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COMPANIONS in Christ
Companions in Christ is designed to create a setting where you and other people in your church can respond to God’s call to an ever-deepening communion and wholeness in Christ – as individuals, as members of a small group, and as part of a congregation. The resource focuses on your experience of God and your discovery of spiritual practices for sharing more fully in the life of Christ. Participants will explore the potential of Christian community as an environment of grace and mutual guidance through the Spirit.
The COMPANIONS in Christ series offers a powerfully transforming small-group experience that builds spiritual practices within congregations, helping participants open more fully to God and to one another. Each resource in the series will draw you into daily time with God through individual reading and reflection, and will gather you weekly with others in your faith community for deeper exploration.
Companions in Christ provide diverse, imaginative settings for learning spiritual practices that open you to God’s presence. In some settings you experience intimate heart-to-heart time with God, uncovering your deepest thoughts and prayers and recalling where God has been especially present in your life. Spiritual formation also comes through the richness of community sharing, as you explore common stories, questions, and experiences with other believers. Companions in Christ draws these personal and small-group experiences together in a unique and life-changing process.
Each week begins with an inviting and often challenging reflection by a recognized spiritual author. Over the next five days, scripture passages and questions guide you through your own reflections, as you note important insights in a journal. The week closes with a two-hour group session where you can share your thoughts, reflect together, and take part in a variety of group exercises. Some of these exercises are solitary, and others are shared. Some are inwardly focused, while others call for hands-on creativity. Blended together, they contribute to the richness of the Companions in Christ experience.
This is one of the most versatile and comprehensive series available in area of spiritual formation, drawing on the full breadth of the Christian tradition. The Companions in Christ series can open believers in the Christian community to the fullness of God’s love in new and profoundly transforming ways.
Each of the 26 weeks of regular sessions begins with a reading followed by five daily exercises that help illuminate the theme and prepare for the group meeting. The exercises may involve some combination of scripture reading, spiritual practice, reflection questions, and journaling. Throughout the week participants commit to about 30 minutes each day.
The Companions in Christ 28-Week Journey:
- Preparatory Meeting (one week)
- Embracing the Journey: The Way of Christ (five weeks)
An exploration of spiritual formation as a journey toward wholeness and holiness, individually and in community, through the grace of God. - Feeding on the Word: The Mind of Christ (five weeks)
An introduction to several ways of meditating and praying with scripture. - Deepening Our Prayer: The Heart of Christ (six weeks)
A guided experience of various classic forms and styles of prayer. - Responding to Our Call: The Work of Christ (five weeks)
A presentation of gifts and call, giving ourselves to God in willing obedience and receiving the fruits and gifts of the Holy Spirit. - Exploring Spiritual Guidance: The Spirit of Christ (five weeks)
An overview of different ways of giving and receiving spiritual guidance from one-on-one relationships with a spiritual guide, to spiritual growth groups, to guidance in congregational life. - Closing Retreat: Developing a Rule of Life (final week)