The Rev. Joseph H. Hensley, Jr., Rector of St. George’s Episcopal Church in Fredericksburg, Virginia shares this reflection at a live stream Celtic Evensong worship service on April 16, 2020.
meditation
Lenten Weekend 2020
The Spirituality of Creativity and Play
February 28 – March 1, 2020
Featuring Rev. Lisle Garrity
How do play and creativity nurture our spirituality? Our keynote speaker is pastor, retreat leader, and artist Rev. Lisle Garrity. We will connect art with spirituality using “Visio Divina” for a unique creative process and ultimately, a shared sacred journey. No experience or proficiency with art is necessary for this wonderful weekend! Youth and adults are encouraged to attend.
About Pastor Lisle
As an artist, pastor, retreat leader, and creative entrepreneur, Lisle works with communities of all kinds across the nation. In addition to leading retreats and serving as artist-in-residence with churches, she is the founder and creative director of A Sanctified Art LLC, a collaborative arts ministry providing multimedia resources for worshiping communities. As an ordained Minister of the Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA), she approaches her work as an artist primarily through the lenses of pastor and theologian. Residing in Black Mountain, North Carolina, with her husband and two wiggly pups, Max and Maven, she has a deep love for exploring mountains, creative opportunities of all kinds, and new ways to be church. Her work and writings have been featured in Reformed Worship, Call to Worship, NEXT Church, and Presbyterians Today.
This weekend is accessible to all Deaf, hearing, and ASL communities. Childcare is available upon request. Please indicate your need on your registration.
Schedule of Events
Friday – February 28
Sydnor Hall
6 pm: Potluck dinner – bring a dish to share!
7 – 9 pm: Interactive presentation on the role of creativity and play for living a wholehearted life. We will reflect on creative identity in light of the imago dei. Using a creatio divina art exercise, we will explore connections between faith, play, and the creative process. Come prepared to get your hands dirty as we play and create together with pastels. Youth and adults are welcome to attend!
Saturday – February 29
Sydnor Hall
2 – 5 pm: Faith and the Creative Process. Pastor Lisle will present briefly on the birth, life, death, and resurrection of the creative process. Groups will then create silk painted banners together, working from scripture. The completed silk banners will be displayed in our Nave. Youth and adults are welcome to attend! Please note that we will be working with ink dyes – come prepared to get your hands (and maybe your shirt) dirty.
Sunday – March 1
Nave
9 am, 11:15 am, 5:30 pm: Worship Service with Live Painting by Pastor Lisle. Pastor Lisle will offer a visual meditation of the Word by painting throughout our worship services.
Sydnor Hall
10 am: Adult Forum discussion “Why Art Matters to the Church” led Pastor Lisle.
Register today to join us for an unforgettable weekend of spirituality, art, and creativity!
Photos from 2019 Lenten Weekend
For our 2019 Lenten Weekend – Rooted in Wholeness – we welcomed the Rev. Ōshin Jennings. Rev. Jennings is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, trained psychotherapist, and multi-media artist. He is the first known Deaf Buddhist monk and leads No Barriers Zen, a meditation community based in Washington, DC. The aim of No Barriers Zen is to make meditation practice accessible to people of all abilities and disabilities.
In addition to leading our evening sessions on meditation, Rev. Jennings also preached at our 9 am service, led our adult forum, had a lunch Q&A with our youth, and participated in our afternoon interfaith panel discussion.
We will be posting videos of the sessions soon so check back!
Thank you to everyone who helped make this weekend a success.
Lenten Weekend 2019
Rooted in Wholeness: Contemplative Prayer and Mindfulness
March 8 – 10, 2019. Featuring the Rev. Ōshin Jennings, leader of No Barriers Zen in Washington, D.C.
Online registration is now closed. Please register when you check-in at the door.
How do we remove barriers to nurture our inner selves? This year’s Lenten Weekend invites participants to let go of their thinking and surrender to God’s wholeness through practices of meditation and contemplative prayer. Our keynote speaker is The Rev. Ōshin Jennings. Rev. Ōshin is a Soto Zen Buddhist priest, a trained psychotherapist, and multi-media artist. He is the first known Deaf Buddhist monk and leads No Barriers Zen, a meditation community based in Washington, DC. The aim of No Barriers Zen is to make meditation practice accessible to people of all abilities and disabilities.
This weekend is accessible to all Deaf, hearing, and ASL communities and is made possible in part by a grant from the Episcopal Conference of the Deaf (ECD).
Schedule of Events
Friday – March 8
Sydnor Hall
6 pm: Potluck dinner – bring a dish to share!
Nave (note location change)
7 – 9 pm: Introduction to Meditation by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings
Seats and a limited number of cushions will be available. Please feel free to bring your own meditation cushion.
Saturday – March 9
10 am: Tour of St. George’s facilities
Nave (note location change)
7 – 9 pm: Expanding Our Practice by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings
Seats and a limited number of cushions will be available. Please feel free to bring your own meditation cushion.
Sunday – March 10
Nave
9 am: Worship Service with Homily by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings
Sydnor Hall
10 am: Adult Forum discussion “The Embodied Buddhist Journey” led by The Rev. Ōshin Jennings
Youth Floor
12:30 pm: Lunch with Youth
Nave
2 pm: Interfaith Panel Discussion: How do different faith communities participate in meditation?
Panelists:
Rev. Ōshin Jennings, our keynoter for the weekend
Seham El-Ansary, Islamic and inter-faith scholar and community leader, Fredericksburg-area resident. She is the founder and director of WAH- Women Alliance For Humanity, self-prosperity coach, former education and management consultant, and a lifelong community activist who has dedicated her efforts to civic empowerment, women & youth training, interfaith outreach, and the betterment of the community. She holds an MBA and a BA in Social Sciences and Education, with a minor in Psychology. She lectured in many universities, churches and synagogues. Her community work has been featured in various local newspapers, TV & Radio shows, in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. Education and empowerment work is her paramount focus and passion in life.
Dr. John McLaughlin, M.D. physician and mindfulness based stress reduction instructor. John has been involved in meditation and contemplative practices since his late teens. He started with TM (Transcendental Meditation) and currently practices in the Non Dual tradition in the Ramana Maharshi and Sri Nisargadatta lineage. His root teacher in Adyashanti. John is a cofounder of the Yoga Foundation of Fredericksburg which is a nonprofit organization which offers yoga, mindfulness and wellness workshops with a focus on the underserved in our community. He teaches Mindfulness Bases Stress Reduction (MBSR) after having finished his teacher training with the founder Jon Kabat Zinn at the University of Massachusetts. He has a strong science background having trained as a MD and now combines his passion for the Body with that of the Mind and Spirit.
The Rev. Joe Hensley, rector of St. George’s.
The Rev. Ed Jones, Episcopal deacon and former editor of the Free Lance Star will serve as the moderator for the panel discussion
Online registration is now closed but you are welcome to attend! Please register at the door when you check-in.