Lilly Foundation Grant
Perhaps you have heard the good news that we received a $46,000 grant from the Clergy Renewal Program of the Lilly Endowment, Inc. The grant will fund a three month sabbatical for our Pastor beginning May of 2011. It will provide the financial support for an interim pastor in Pastor Katie's absence. And, it will pay for several year-long spiritual growth opportunities for the whole Congregation.St. John's UNITED Church
Serving Christ in Chesterton, Indiana
225 W. Lincoln Ave.
Chesterton, IN 46304
219-926-1476
office@sjuchurch.org
From our Pastor:
The purpose of the grant is to offer renewal to both pastor and congregation. My theme is “body prayer” -- using our bodies to connect with God. I will be focusing on three forms of body prayer: walking the labyrinth, signing/moving to sacred music, and the practice of yoga.The grant money provides funds for you to explore body prayer right along with me.
Here’s how:
Three Labyrinth Retreats
Our funding will pay for a professional retreat leader to guide us through three
labyrinth retreats over the course of the next year. The labyrinth is a prayer “tool”
-- it is a sacred walk, used by Christians for centuries, to help us connect to God.
The retreat will teach us about the labyrinth, it’s history and lore, and will
show us how to walk the labyrinth mindfully. Many of you have already
walked a labyrinth (there is a beautiful outdoor one at Geneva Center, our
Presbytery’s Camp. There is also one at Valparaiso University.)
For those of you who are new to the labyrinth, you are in for a spiritually
uplifting treat!
Signing/moving to Sacred Music
Another form of “body prayer” is through moving tosacred music. Some people do this through
liturgical dance. Others move to sacred music using sign language. Sometimes we do simple
signing to hymns during our Worship Services. This grant provides us with the money to bring in
a “signer/dancer” twelve times over the next year. This person will help lead worship using sign/
language. Just as special musical offerings uplift us during worship, special movement offerings can
do the same.
Yoga
The grant will pay for me to study Yoga intensively. I have discovered that Yoga provides me a
way to pray -- wordlessly. Using simple breathing and moving, Yoga helps me to connect to God.
I hope to share this prayer practice with you throughout the coming year and after my return.
I believe that these three prayer forms offer us the chance to draw closer to God in new ways. Not
only that, I think they give us tools to offer to others outside the church. In that way, I hope they
will help us share the Good News of an outrageously loving God!
