Liz and Nancy, both ruling elders from Isaiah’s Table, attended the PCUSA’s Disciple-Making Church Conference held January 18-21 in St. Pete Beach, Florida. The title of the conference was “Making Space for God”. The focus was learning about and practicing contemplative prayer so that leaders can be more connected to God and therefore help their congregations also be.
Some attending the conference were surprised, even frustrated, at the beginning of the conference, thinking they were coming to learn some step by step methods of becoming a “disciple-making church”. However, by the end of the conference many expressed that the week was powerful, even life-changing. All could agree with the premise that the goal of discipleship is to participate in the great dance of the trinity and to do this we need time to focus on the God that is closer to us than we are to ourselves.
The mornings were spent in worship, with much singing, followed by BJ Woodworth, pastor of The Open Door in Pittsburgh, sharing about his personal experiences with contemplative prayer. He was informative and inspirational. We then discussed the morning session in small groups and were sent out for an afternoon of “intentionally wasting time with God”. Each evening ended in worship and the practice of Examen.
The week was enhanced because the 1001 New Worshiping Communities Coaches were also gathered for their annual training. Meals and worship were shared with them, as well as some free time in the evenings. Networking opportunities were plentiful as well as great fellowship with some of the most innovative pastors in the denomination.
Nancy spent her afternoons in solitude, mostly on the beach, reflecting on the morning’s talk and listening to the voice of God speaking through the waves and creatures of God’s creation. She also spent time meditating through coloring- something she never took the time to do back in Syracuse (which she will now incorporate into her spiritual practice back home). The week was both restorative and practical- giving her some concrete ideas to use at Isaiah’s Table and with the other leaders of the faith community.
This was Liz’s first time attending a national Presbyterian conference and it was truly a gift. Her only conference experience is work-related, in which every hour of the day is scheduled. To have an entire afternoon with no responsibilities and no place to be (except Yoga at 3:30!) was a unique opportunity for self-reflection and thinking about her relationship with God. She found that the workshops helped her in her own prayer life to hear God say “just be with me”….and she has been able to bring this back with her into the re-entry of normal life. As she sat in her small group with pastors from around the country looking for spiritual renewal and sharing their struggles, she couldn’t help but wish that more people from our Presbytery could have attended.
Nancy, the coordinator of Isaiah’s Table, thinks one of the most important things that this community does is send its leaders to conferences and to send its youth/children to camp. Experiencing new things and new ways of thinking with a new community of Christians does so much to grow discipleship. She is grateful that the leadership shares this value and allocates our limited funds to make sure these opportunities for growth can happen.
