Creative Liturgy Writing Retreat: for the Season of Pentecost

Learning Together – Program offered in partnership with Emmanuel College Continuing Education and Oaten Institute of Five Oaks.

Come away for an inspiring time as you join with other worship leaders in planning this important and longest season of the season of the Church year, sharing resources, and writing creative liturgy. We will gather and work both individually and collaboratively, sharing our work and everyone. We will leave with great ideas and resources.

The days will begin and end with inspiring worship, where you can reconnect with Source and allow your creativity to flow from this connection. There will also be time for walking, for meaningful conversation with others and time alone to listen to the Spirit. Please bring any musical instruments you may have.

Facilitators:

Linda Nash has been an Ordained Minister in the United Church for 20 years and is also a spiritual director. The spiritual practice of singing and chanting is life-giving to Linda on her path to deepening her connection with the Holy and with the mystery that infuses all of life. She enjoys finding ways to create meaningful worship that not only include singing and chanting prayers, but experiences that involve all the senses. Linda feels drawn to creating liturgies that do not rely on the ability to read so that all ages can participate more freely and fully.

Bob Root has been shaped by regular participation at worship his whole life.  As an ordained minister in The United Church for forty years, he has known seasons and times of worship when the Holy was almost tangible and others when there seemed only a great absence. Influenced by Celtic Spirituality, Bob is drawn to creation as a source of inspiration, using his camera as another lens to help him see and understand the presence of the Holy. He is chair of the Gathering Advisory Board (Gathering is a grass-roots United Church worship resource) and grateful for the community this resource both gathers and strengthens across our Church.

Daryl Webber has always enjoyed the creative writing process especially when born from conversation with others and allowed to germinate in silence. He has been writing letters to his children for 13 years about being Incarnated, about becoming a dad and about being reminded of our baptism. The four year old has yet to appreciate the style and the vocabulary, but Daryl reflects that it is in writing that we happen upon insights we never knew were in us and suddenly connects us to a world we may have forgotten that we love entirely. Writing opens us.  Daryl has been in ministry for 19 years and maybe just getting the hang of it!

Darrow Woods currently serves Trinity United Church in Oakville. He celebrated the 25th anniversary of his ordination this spring. He is hopeful he will have sorted out how to balance home and family life,pastoral work, and other life-giving, (and some life-draining) pre-occupations sometime in the next 25 years. He is a spiritual director, and part of the core staff of the Ontario Jubilee Program. Darrow strives to bring a contemplative sensibility to worship preparation and leadership.

For a printable flyer for this program, click here.