SPIRITUAL FORMATION

The nature of the spiritual journey is a movement towards a deeper relationship with God whereby one gradually lives into the gifts of the Spirit as witnessed in Galatians 5:
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, goodness, and balance. 

To help foster this growth, the Charlotte Spirituality Center offers a six-month series to the public for spiritual formation with the hope of building community and enlivening spiritual renewal while deepening awareness of God’s action in one’s life and in the world.  It is a wonderful introduction to the Charlotte Spirituality Center and is also a prerequisite for individuals entering into the Spiritual Direction Certificate Program. It can also be taken as a stand alone six month program for personal enrichment!

Monthly Topics include:

Understanding Spirituality  (January)
The first meeting will begin with the differences between religion and spirituality. Religion is a container, a crucible for spirituality, the experience of God, which keeps it grounded and anchored in reality. Then through listening and journaling, through contemplation and sharing we will explore the spiritual journey and the longing we feel for a deeper relationship with God. 

Incarnational Spirituality  (February)
It was God’s choice to become human, to take on the limitations that implied.  Yet, it is in this action that God raises our human potential. What can we learn from the Incarnation? We’ll be delving into the meaning of soteriology, Jesus’ baptism, and ministry from an incarnational/Ignatian point of view.
Facilitators:  Charlotte Spirituality Center Faculty will facilitate discussion after a short file

Art and Spiritual Formation  (March)
This class will focus on the dynamics of art for spiritual formation through discussion of the impact of art in your own spiritual journey and by interacting with various art forms.  You will be offered several opportunities for creative expression and times to create with clay, with words, and with color.  We will experience the relationship of “art in service to the soul” as Christine Valters Paintner and Betsey Beckman present in their book, “Awakening the Creative Spirit:  Bringing the Arts to Spiritual Direction”. 
Presenter:  Rev. Carol Hassell, MDiv, spiritual director and faculty member of the Charlotte Spirituality Center

Creating our Spiritual Autobiography  (April)
This class is designed to equip you with the skills to write the story of your life with the Holy. A spiritual experience that will focus on your life’s journey, this writing will include reflections on significant events, people and places that have influenced your relationship with God, others and yourself.  
Guest Presenter:  Dr. Barbara L. Peacock, BLP Ministries

Embracing Your Inner Mystic  (May)
Theologian Karl Rahner, SJ said “ The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he/she will not exist at all.”  This class will focus on the mystics in Christian history while inviting each student to claim their own mysticism/communication with the Holy.  

Gathering the Harvest while Introducing the Art of Spiritual Direction  (June)
Each student is asked to read one book over the six month program.  We will gather for this class to hear each other’s oral reports while learning the craft of spiritual direction

This series is also included in Year One of the Spiritual Direction Program.

The Charlotte Spirituality Center does not discriminate against qualified applicants or students on the basis of their race, color, creed, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identification, sexual preference, marital status, veteran status, or ability, and abides by the Non-Discrimination Policy set in place by law.