Growth in Prayer and Reflective Living Course
2024-2025 (Online)
A one year programme for those who want a closer relationship with God, who struggle with prayer, who want to make choices that are in tune with God’s dream for the world. No expertise in prayer or reflection is required. The course is open to all, of whatever denomination or none. So come along, whether you have a specific reason for doing the course or simply want space to explore and reflect on your life in relationship to God, self and others. Course application deadline is 5 August 2024 (though see below if financial assistance is required). There will be an Introductory evening on 10th September for those registered and accepted onto the course.
The Course
The course aims to provide participants with prayer resources and reflection skills that will help them:
- Deepen their relationship with God
- Become more aware of the sense and direction of their lives
- Make choices that reflect their self-identity within an understanding of God’s hopes for the world
- Develop a spirituality that shapes their response to life.
Towards this end, and within the framework of the Christian liturgical year, the course provides opportunities to:
- Reflect on our understanding of God and self
- Become aware of the many ways in which God communicates with us
- Become familiar with different methods of prayer as tools for engaging in conversation with God
- Explore some spiritualities as responses to God’s communication
- Develop skills for reflective living
- Explore the relationship between prayer and engagement with the world.
- Explore how to support your faith journey
- Develop a personal spirituality that integrates prayer and life, and helps shape your response to the latter.
Method
The method is reflective and experience-based. Sessions include team input, guided experiences of prayer, time for quiet personal prayer, and opportunities for listening and sharing. The five full days allow more time for personal prayer. The fifth of these, the final day of the course, will be a day of retreat.
Included for participants are six sessions of individual spiritual accompaniment. These will run from December till May.
What Follows the Course?
The course is complete in itself. However, it is also a foundation for future possibilities, such as:
- Individual spiritual accompaniment;
- Retreats of various kinds, including the full Spiritual Exercises of St Ignatius
- Training to facilitate days/afternoons/evenings with groups;
- Training in spiritual conversation;
- Training as a spiritual guide for one-to-one and retreat work, with the possibility of eventual work in this area.
Finance
The suggested offering for this course is £575
A (non refundable) deposit of £70 will be required on approval of registration.
Electronic Payment is preferred however it can also be made by cheque, cash or standing order and may be made in instalments over the year, according to need.
Grants and financial Assistance:
Those in need of financial support should contact the ISC as soon as possible, and at the latest by 19 July 2024, to allow time to apply for a grant for those eligible.*
* A grant towards this course may be available for UK and European residents who find our full offering difficult to afford. This is from a third party source. We will send you details when you apply and your application is approved.
However we also recommend that you try and source financial assistance elsewhere if you need it, or speak to us about a bursary - although our funds are limited.
