In the Christian calendar, the 40 days before Easter is the season of Lent, the time when we contemplate what the life and death of Jesus Christ means to us as Christians. In our busy lives, it can be challenging to make space for this time of reflection.  To help us make time for this important task, the Worship and Spiritual Life Ministry (aka Deacons) is offering Spiritual Reflection Groups that will meet weekly at a variety of times and locations (including online) during this period.  No preparation will be required. All you need to do is show up! Let this Lent be a time of deepening your spiritual understanding and connection to your faith community. Groups will begin March 6 and continue throughout Lent.

The four leaders are Louise Specht, Nancy DeNero, Stan Boghosian, and Kerrie Hein.  Below you'll find the descriptions of the groups.  Please sign up for the group that best suits your schedule and your interests!  With questions, contact the group leader or Rev. Kelly.  

Louise's Group:
• Day:  Sundays
• Time:   4 PM
• Leader Name:  Louise Specht
• Location: Louise’s backyard in North Berkeley (or inside if weather dictates)
• Description of group:  We'll be using Ann Naffziger's booklet of Lenten reflections, Coming Back to Life.   We'll begin with check-in, followed by a reading from Ann's book and silent reflection.  Then we'll discuss what that brings up for us.  I will have selected a reading, AND if anyone wants to reflect and discuss a different reading that sparked their interest, let's do it!  We'll end with a group prayer.

Nancy's Group:
• Day: Tuesdays
• Time: Noon – 1:15 pm
• Leader Name:  Nancy DeNero
• Location: Nancy’s backyard in North Berkeley
• Description of group: Please bring a brown bag lunch. Drinks provided.  We’ll come together, do a brief (and confidential) check-in; read together a short passage from Fr. Richard Rohr, take some silent time to “mindfully” eat our brown bag lunches, and then share our reflections on the reading. At the end we will lift up prayers for people we have mentioned in our time together, and head out for the rest of our day. I chose lunch time, because it is good self-care to set aside time to eat. I have followed Fr. Richard Rohr ever since my time in seminary, 2000-2004.  He is deeply grounded in Christian scripture, tradition and spiritual writings, and ALSO brings to this a deep appreciation for 12 step recovery’s spiritual base, aboriginal spirituality, Jewish and Buddhist spirituality.  His writings always make me stretch a little, which I love!

Stan's Group:
• Day:  Tuesdays
• Time:   7:30 PM
• Leader Name:  Stan Boghosian
• Location : Zoom
• Description of group:  We’ll begin with a few minutes of silence, followed by a brief prayer.  We’ll read aloud the lectionary gospel reading and psalm for the day and follow that with a time of silent reflection.  We’ll then discuss our responses to the readings.  

Kerrie's Group:
• Day: Wednesdays
• Time: 7 - 7:30 am
• Leader: Kerrie Hein
• Location: Zoom
• Description: Description: "All About Love"  This group is designed for early risers and people for whom a shorter meeting would better fit their schedule. This Lent, as Russia continues its invasion of Ukraine, we are forced to wrestle, as Jesus did, with the pain of inhumanity. In the 1990s, nine Cistercian monks lovingly served a mostly Muslim village in Algeria. Caught in a civil war, the monks followed in Jesus’s footsteps: threatening the authorities with their love, realizing that they would likely die, each monk experiencing his own “Garden of Gethsemene” and surrendering to his faith. This powerful true story was made into a movie in 2010, Of Gods and Men. Throughout the movie, the monks’ spiritual journey to love as Jesus loved is told through their readings, chants, and letters. We will use selections from these writings for our Lenten reflections. We will begin with a moment of silence, listen to a passage, take 10 minutes of silence to reflect and write, 15 minutes to share about the reading and writing, and close with prayer.