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GUILFORD -- Beginning July 11, and throughout the summer, the Guilford Community Church sanctuary will be open Wednesdays between 4 and 5 p.m. for a time of meditation and healing. Fifteen minutes before the hour there will be instructions on how to use the time for healing and during the final 15 minutes Pastor Lise Sparrow and others will be available to offer prayers and blessings for healing. Prayer shawls made by the women of the church are also available for blessing. Everyone is welcome to come and sit in meditation for all or part of the time.
During the hour, the CD "Chanting for Peace: Praying for the Earth" will run in the sanctuary. The CD offers a series of prayers for the earth, each followed by a chant with which one may join or reflect on in silence. It was developed on the island of Iona in Scotland by John Phillip Newell as part of a dedicated ministry to the Earth. Many traditions believe in the connectivity and healing which comes from shared chanting and these prayers and chants are part of this tradition.
Newell writes: "I had discovered characteristics of the old Celtic Church in the prayers of the Western Isles, but where was the original source of this spiritual tradition? When I explored the earliest manifestations of Celtic Christianity, in the fourth-century writings of Pelagius, for example, I found a similar emphasis on the life of God within creation. This much-maligned early British Christian stressed not
These hours are especially dedicated to the memory of Mardie Ratheau who died this past spring and who was part of their planning. She had a deep respect for the power of Spirit to guide individuals to the Source of their healing and was dedicated to the belief that the process of seeking healing can become a time of great learning, discovery, and potential for personal growth.
Guilford Community Church is an Open and Affirming Congregation of the United Church of Christ. The building is fully handicapped accessible and everyone is welcome.
The church is located one mile south of exit 1 of Interstate 91 on Route 5 just in back of the Guilford Country Store. For more information, call 802-257-2776 or check out the website at www.guilfordchurch.org.
