Join NSIMC and Central Congregational Church in Newburyport for a donation-based program on contemplative prayer with Ted Jones

Attention to the breath is a common starting point for insight meditation, which can then expand sequentially to include the body, sound, and mental/emotional phenomena, gradually opening to a totally receptive, choiceless awareness of the present moment, just as it is. Contemplative prayer, as described by the late Trappist monk Father Thomas Keating, is also a practice of total receptivity, where that interior silence is infused with Divine Presence. Centering prayer is one practice of moving toward contemplative prayer. In centering prayer, "the sacred breath" is one of several symbols that can be used as a way of consenting to the presence of the Divine. The use of breath in these two traditions reveals how they flow in the same direction, intersecting in the sacredness of deep interior silence, stillness, and surrender.

This retreat, held at Central Congregational Church, will be conducted mainly in silence, with guidance provided during the periods of meditation and prayer. This program is open to anyone with an established practice in either insight meditation or centering prayer.

Ted Jones, a nephew of Father Thomas Keating, has been practicing insight meditation since 1978, when he began sitting with his principal teacher, Larry Rosenberg. He spent his professional career in mental health as a therapist, clinical supervisor, and program manager. Read more at Ted’s teacher page.

Registration: Please register by sending an email to northshoreimc@gmail.com and giving us your name(s).

This program is being offered by donation. All donations will be split evenly between NSIMC and Central Congregational Church. You may make a donation now by clicking the button below, or you may make it in person at the end of the program, via cash or check to NSIMC. Send questions to the email above!