Life takes a turn for the worse and suddenly you’re caught up in the warm embrace of prayer as family members and friends assure you they are praying for you. Or you slip into your usual pew and the comforting rhythms of prayer enfold you.Until your beliefs slide past the traditional, prayer is a good thing. But there, beyond belief in the supernatural, interventionist god, God, prayer begins to irritate rather than comfort and the best intentions of those praying for you lose their ability to bring you strength. Join Gretta Vosper, author of With or Without God and more recently, Amen: What Prayer can Mean in a World Beyond Belief, as we consider the words we can say and pray with integrity. In so doing, we may yet bring new life, hope and inspiration to expectant congregations. In this workshop we will grapple with the implications of traditional prayer and find ways to experience the benefits prayer might still offer beyond the beliefs that divide. Program Cost: $355 ($208.50 tuition + $146.50 meals/accommodations)
Please register at least 2 weeks in advance to secure your place in this program.
Leadership
Gretta Vosper
Gretta Vosper. Named one of 2009’s Most Compelling Women in Canada by More Magazine, Gretta Vosper has been in the spotlight since founding the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity in 2004. Her national bestselling book, With or Without God: Why the Way We Live is More Important than What We Believe was listed on Amazon’s Top 25 Books that Caused a Commotion. Gretta calls the church to create communities grounded in values that promote the wellbeing of all life on the planet rather than in indefensible doctrinal beliefs. She continues to lead West Hill United Church – “a progressive community of faith growing out of the Christian tradition” – in Scarborough, Ontario.
Donnadale Smith, from Toronto, Ontario, serves as Administrator of the Canadian Centre for Progressive Christianity.
Pat De Meo
Pat De Méo, Program Resource Group (PRG) facilitator, is on the Leadership Team of the Atlantic Jubilee Program in Spiritual Deepening and Spiritual Guidance. She is a Professor of French language and culture at Dalhousie University, with a background in inter-cultural communication, group dynamics and staff support and supervision.