Pastor Kate and Pastor Jill want to co-host a Sacred Circle group for Ronald UMC!

A Sacred Circle is a monthly, small-group, virtual gathering that is designed to be 2 things:

1. A space where people can bravely and vulnerably reflect out loud about their growth, successes, and challenges with regard to their whole selves (body, heart, mind, spirit) in a community that strives with intention to be safe(r), non-judgmental, and compassionate.

2. A space where people can practice being that community by bearing witness to one another's journeys and listening openly and from the heart without taking on the burden of fixing, giving advice, etc. We call this "listening in a state of Grace."

Groups are about 5-10 people big and last for about an hour. We’ll have five gatherings in total. Participants are invited to commit to all five gatherings (4th Tuesday of each month) for maximum transformational potential. Jill calls this gathering a "sacred circle" because, in her experience, “there is something inherently sacred about being in a community in this way” and knowing who will be alongside us on the journey helps us anchor ourselves.

Our time together will follow a simple structure:

*A mindful opening (typically a guided meditation, but it could be a poem or a song)

*Time for each person to share if they choose (and for the group to practice listening and witnessing)

*A mindful closing (perhaps another moment for silent meditation to integrate all that has been heard and held, a song, or a simple "one-word prayer")

The time together is simple and powerful. There is something healing about sharing in this space where the only expectation is that we are honest. While we can be plenty reflective on our own, Kate and Jill have found that it helps them tremendously to be in community with others who share their reflections out loud -- not only because it helps them feel less alone, but because hearing others also prompts us to go deeper, broadens our perspective, and helps us to imagine new possibilities.

If you have anyone in your life - friends, colleagues, family members - who you think would be interested, feel free to send this invitation to them, as well. Since it is virtual, our community is not bound by location.

And, of course, if you want to chat more about it before deciding, let us know!

Email questions/concerns to Jillian.M.Crisci@gmail.com and/or PastorKate@RonaldUMC.org Register https://greaternw.zoom.us/.../tJ0tceyqqz0sHNXsknTZhtW8zK5...

Gathering dates for our 5 meetings (7PM on the 4th Tuesday):

February, 27th

March 26th

April 23rd

May 28th

June 25th

A book Jill is reading sums up the benefits of this kind of space pretty perfectly:

"We all experience pain, suffering, anger, and fear. We all eventually figure out ways to endure, grow, and/or ask for help. Sometimes in life, we just have to go through the $%!#. The choice to witness this experience for each other is one of the most powerful ways to be a human being with another human being. Witnessing someone's experience (or even sometimes your own) means listening, having good boundaries, and not taking other people's stuff (situations, stresses, problems) into your body or feeling responsible for solving anything. When in doubt, witness."

~ Naomi Ortiz, Sustaining Spirit: Self Care for Social Justice