Spiritual Formation at Central Christian Church

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Mother Teresa said, “People are hungry for something more beautiful, for something greater than people round about can give. There is a great hunger for God in the world today.” Central Christian Church offers opportunities to satisfy that craving.

Inviting our neighbors into Central Christian Church for the shared pursuit of Christian spirituality is a defining aspect of the church’s mission. Of course, much of that happens in the daily relationships, worship, classes and activities of the church. The purpose of Christian spiritual formation is cultivating an intimate relationship with God through Jesus Christ and shaping and nurturing the character of Jesus Christ in each other. The core ingredients of Christian spiritual formation are immersion in Scripture, intimacy in prayer and relational involvement in worship and service. They are built into the church’s worship, study groups and ministry teams.

The Safe Place services are one specific avenue of spiritual formation in the rhythm of the church’s year. Members and neighbors are all welcome at these Safe Place events. More information about Safe Place is available under the “Worship” tab on this web site.

One of the most effective contexts for spiritual formation is a Live Hope Group in which a few people gather regularly for a set period of time of spiritual sharing and nurture. More information about Live Hope Groups is available at the “Small Group” link on the under the “Ministries” tab on this web site.

Rev. Norman Stolpe isets the pace for spiritual formation in Central Christian Church. He was ordained in 1975 and has been the pastor of Central Christian Church since 2000. Before coming to Dallas, he served churches in Illinois, New Jersey and Wisconsin. He has a Certificate in Spiritual Formation from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia and is a member of Spiritual Directors International. Norm and his wife Candy were married in 1969 and have three grown sons and three grandchildren. Thursday is his sabbath, set aside for lectio divina and centering prayer.

The Prayer Garden (open during daylight hours) and the Chapel (open during office hours) are available for personal prayer and meditation. Virtual tours of the Prayer Garden and the Chapel can be taken at the links under the Our Church tab on this web site. Those desiring guidance in their prayer and meditation may consult two brochures: You’re Welcome to Pray and On Speaking Terms with God. These are available at the church and can be read through the links in the Publications heading under the Media tab on this web site. If a conversation with a pastor is desired, contact the church’s office about availability.
On-Line Seminars are available through this web site. Each On-Line Seminar focuses on one area of spiritual formation with content input and interaction exercises. They can be done by an individual or a few people gathered around a computer. An audio stream is accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation and a downloadable participant’s guide. Depending the length of pauses for processing the exercises, each On-Line Seminar takes 1-2 hours and can be interrupted and returned to indefinitely. There is no cost for the introductory On-Line Seminar, “Introduction to Christian Spirituality.” Subsequent On-Line Seminars cost $20 for unlimited access.

These courses are currently available:

Prayer for Beginners

The Art of Holy Reading

Tools from St. Benedict for Times of Change and Chaos

These seminars will be available soon:

Growth Models for Prayer

Spiritual Workouts with St. Ignatius

CENTRAL MEDIA PANEL
Check out our featured media below. In this panel we will highlight either our special or most currrent media that is available on this site. For additional media, please go to the "Media" menu in the primary navigation above.

WESTSIDE CAFE PODCAST
The Westside Cafe is now available as a podcast. Click here to go to the Westside Cafe home page on this website.

WESTSIDE CAFE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL
"Reflections of Mary on the Son of God"
December 12, 2009

Click on the "Start" arrow on the Flash player below to hear the Westside Cafe Christmas Special.

SUNDAY'S SCRIPTURE & SERMON
"You’re Doing It!"
December 13, 2009

Click on the "Start" arrow on the Flash player below to hear the most recent Sunday service. Or, for all of our recent Sunday sermons, click here for our 2009 Media Catalog and links to sermons from earlier years.

HOMECOMING SUNDAY
"Inadequate, Unprepared, but Ready!"
Homecoming Sunday 2009
September 20, 2009
Captain W. Kyle Fauntleroy

Click on the "Start" arrow on the Flash player below to hear our Homecoming Sunday service. For all of our recent Sunday sermons, click here for our 2009 Media Catalog and links to sermons from earlier years.

All recorded sermons are available
for streaming or downloading
from this web site or from Apple's iTune Store.

SERMON PODCAST
Subscribe to our free podcast of all of our 2007, 2008 and 2009 sermons.

MEET OUR MEMBERS
Click on the image below to see the video interviews with members of our congregation.

CAN'T GET TO CHUCRH?
TELEWORSHIP!
Listen to Sunday Worship live
from any telephone.
TeleWorship with us by simply calling
toll-free to (866) 844-6291 and
entering the access code 6371829
when prompted.
TeleWorship begins at 10:55am
every Sunday.
Click here for details.

RSS MEDIA FEEDS FOR OUR PODCASTS
Click on the RSS icons below for the XML feeds for each of podcast.

	Click on the icon for the Sunday Worship Podcast for M4A files.
	Click on the icon for the Sunday Worship Podcast for MP3 files.
	Click on the icon for the Westside Cafe Podcast for M4A files.
	Click on the icon for the Westside Cafe Podcast for MP3 files.