Ministry - Spirituality and Worship

The many volunteers of the Ministry of Spirituality and Worship are the heads, hearts, and hands that transform our space and give life to new worship rituals and practices. Members and volunteers of our ministry can be found throughout the year counting candles, hanging the greens at Advent, stripping the sanctuary on Good Friday, and polishing Ethiopian crosses for Easter.

We can also be found brainstorming about new and diverse ways to encounter the divine through our worship experience.

The Ministry of Spirituality and Worship provides ongoing sanctuary support and inspiration throughout the year. Our planning meetings are targeted, creative, and fun and the hands-on work we do throughout the year makes our church home a dynamic space for worship, inspiration, and commitment. Whatever your gift, there is a place for you in our Ministry.

Michelle Owens,

Chair of Spirituality

& Worship

spiritualityandworship@fccmtc.com

Rev. Jack Cuffari is the Spiritual Director at FCC.

Spiritual Direction (also called Spiritual Formation, Spiritual Life Counseling, Spiritual Friendship, Faith Care, and Compassionate Listening) is a process of working one-on-one with another person to find a deeper intimacy with God and a greater connection to one’s own sacred nature. My approach to Spiritual Life Counseling is based on the Quaker model, which is called “Compassionate Listening”. By practicing active, compassionate listening I am able to be a companion on your spiritual journey to wholeness and acceptedness. I have been doing this work for about 15 years, starting as an Ordained Elder in the Presbyterian Church USA, and then as a Compassionate Listener within the regional Quaker community, and an ordained Interspiritual Minister.

Along with Compassionate Listening I utilize Queries, open-ended questions that provide plenty of relevant and constructive food for thought and room for personal spiritual growth. These questions are an ideal focal point for meditation, prayer or journaling. There is no judgment or agenda: I never promote a particular spiritual path or faith-based doctrine. I believe that each individual is on her or his own path, and that each is integrally connected to the ‘bigger picture’ beyond one’s ego: that which is infinite and eternal. I simply hold open the doors to wholeness, self-acceptance and understanding that are already right there in front of you!

This work occurs in monthly one-to-one sessions, for which there is a fee (but is a discounted nominal fee to Members and ‘friends’ of FCC.) Let’s sit together and share your questions and experiences of what you find meaningful – and what you find puzzling. Speak your mind, speak what’s on your heart – I’m here to listen and accompany you on your journey back to your authentic, sacred self. Learn to make space for God in your life. Your life will never be the same, and you’ll know that it was your own heart and your own devotion that brought you back to the Divine that dwells within your true, authentic self.

Rev. Jack Cuffari

Women's Soul Circle

Listening to our souls is difficult in the modern world. Finding the time to tune out the static to hear our "inner teacher" is a counter-cultural act. But it is also how we can attune to our soul's deep wisdom.

Beginning each September a small group of women gather together to explore a special kind of spiritual experience based on the “Circle of Trust” retreat work of Parker Palmer. These counter-cultural attempts to silence our external voices and experience the “inner teacher” (that which we call the soul) meet every 2nd Saturday morning from 9:30 – 11:30am from September through May. The group is limited to 30 women and we each commit to attending each month. If you would like to sign up for the group that begins in September 2018, please reach out to Rev. Ann.