Reading with the Pastor - In God's Presence

What is this "thing" called prayer? At sometime or another in our lives we have asked that question. Is it possible that the God of creation actually listens to and answers our prayers or are we having a monologue with ourselves? For those of us who have struggled with these and other questions concerning prayer, "In God's Presence" offers invaluable insights about this wonderful gift of communication.

Marjorie Suchocki shares with us her reflections about prayer from both a theological and personal perspective. She leads us through the various conceptions of what we think prayer "is" and shows us another view that moves beyond our well worn myths of communicating with God. We are challenged to look and examine every facet of prayer from the way we view God to offering prayers of thanksgiving and praise.

We will gather to discuss the book on Thursday, November 17th at 7:00 pm. A quick search of the library systems did not reveal any local copies, but used copies of this book can be found online for approximately $5.00. 

Please contact the church office if you would like us to order the book for you.

Claiming All Things for God: Prayer, Discernment and Ritual for Social Change

As fall is arriving, it is time to start back our ““Reading with the Pastor”” series. Each month, I pick a book (that is new to me) to read together to learn more about our faith. We then meet after the end of the month to discuss our reactions to the book. For the month of September, I have selected the book ““Claiming All Things for God: Prayer, Discernment and Ritual for Social Change.”” Especially in light of the studies we have been doing this summer through our Social Issue Forums, I think this book will help us to connect a sense of spirituality with a quest for justice. We will meet on Thursday, October 20th at 7:00 pm to reflect on the book.

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“As a Christian social activist, George McClain found himself yearning for a sense of integration between his active life and his spiritual life. At one point, not knowing what spiritual direction really was, he enrolled in a training program for spiritual directors. In the inner dialogue between that course and his social activism, her recognized the importance of a focused spiritual life in augmenting one's social witness.””

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“McClain surveyed other social activists and found that they too responded as he once had making decisions in the arena of social witness in terms of what they should do, making personal decisions on the basis of what they discerned that God wanted them to do. This book is McClain's attempt to name this disjuncture in the lives of people of faith, to build on the growing intersection in people's lives of action for justice and the inner journey in the Spirit, and to offer rituals groups can use to begin to be religious together.””

Used copies of the book can be found online for as little as $4.00 with shipping at the following address- http://goo.gl/ hGtLS. There are at least 4 copies in the Ohio public library system. If you need assistance acquiring the books, please let the church office know.