Spring '08 Letter to the Community

Greetings to all!

As we move toward springtime, we have many things to point out to the Contemplative Outreach community in Arizona. Some of these are amplified elsewhere in this newsletter.

December gathering day

Kathy Kramer-Howe has prepared an account of the December 8 Gathering Day at St. Barnabas, with a community meeting and lunch following that church’s 2nd Saturday Quiet Day.

Headquarters

Plans have moved forward for our location at Central United Methodist Church in Phoenix. Our agreement calls for our contributing towards furnishings for the Room 104, where our core meetings are held. Plans for the room are nearing completion. The effect is that we have nearly full-time access to the room for the same cost we would incur by renting the space once each month for our meetings. The furnishings will provide storage also for materials and books.

March United in Prayer event

A chance for the community to see the Central Church campus and our quarters will occur on the March 15 United in Prayer day. See page 8 for particulars.

May retreat in Prescott

This newsletter repeats the announcement of the spring Prescott retreat with Pat Johnson. The Spring Retreat for Arizona is a tradition dating back to the early 1990’s. It is a fine time of renewal. In addition, the setting is just wonderful, particularly in May!

Summer 12-Step Conference

This June, Father Thomas Keating and Fr. Richard Rohr will be together once again in Albuquerque with the primary goal of supporting the contemplative practice of those in 12 Step Recovery Fellowships. See page 7 for more details.

Workshops

On January 26, an Introductory Workshop was held at Holy Spirit parish in Tempe. The workshop drew more than 20 participants and the six follow-up sessions are currently ongoing.

Small groups

Bob Brooke of Rio Verde has sent in a small group report that includes a good reading recommendation. We would welcome similar updates from other small groups for inclusion in future newsletters.

Website

If you are reading this via the web site, you know this already. Others are encouraged to take a look. Brian Allain has needed to relinquish maintenance of the site because of work obligations. Thanks, Brian, for all your service. Aaron Froehlich has stepped up to revise the web page, and the results are quite impressive. Take a look at www.contemplativeoutreach-phoenix.org on a regular basis to see a new look, and to keep current on updates and announcements as they occur.

Newsletter production and features

Our newsletter is compiled twice per year. We like to present news from the community, announcements of upcoming events, quotes from writings about Centering Prayer, and suggestions about resources. You can help by contacting us with your ideas and submissions. You can send them to info@contemplativeoutreach-phoenix.org.

Contact Persons/Coordinators

Contemplative Outreach contact numbers for Arizona are as follows:

• Rick and Kathy Kramer-Howe, Phoenix (602) 955-6057
• Robert Johnson, Prescott (928) 717-2441
• Phil and Mary Leonard, Phoenix (480) 966-7558
• Rusty Swavely, Sedona (928) 282-2080