by Lisa Curtice

A group of people come into the hall and, after coffee and catch ups, take their places in a circle. Within minutes, a prayerful meditation stills their hearts and minds and they are ready for whatever challenge the day or evening ahead offers. A theme is introduced and the time flashes by as they work on group activities, share thoughts and experiences, spend time in journalling and grapple with new and creative approaches to prayer and reflection. At the end of the session, together again in prayer, they leave with a brochure of suggested reflections to sustain them until next time.

This is a flavour of a session on a new course in Christian discipleship, developed by the Craighead Institute of Life and Faith. Growing in Faith, Living in Hope, Serving in Love is based on the Sermon on the Mount and engages people of faith to discern where God is at work in the world today and where God may be calling them in their lives. The aim is to encourage spiritual growth, challenge thinking by viewing the world through Scriptural reflection, develop listening and group skills and encourage habits of reflection that will sustain those who desire to contribute to building God’s Kingdom.

Confidence and skills

Since 1988 the Craighead Institute has been working with local groups from Catholic and other Christian traditions to develop the confidence and skills to enact their personal vocation at home, in the workplace or in their community.

A flagship programme, Integrating Life and Faith has enabled individuals and groups to connect their life and faith experiences in communities throughout Scotland, as well as in England, Wales and Ireland; Rome; Lithuania and other countries of eastern Europe, and countries in Africa. In recent years it has proved harder to obtain commitment to a year-long programme and so the new course takes place over 4-6 months (once monthly whole- day sessions with an evening session mid-month). The new course retains all the experience of the experiential methodology, grounded in Ignatian discernment, the pastoral cycle and social analysis developed over the years.

Growing in Faith seeks to equip participants to be active contributors to a synodal church through a deepened capacity for listening, dialogue and working together. As well as being more concentrated in format, the current course introduces contemporary issues, such as climate change, addressed through biblical perspectives. The course has now been delivered twice and rigorously evaluated. One cohort brought together Catholic and Scottish Episcopal participants in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde and another course was recently completed across the two parishes of St Mary’s Irvine and St John Ogilvie, Bourtreehill, North Ayrshire under the sponsorship of Father Willie Boyd.

Rev Dr Lisa Curtice is affiliated to the Craighead Institute of Life and Faith.

Photo by Dyna Gillis on Unsplash