We have just launched Praying the Examen with Chris Anderson For Individuals and For Groups. 

Centuries after his death, our society still honors St. Ignatius Loyola, the father of the Jesuit order. Around the world, many Christians continue to make daily use of his tools for rich spiritual lives. In particular, Ignatius is responsible for bringing his interpretation of the style of prayer known as the Examen into public notice.

Ignatius initially intended the Examen as a prayer tool for the newly-founded Jesuit order, but soon, lay people were using it as well, and centuries later, many people still reply on the Examen as a foundational element in their spiritual lives. Practitioners of the Examen vary in age, gender, religious denomination, country, ethnicity, and their even belief in God. Different groups and individuals bring their own variations on the Examen to the table, but the essence remains the same: “To prayerfully reflect on the events of the day in order to detect God’s presence and discern God’s direction for us.”

In this course, Chris Anderson, professor of English at Oregon State University, poet, and Catholic deacon, will teach you about the Examen and introduce you to many resources available on this approach to prayer. We hope that you will use these lectures and resources to discover what approaches to  this prayer resonate with you, so that you may use these them to create your unique Examen experience.

For a preview of the course, click here.

We have just launched Small Groups that Work with Kate Wesch For Individuals and For Groups. This class is good for people or congregations that want to work on building community within the parish.

As Christians, we are directed to grow in our faith and mission through our church communities. One model for building church communities is is through small groups — groups where “everybody knows your name, and they’re always glad you came.”

Gilbert Bilezikian, founder of Willow Creek Community Church in South Barrington, Illinois, says, “It is within the small groups that people can get close enough to know each other, to care and share, to challenge and support, to confide and confess, to forgive and be forgiven, to laugh and weep together, to be accountable to each other. ” Through this kind of sharing, disciples are born.

The making of disciples does not happen in isolation, but through interactive relationships. In the small groups space, participants’ faith is stretched and strengthened, and they form the disciplines needed for discipleship. The small group helps them commit to connecting to God through community and to challenge each other to grow in faith. The group creates an environment that fosters and enables the “magic” to happen.  It is the strength of individuals coming together in surrender to God.

In this course, Kate Wesch,  an Episcopal priest and small group minister at Epiphany Episcopal Church in Seattle, WA, offers reasons that churches might choose to adopt the small groups model of building community. She offers suggestions for what effective small groups might look like and what activities they might engage. She guides congregations that want to adopt small groups in what questions to ask as they plan their groups, and ways to avoid problems, emphasizing patience and persistence. Finally, she discusses what small groups might achieve for themselves and the parish at large as they grow together in community.

For a preview of Kate’s course, click here.