Prayer Gardens

When I'm outside walking in the woods or among a pretty garden, it's easy for me to feel close to God. Nature is one of my spiritual pathways. Maybe it's the same for you too.

Here at Living Word, we have a beautiful half mile nature path with five unique prayer gardens for contemplation and journaling. Four times a year, changing with the seasons, we publish a devotional guide to accompany you on your journey along the Sacred Path. You can pick up a garden devotional guide from the coffee bar lobby, in the stand near the entrance.

It is that time of year when we are looking for ministry partners to join the Garden Care Team to help keep the five prayer gardens tidy and growing well for those walking the Sacred Path. If you enjoy gardening, I invite you to consider adopting a prayer garden for a month. In that month, depending on weather conditions, you will water, pull weeds, and clean up any unwanted debris. We provide a Garden Cart (electric golf cart) for your convenience that features a watering system and room for your tools and any debris you collect. It's a very relaxing and enjoyable ministry to be involved with.

You make your own schedule. It's recommended that each gardener tends to their prayer garden two times a week (or more, if needed, especially in the dry seasons when plants need many sips.) Bring your own gardening tools and gloves and we provide the rest, even a Garden Orientation to help you get started!

If this sounds appealing to you and want to hear more about serving on the Garden Care Team, don't hesitate to contact me, deAnn Roe via email or call the church at 717-755-0089 x126.

Currently, we have many prayer gardens available from April through October 2015. Take your pick!

Hope to serve beside you on the Garden Care Team this season!

Be in joy!
deAnn Roe

Writing and Critiquing | April @ The Write Space

The Write Space is going to be awesome in April!

Thursdays - 4/2, 4/9, 4/16, 4/23, and 4/30 from 6:30pm to 8pm in room 112.

 

Topic: Writing and Critiquing

 

If you want to improve your writing and be read by others - this is your month! We'll cast vision for the month, talk about our writing desires and dreams, etc. Then we'll introduce how to critique - to give and receive it well, on 4/2.

 

We'll focus on writing with two whole evenings just for that, 4/9 and 4/16.

You will bring your piece and it will be critiqued as a group and individually on 4/23.

The final evening of the month, 4/30, will be 2-3 experienced and published writers sharing their journey of being published and give you suggestions for publishing your work. It will be a great time of Q and A as well.

Here are the guidelines for submitting your written piece to be critiqued:

• 500 word count max
• Double spaced
• Times New Roman, 12 pt
• 1" margins
• Your name
• Title of your piece

Please RSVP to deAnn via email or phone; 717-755-0089x126

 

Looking forward to seeing you in April!

 

 

 Cover image from https://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/

Writing the Sacred | Spring Writers' Retreat

Meeting in the Life Center at LWCC, room 160, this is an intentional time set aside to connect deeply with God through your gift of writing. 
You have two choices: work on your own project or jump into the topic below=


Topic: Writing the Sacred – A Psalm-inspired Path to Appreciating and Writing Sacred Poetry, based on the book by Ray McGinnis of the same title, (no need to purchase and read the book before-hand.)

“The Psalms, with a few exceptions, are not the voice of God addressing us. They are rather the voice of our own common humanity – gathered over a long period of time…a voice that continues to have amazing authenticity…It speaks about life the way it really is, for those in deeply human dimensions the same issues and possibilities persist.” ~ Walter Brueggemann

Bring your bible, notebook, writing utensil, or laptop. Come with your favorite psalm or two in mind as well.

Pack your lunch. We have refrigerator, microwaves and stove/oven available for your use.

Breakfast foods will be provided: OJ, coffee, donuts, fruit, bagels, etc.

Please RSVP to this event by email or phone call, 717-755-0089x126. Looking forward to being together as a group of writers pressing into the heart of God.

Questions? email deAnn Roe at droe "at" lwccyork.com.

March Open Studio

Open Studio - come play - let your creativity run wild!

As adults we so rarely allow ourselves to simply play with our artistic creativity. For $5, you get use of all art supplies and get an 11x14 canvas panel as your base.

Or bring your own creative project from home, (jewelry making, carving, knitting, etc) and there is no charge. Just come and create in community!

Hope to see you there!

Questions or to sign up to come to Open STudio - please email deAnn or call 717-755-0089x126.

Update on The Well

Hello friends!

I want to give you a little update about The Well.

Sadly, there won't be an installation for the Lenten/Easter season. We are planning on one for the summer-time and one in the fall for this year. In 2016, we'll have three installations.

There are some big changes happening with The Well!

First, it's under new leadership - Pastor Brian is now overseeing and leading this sacred space instead of the Infused Arts Team. You may or may not notice any changes there. The Infused Arts team will still be creating the visual aspects of The Well and creating the overall atmosphere of the space.

Secondly, it's being moved from the Life Center to room 350, in the Kid::Life area. It's a much smaller space so the feel will be quite different, however, it's a more intimate setting. A benefit of this move is that The Well will be up for two weeks instead of only 5 days. That's a big YAY!

We have our first planning meeting on Sunday, 3/29 after church so I'll have more for you then - please hold this project in your prayers as we move forward under these new changes!! I'm certain The Well will continue to be a space saturated by the Holy Spirit's presence and you will encounter Jesus at The Well.

Be in joy!

deAnn Roe

Director of Infused Arts

Names of God - Fall Exhibit

 

 

Hello Artists and Writers!

So, I’m excited to announce something pretty cool – something we’ve never done before at LWCC – a themed exhibit based on the Names of God. I found a very cool website that has listed all the Old Testament names of God along with a list with names of God that are descriptions of who God is, what He does and what He means to us, His beloved children. These names apply to either God the Father, the Son or the Holy Spirit – through the whole Bible. It’s quite a list, here’s the link. Watch the music video on the page too. Powerful!  

What I envision for this exhibit is that you to prayerfully look over this list and if the Holy Spirit highlights one or more of them, look them up – study them, ask God about these names and reflect where you have experienced God in these ways. If you have a connection to one, begin to seek the Holy Spirit for wisdom and a creative idea – either a literal or non-literal depiction of that name or, better yet, an artistic rendition of how you have personally encountered that facet of God.

 

With a list so vast, I’m sure each of us who decide to participate, will have a different facet of who God is through these Biblical descriptions. What a cool visual this will be for our congregation!  

Now for some details of how this will function:

·         Exhibit Show Dates: September & October 2015

·         What’s accepted: Wall hung art, 3D art (to fit in the display cabinets) and written reflections/poems (to be published in the gallery booklet, The Heart Behind the Art).

·         Deadline for art and written submissions: Sunday, August 16 (that gives you 6 month’s to create!)

·         Yes or No: I need to know if you plan to participate in this collective. Please let me know via email by the end of March.

·         I prefer you create a new piece of work rather than submitting something that you have done before that may “fit” the name. This is a prayer and artistic challenge…to reflect upon and purposefully create a new work of art at this time.

Prayerfully look over that list provided on the website (look up the scripture references too – I found one to be incorrect), then decide if you are up for the challenge! I believe this will be a powerful exhibit in two significant ways: 1) in your creating the art, reflecting on this particular name of God and how He shows you this side of Himself, praying as you paint this reflection of God’s nature and person... Your intimacy with the Lord will grow! And you will be transformed by His presence. 2) As the exhibit hangs in the multipurpose room of the Coffee Bar – in the Fall – the busiest time of year at the church, visually, people will “see God” and experience His powerful presence through each of your pieces. That will transform others. You can’t leave His presence unchanged. Guys – I’m super pumped to see what God will open up at LWCC as a result of this exhibit!! 

So pray about this – and let me know if you are IN (email me before the end of this month). I’d like to know what name you chose, but I don’t need to know that by the end of March – that may take some time to ponder and pray over. I know, that is where I’m at and I’ve been thinking of this for months now!

If you say YES – I’ve got a special treat for you (not that I’m bribing you!! Haha!) but I’ve got some special gatherings planned for just those who are daring to do this project. The Lord is just now giving me some cool ideas for these gatherings… woo-hoo!

If you have any questions, please let me know!

Be in joy! 

deAnn Roe