Growth in Prayer & Reflective Living (GRPL)

In person in Edinburgh

October 2024 – April 2025

 

Applications Open

This course aims to help participants develop and deepen their experience of prayer and live more reflectively. It offers the opportunity to explore faith, discover meaning and come to a deeper, more intimate, relationship with God.

It provides space to examine hopes and desires and to move towards fullness of life in ourselves, and those around us, in the global community to which we all belong.

We are excited to be able to offer this course in person this year.

 

Who is the course for?

The course is open to those of any denomination and none. No particular experience of prayer is required, only a desire for God. Participants should be prepared to share some of their experience of prayer with others. Because of the participatory nature of the course a commitment to regular attendance is important.

What previous participants have said:

  • The regularity has helped create a focus and a rhythm in an otherwise quite chaotic life. 
  • I found the course very fulfilling
  • New ways to think about God and about prayer
  • God has become more approachable
  • It has helped me see areas I can work with God in my prayer life and
    it has made me more excited about prayer
  • The course has slowed me down, made me take more time with God.

 

Car mirror

Course Content

Participants are offered opportunity to:

  • Experience different ways of praying taken from Ignatian and other spiritual traditions. These include coming to stillness, silent waiting, praying with scripture, imaginative contemplation and review of the day.
  • Explore aids to prayer and reflection including journaling, artwork, body awareness, music and use of images.
  • Develop and deepen awareness of different perceptions of God and self.
  • Begin to discover a way of making prayerful choices in tune with God’s hopes and desires for the world through an introduction to Ignatian discernment.

 

Method

The method is primarily experience based and reflective. Sessions include input, space for prayer, guided prayer and reflection and small group sharing. Participants are offered the opportunity of one-to-one spiritual accompaniment and towards the end of the course there is a short retreat.

 

Course Team

  • Sheena Headden
  • Di Hollow
  • Duncan Hughes
  • Clare Mitchell

The team are all  members of the Epiphany Group– an ecumenical group of women and men working across Scotland committed to ministries arising from the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises.

 

Afterwards?

Growth in Prayer and Reflective Living is complete in itself. Some participants, however, go on to a subsequent year, Spiritual Conversation.

The focus of this course, whilst continuing to nurture individual spiritual growth, is on training in listening helpfully to others and in the art of spiritual conversation.

The course enables participants to engage with others in informal conversation at a spiritual level and may provide a basis for initiating and leading reflective, faith sharing or study groups.

Some go on to a further year of training in Spiritual Direction

 

Venue

This course will take place at
Christchurch Church Morningside,
6a Morningside Road,
Edinburgh,

EH10 4DD

 

Course Dates for 2024-2025

The course begins in October and ends shortly after Easter;
it will be held on Thursday evenings 7.00 – 9.15pm.

 

Thursday Evenings

Term 1

October 31st / November 7th / Nov 14th / Nov 21st
Nov 28th / December 5th / Dec 12th / 19th Dec

Term 2

January 9th / Jan 16th / Jan 23rd / Jan 30th
February 6th / Feb 20th

Term 3
March 6th / March 13th / March 20th/ March 27th
April 3rd /May 1st
 
Also one weekend:
Friday April 25th: 7.00pm – 9.30pm

and Saturday April 26th: 10.00am – 4.00pm.

 

Cost

Course Fee: £455
A registration fee of £75, deductible from the total cost, is payable when accepted onto the course. The balance is payable in two instalments.  We are keen no one is excluded from our courses for financial reasons so if this is a consideration for you, please enquire about financial help

 

Applications open

This in-person course aims to help participants develop and deepen their experience of prayer and live more reflectively. It offers the opportunity to ask the deeper questions of life and to discover a closer connection with God. It provides space to examine the nature of our experience, and to move towards the fullness of life we long for in ourselves, in those around us and in the global community to which we all belong.

Places are limited. Please apply as soon as possible.

Applications and further information:

Applications should be made as soon as possible using the form above
For more information please contact

Sheena Headden
Email: gprl@epiphanygroup.org.uk

If you haven’t heard back from us in 7 days please  get in touch again
and also check your  SPAM folder.

 

Bursaries

The Epiphany Group  (EG) is keen that no-one should be excluded from our courses for financial reasons. We encourage applicants to seek funding from other sources and can offer suggestions on this.

Please contact us for further information.

Do also contact us at the above address if you wish to make a donation towards helping someone else
take part in the course.

There is also a limited EG Bursary and Development Fund, supported by donations, which is available to those in need of assistance.

Application for Bursary (DOCX)

 

Journeying On (GPRL 2) Online Course via ZoomISC logo

A follow up  course is offered by Ignatian Spirituality Centre  
for those who have completed GPRL.