February 16th-19th A three-day retreat to Lebh Shomea is planned for February 16th-19th for First Church members and friends. Reservations have been made for 12 rooms, and arrangements can be made for those wishing to go a day earlier. Lebh Shomea, located approximately sixty miles south of Corpus Christi, in Sarita, Texas near Baffin Bay, is a Christian community of men and women under the auspices of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate whose lifestyle is contemplative-eremitical. Everyone at Lebh Shomea--guests included--participates in the contemplative-eremitical life of the … [Read more...]

November 19th Following our Intro to Centering Prayer classes, we will then have a Centering Prayer half-day retreat on Saturday, November 19th, from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. This retreat will be led by Jean Springer. The location and more details to be announced. If you are interested or would like more information, please contact Denise Fischer at denisefischer@gmail.com or 658-8177. … [Read more...]

One quality of mature spirituality is kindness. It is based on the fundamental notion of self-acceptance, rather than guilt, blame or shame for the ignorant acts we’ve committed or the fears that still remain within us. Opening requires the warm sun of loving-kindness. It is all too easy to turn spirituality or religious conviction into a “grim duty”. Mary Oliver says, “You do not have to be good. You do not have to walk on your knees for a hundred miles in the desert, repenting. You only have to let the soft animal of your body love what it loves.” In deep self acceptance … [Read more...]

“Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power.  It is simple.  It is serene…” Thomas Kelly, Quaker Theologian From Freedom of Simplicity, Finding Harmony in a Complex World  by Richard J. Foster If we expect to enter the inward simplicity for which we were created, we will need to order our lives in specific ways.  The things we do will not give us simplicity of heart, but they will put us in the place where we can receive it. One way to nurture simplicity is through the discipline of silence.  Society is dominated by the inane notion that action is the … [Read more...]

The Contemplative community of First United Methodist Church worships together every Sunday at 9:00 a.m. in Room 212 of the Sanctuary Building. Lay led, this service focuses on being still and quiet in community, practicing being in the presence of God in the present moment. The simple service includes a reading, a poem, or a passage from the Bible, followed by time for reflection, and then brief sharing of those reflections by those who feel led to do so. The service also includes a time of contemplative silence: a time of prayer, without words. This week's Contemplative reading comes … [Read more...]