Group Spiritual Nurture: The Wisdom of Spiritual Listening

by Daphne Clement

Overview

In the intimacy that develops over time in a Spiritual Nurture Group, members connect on a deep level of the Spirit. Coming together in a group to share and listen gives birth to a way of being in community that is sacred. The silence of Quaker worship – the listening for the still voice within – is at the heart of the process described in this pamphlet. It is in experiencing this silence and being able to share what it reveals that participants come to reach a new depth of intimacy within themselves, with group members, and with other people in their lives.

This essay by Daphne Clement, an experienced facilitator of Spiritual Nurture Groups is both an introduction to this kind of spiritual nurture and a guide for those interested in creating a group. Clement sets forth the benefits of the spiritual companion in that regular meetings foster and offers readers a step-by-step explanation of the process a group follows.

One participant appreciated finding a common "longing for the awareness of the Loving Spirit's presence" in the group members' lives. Others came to have "a lot of faith in Faith" or found the group was "God's presence being made manifest."

Product Details

BN ID:	2940149975563
Publisher:	Pendle Hill Publications
Publication date:	01/14/2015
Series:	Pendle Hill Pamphlets , #373
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	97 KB

About the Author

Daphne Clement, M. Div., is currently a doctoral student in Pastoral Counseling at Columbia Seminary in Atlanta, Georgia. A member of the Atlanta Monthly Meeting, which has given her a Minute of Endorsement for her hospital and hospice ministry, she is board-certified by the American Association of Professional Chaplains.
Daphne has seven years’ experience facilitating nurture groups, first in San Francisco and more recently in Atlanta. She has been deeply nurtured herself by the group process and the members of the groups.
In January 2002, a number of Friends and friends of Friends began to gather for a biweekly Spiritual Nurture Group at the Atlanta Meeting. This group has brought wonder and appreciation into members’ lives, while building and sustaining a rich depth of community. There is an element of mystery alive in loving human interaction.
The author would like to acknowledge Betty Turlington and Andrea English for their help with this pamphlet and the spiritual nurture they have given her.
Questions about the Group Spiritual Nurture process, or about starting a group, may be directed to Clement at P.O. Box 210, Avondale Estates, GA 30002, 678-612-4331, .