15 South Mulberry Street
Hagerstown, Maryland 21740
301-733-3565
MISSION STATEMENT
The mission of the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren is to celebrate the love of Jesus Christ and glorify the
Lord by striving to live as Christ lived,  experiencing the power of God's healing in our lives.  We seek to nurture
our faith community through prayer, music  and the proclaimed Word, while enthusiastically reaching out to
others with compassion, respect and love for everyone so that we may grow in faith and commitment together.

VISION STATEMENT
Journeying with Christ - Serving Our Neighbors - Uniting at the Master’s Table
Through the Deacon Ministry

Group Spiritual Direction

Community for Discernment
October 2008 - May 2009
GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
What is it?

As with individual spiritual direction (or companionship), the focus is on the Spirit as the
“director.” It is a process where a small group gathers regularly to support each other in an
ongoing responsiveness to God in all of life, based on the belief that in Christ, God enters our
pain and joy.  It is open to all, both lay and clergy.

Three conditions are essential to the life of the group. Each participant must be willing—
to commit themselves to an honest relationship with God;
to attend the meetings regularly; and  to enter into the group process through prayerful listening
and response, opening their journeys for reflection with others.

Shared Desire for God
What draws people to the group is a reciprocity of desire, God’s desire and their desire.  Having
been touched by God desire, they want to make their desire for God the determining factor of all
their choices.  The group’s primary task is to make the shared desire explicit and to hold one
another in it.

Yet as much as people know this faithful looking is why they are together and really want that for
themselves and for the group, they unintentionally collude to avoid it—becoming busy about
many things besides listening.  A process is needed that will help people do what they want the
group to do.

Dynamics of the Process

A two-and-a-half hour meeting time allows space for the unfolding of the process of group
spiritual direction with a group of four people (three minimum, five maximum), each open and
seeking God’s best for the other.

If, for example, eight enroll, all would meet together for an opening time of prayer, then go in
silence to two groups, each with a trained facilitator.  It is important to commit to all sessions.
GROUP LEADERS

Don Evason
United Church of Christ minister
Retired Chaplain, Washington County Hospital
Graduate of Oasis Ministries’ two-year program

Ed Poling
Pastor, Hagerstown Church of the Brethren
Graduate, Shalem Institute Spiritual Guidance Program
Spiritual Director

SCHEDULE

All the meetings will be held on Thursdays at the church:













The opening and closing days will be a longer retreat with bag supper.

BOOK STUDY
Don and Ed have found it helpful to spend the first half hour of each session in a study of the
spiritual life.  We will read together Spiritual Direction by Henri Nouwen.

COST
There is no fee for this eight-month program.  However, persons from the community are
encouraged to make a donation to the Hagerstown Church to help underwrite the costs.  The
leaders receive no honorarium for this program.

LOCATION
All sessions will be conducted at the Hagerstown Church of the Brethren at the corner of
Mulberry and E. Washington St.
The Process

The time begins with about 20 minutes for people to gather in prayer and silence with a common desire to dedicate this time
on behalf of some person or cause in our world. Out of the silence, the facilitator invites someone to begin sharing when he or
she feels ready.

Sharing by one person (about 10 minutes) as each individual shares, the group listens
prayerfully through without interruption.

Silence (3 to 4 minutes) This allows space between sharing and response for a deeper sharing to arise.

Response (about 10 minutes)
This is a period for dialog, questions and observations that have come up in the silence. The facilitator encourages caring and
yet honest responses, trust in God’s caring love for the presenter rather than holding onto one’s personal agenda for the
person.

Silence (about 5 minutes)
During this time people pray for the person who has just presented. The presenter may wish to make notes on what she or he
heard.

The “Sharing—Silence—Response—Silence” is repeated, with a short break midway, until all
members have presented.

Prayer for absent member (10 minutes)
This prayer reflects that the most important thing members can do for one another is to pray, especially for one unavoidably
absent. Members also pray for one another between meetings.

Reflection on the time together (10 minutes)
This reflection is not meant to analyze, but to provide a gentle noticing, God and the group together, an honest focus on the
group’s attentiveness to the rhythms of grace in each person’s life– and whatever has served this prayerful attitude or gotten in
the way.

(Portions above adapted from Shalem Institute, Bethesda, Md. )

Contact Ed Poling at elpoling@cs.com for more information or to register.
3:00-9:00pm        Retreat
6:00-9:00pm
6:00-9:00pm
6:00-9:00pm
6:00-9:00pm
6:00-9:00pm
6:00-9:00pm
6:00-9:00pm
3:00-9:00pm        Retreat