PATHWAYS TO PRESENCE
The Journey of Drawing Closer
A six-week online spiritual formation journey for people curious
about contemplative spirituality and hungry for community.
Our Vision for Pathways to Presence
Pathways to Presence is conceived as a 6-week engagement in deepening prayer and relationship with God delivered in 2-hour online Zoom gatherings.
We hope to create a community which can fearlessly listen and grow together over this time.
Each week will have a practice to engage in during the session and a reflective discussion time alongside the input from the facilitators.
There will be resources for the week between Zoom gatherings primarily focused on journal-keeping in a life-giving way to foster the development of contemplative awareness.
Pathways to Presence is grounded in practices and taonga drawn from the Church across time and place and culture such as The Desert Fathers and Mothers, The Mystics, The Celtic Church and includes voices from Aotearoa, New Zealand
Fran Francis | National Coordinator
Spiritual Directors Formation Programme
David Crawley | Assistant Coordinator
Spiritual Directors Formation Programme
What makes Pathways to Presence distinctive?
Rooted in contemplative Christian spirituality
Pathways to Presence focuses on developing a contemplative awareness i.e. noticing the “holy in the ordinary” and fostering the inner life by developing awareness of the presence of the Spirit of God within the human person and all of creation.
Contemplative practices and postures are part of our heritage of Christian faith.
This refreshing stream has flowed down through the ages and is always waiting to be discovered anew.
It is formation, not discipleship.
Pathways to Presence transcends the traditional barriers between denominations or culture.
How? Through its grounding in simplicity while engaging with scripture, music, art, nature, making and rest as pathways leading us closer to God.
It is theologically grounded but is not a bible study course or academic lecture. The purpose is to allow formation of your soul and life.
As Richard Foster puts it:
“Formation is a practice, transformation is a grace.”
Grounded in Aotearoa, New Zealand
The SGM kaupapa is to support the spiritual growth and development along the Christian contemplative path and those exploring or journeying this way.
SGM is anchored in a Treaty-based biculturalism, acknowledging the need for decolonising spiritual formation and trusting in the loving presence and work of God in all cultures and privileging in Pathways to Presence the unique voice of people here.
Who is Pathways to Presence for?
If you have grown beyond Christian basics and are hungry, thirsty, longing, dry, bored, or curious in whether there is “more” then this may be for you.
If you did the Alpha Course years ago then consider this Beta or Gamma! Rather than the way in, this is the way on.
Pathways to Presence doesn’t offer answers but welcomes the questioner.
You may be fatigued and long for “the unforced rhythms of grace” offered by Jesus to those “burned out on religion”.
Pathways to Presence offere non-tiring ways to rest in God with fellow pilgrims who understand the journey.