Posts

2. Welcoming Prayer

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In my first update, I mentioned that we opened our kickoff orientation with some silent prayer. Well, I suppose it wasn’t entirely silent. It started with these words: I welcome everything that comes to me in this moment because I trust it can be part of my healing.  I welcome all thoughts, feelings, emotions, persons, situations, and conditions. I let go of my desire for approval. I let go of my desire for control. I let go of my desire for false security.  I let go of my desire to change any situation, condition, person, for myself. I am open to the love and presence of God, and the healing action and grace within. This is One Parish One Prisoner’s Welcoming Prayer. OPOP recommends starting each meeting by reading it aloud and taking 3-5 minutes to meditate in silence. I remember feeling a bit bewildered when I first heard this prayer at our kickoff orientation - I found I wasn’t alone in that. To a group of mainline protestants, this prayer can seem difficult and confrontin...
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Update #1: Kickoff Orientation

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Hi friends. I’m Meg, the “Bard” for FLC’s One Parish One Prisoner ministry team, which means I’m tasked with getting the word out about our work. I’ll be writing updates throughout the team’s journey, sharing insights and stories as we learn, reflect, and pray together. This first post, albeit a bit late, will cover last month’s kickoff orientation. On December 10th, we convened for the very first time via Zoom, joined by OPOP founder Chris and staff members Dexter and Candice. Normally at the kickoff meeting, OPOP teams find out who their incarcerated friend will be. Unexpectedly, we found out that we don’t have one yet. How appropriate it was, during Advent, to learn that we were in another season of waiting. While disappointing on some level, this is actually good news. Incarcerated applicants often have to be turned away due to a lack of ministry teams in the places they are preparing to re-enter. But there is such a strong interest in OPOP in Bellingham that there are currently no...
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