on our CONSD organizational
framework and Centering Prayer. Chris is
concerned that newcomers to Centering Prayer groups (who have not attended an
Intro Workshop) are not aware of this information, and “new people need
shepherding.” A discussion followed about ways the material Chris brought to us
might be implemented. Mary said that she
has added some of this material to our website. Linda suggested that we might
have a gathering of prayer groups to review this material. Elena pointed out
that she read through the packet and thought it could be condensed. Nichola
suggested that the material could be emailed out to the prayer groups every 6
months or so. Chris also has a concern that the prayer groups might be
emphasizing formation over the prayer, and that some people refer to these
groups as a “club.” Mary remembered that
Fr. Keating initially defined the prayer groups as support groups (versus a
class or a club).
Financial
Report: Linda reported that our current
balance is $16,296. Since the last
meeting we have given out $2,390 in scholarships for the Prince of Peace
retreat and $139.00 for two participants attending “Utmost Charity: A call to
deeper meaning.” We had $685 in
deposits which included the $50 deposits for the Prince of Peace retreat and
three $25 donations.
Communications: Mary said she continues to add material to
the CONSD website. For the November
Newsletter, Mary said that any reflections of and tributes to Audrey Spindler
were welcome. The newsletter will
include an article by Kathy Agnew on the Lectio Divina workshop she attended. She hopes also to have a write-up on the
Prince of Peace retreat. Chris said the
website has improved greatly under Mary in many ways: formatting, information, ease of use, and
graphic design. Thank you, Mary!!
Centering
Prayer Introductory Workshop: Mary
suggested that the next Introductory Workshop be held during Lent, starting on February
17 or 24. Rather than taking three days,
the team determined that a two-day workshop beginning Saturday rather than
Friday was preferred. Zoom is a good
choice because of illness and travel limitations.
Events:
· --The Day at the Mission retreat on July 23 with Kathy Mendoza turned out to be a beautiful day for us. Almost 40 attended, drawing many from up the coast as far as Riverside. Mary suggested we might use the Mission in the future as a site for a speaker. Nichola agreed that it is a beautiful backdrop.
· --Prince of Peace Retreat, October 20-22. Mary will soon be sending out pre-retreat
information. Joan offered to bring some
refreshments. Everything is set.
· --Elena Bertran Retreat November 18,
2023. Elena would like to do another Advent (or pre-Advent) Morning on Zoom with a similar
format to last year. Linda would like to
send out a notice on Mailchimp soon after she returns from her trip on October
24.
· -- Chris Hagen said that the working title for
workshop in June 2024 is “Happiness: The Experience of Non-dual Consciousness.” It will pick up from his last presentation
and will include how to deal with unhappiness.
He said that one of the faces of happiness is unhappiness. One section will include the left/right
functioning of the brain and that non-duality is a balance between the two
functions. Vicki pointed out that since people
are not widely familiar with the term “non-duality,” Chris might want to revise
the workshop’s title. Susan suggested
that Chris include a subtitle that would help explain the title/topic.
· --A Chapter Enrichment/Discernment Day has not been held for five
years. Mary suggested that July or
August 2024 might be a good time to schedule one.
· --Future Possibilities: Several speakers were suggested,
including local Wisdom teachers Heather Ruce and Susan Latimer, Stephen Coffey,
Jacob Munoz… We might also have a Silent Saturday with Lectio Divina.
· Calendar: The next SLT meeting is January 13, 2024.
Closing
Prayer: A Thomas Merton prayer was
graciously offered by Diane Oldfield.
The meeting
ended at 11:00.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Dollins
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