The Beecken Center of the School of Theology is partnering with Listening Hearts Ministries to offer two intensive, four-day retreats to train participants in the art of facilitating and mentoring spiritual discernment groups using the Listening Hearts approach. Held at the DuBose Conference Center in Monteagle, Tennessee, the retreats will include communal meditation activities; workshops that teach the practical aspects of teaching spiritual discernment; and a series of discernment sessions, each of which is followed by a reflective review to gain insight into the elements that bring forth fruitful discernment. Both retreats offer the same content. We are offering two retreats in order to accommodate the schedules of those who would like to attend.
The program has an “at-home” component: For four weeks prior to each retreat, the At-home Preparation will begin on Feb. 1, 8, 15, & 22 for the March 2020 retreat). Participants will introduce themselves to members of their small group by writing a summary of their spiritual journey over time; then read and study informational material that is crucial to serving in the discernment groups they will be taking part at the residential portion. Finally, each person will prepare a focus-person write-up for a life issue of their choice for which they would like discernment. The anticipated average time required each week is roughly three hours.
Clergy, laypersons, and professionals of all faiths (or none!) are welcome to attend!
These retreats are geared to spiritually mature leaders of all ages who are committed to the principles set forth in Listening Hearts. They afford each participant the opportunity to enter into discernment in relation to his or her own life while also learning to train and mentor discernment groups.
Participants will work in small groups, each with its own mentor. Silence, song, imaginative engagement with Scripture, creative meditation activities, and contemplative sharing of reflections combine to draw each group into the flow of the Spirit. The trainings include a series of discernment sessions, each followed by a reflective review to gain insight into what contributes to fruitful discernment in community. Workshops lay out the practical aspects of training discerners.