Christians 2006

December 2006

The Unitarian Universalist Christian Fellowship, Austin Chapter, will celebrate our monthly worship service at 1:00 pm, Sunday, December 17, in the sanctuary. This month we will be celebrating the Advent season leading up to Christmas. All are welcome to join us for a mix of modern and traditional ideas, including liberal theology and ancient wisdom, as well as Christmas hymns and the lighting of Advent candles. Children are welcome, but childcare is not provided.

The UUCF’s Meditation/Centering Prayer group meets Sundays at 2:00 pm in Room 103. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join us (you don’t have to be in UUCF or a UU or Christian). Please come if you are interested even if you’ve never been to any of our sessions before. Childcare is not available. If you have questions or want to know more about what we do, please contact Katharine Marvin (kamarvin@earthlink.net).

Join the Austin UU Christian Fellowship on December 21 for the third annual Gnostic Winter Solstice Ritual. The ritual will be held at 7:30 pm in Common Ground, just behind the main building. Spend an evening in the dark, recognize the element of death in every life and celebrate the inevitable and glorious renewal that always follows each ending. The ritual is open to the public and there is no charge or fee. Children are welcome; however, very serious subject matter will be discussed and a portion of the ritual will be performed in darkness. For more information, contact Jeff VanMeter (jlanvan@yahoo.com).

August 2006

The UUCF’s Meditation/Centering Prayer Group meets Sundays at 2:00 pm in Room 103. Anyone who is interested is welcome to join us. You don’t have to be in UUCF, or a UU, or Christian – sympathizers, fellow travelers, other co-conspirators are welcome. Please come if you are interested, even if you’ve never been to any of our sessions before. (Childcare is not available.)

Centering prayer is a contemplative practice grounded in Christian mystical traditions. It is similar to and has been significantly influenced by traditions from other sources (Buddhist practice, for example), especially in modern times. We may be emphasizing the meditation aspects of it a bit more than other centering prayer groups. Our meetings involve a few brief reflective readings, following by 20 minutes of silent meditation/prayer.

If you have questions or want to know more about what we do, please get in touch with Katharine Marvin (kamarvin@earthlink.net). For more information about the centering prayer tradition we’re drawing from, see www.contemplativeoutreach.org.