Join us as we journey together into the silence where the Divine speaks to the heart. In our busy, noise-filled world, this ancient practice offers a pathway to presence, peace, and spiritual renewal – gifts that ripple outward to bless our families, church, and wider communities.

Meditation

Our weekly Meditation Group is part of the World Community for Christian Meditation

(see https://wccm.org). Our simple and practical approach honours the Christian contemplative heritage found in our tradition and sacred writings, especially dating back to the Desert Mothers and Fathers of the 4th Century.

A Leader will guide the meditation.

The Process

Sitting in a circle, we begin by lighting a candle as a reminder of the Divine presence within and among us. Someone then reads a very short writing from our contemplative tradition. The group then says an ecumenical opening prayer that is inter-faith friendly. A recording of a gong is then sounded, and we sit together in silence for 20 minutes.

We sit comfortably on chairs (or the floor – bring your own cushion), with our spines straight and our eyes closed (unless you wish to keep them open and focused, on the flame of the candle for example). During the time we are each invited to practice the silent prayer tradition we have chosen.

For many of us this consists of interiorly repeating a sacred word or prayer in rhythm with our breathing. One option is to repeat the ancient Aramaic word, “Maranatha” (Ma-ra on the inbreath, na-tha on the outbreath). Aramaic is the language Jesus spoke, and this word is a prayer meaning, “Come, Lord.”

Another option is called the Prayer of the Heart, which consists of interiorly saying “Jesus” on the inbreath and “mercy” on the outbreath.

For more on this, here is a video on ‘How to do Christian Meditation’

Centering Prayer

There is also a third option called Centering Prayer, which you can read about here

These practices, among others, help quiet the mind and open the heart to the presence of the Divine.

Once the 20-minutes are up, the gong recording sounds again, followed by 2-minutes of classical music, after which we open our eyes and say an ecumenical interfaith-friendly closing prayer, and blow out the candle. The whole session usually takes half an hour.

By following this weekly structure, we create a sanctuary of shared silence, a rhythm that creates space for deep connection with the Divine while fostering community. Attendees are encouraged to extend the practice into their daily routines at home, with the weekly gathering being a communal sustaining event.