Date & Time:  Saturday, February 4th, 10:00am – 4:00pm

Location:  St. Stephen’s, Pittsfield

Led By:  The Rev. Annie Ryder

Cost:  $40.00 (Lunch Provided)

Come and rest in God.  This six-hour introductory workshop teaches the method of Centering Prayer and encourages a daily prayer practice.  There will be four “conferences” and two periods of Centering Prayer.  The topics covered in the conferences are:

• Prayer as a relationship with God,
• Centering Prayer and the Christian Contemplative Heritage
• The method of Centering Prayer, taught and practiced
• The use of the Sacred Word in Centering Prayer explained
• The fruits of Centering Prayer and extending the benefits into daily life

Centering Prayer is rooted in the word of God, both in scripture and in the person of Jesus Christ.  It is an effort to renew the Christian contemplative tradition handed down to us from St. Paul, who writes of the intimate knowledge of Christ that comes through love.  St. Gregory the Great, in the 6th century, called it “resting in God.”  In this resting the mind and heart are not so much seeking God as beginning to experience, to “taste” what they have been seeking.  Come and see.

This offering at Servant Leadership School in the Berkshires will be led by the Rev. Annie Ryder, who is a commissioned presenter with extensive training from Contemplative Outreach, an international organization founded by Fr. Thomas Keating.

Wear comfortable clothes; bring a pillow or prayer stool if you wish.  Invite your friends from the Roman Catholic tradition.   Bring an open mind and an open heart.  A simple soup luncheon will be served.  Please plan to stay for all six hours.  Hopefully we can begin to create ongoing Centering Prayer groups in the Berkshires.

If you would like more information prior to the workshop, read Open Heart, Open Mind by Thomas Keating or log onto www.contemplativeoutreach.org