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Come as you are.Encounter the Holy.Be renewed. -
“I have called you by name, you are mine.
You are precious in my sight and I love you.”
- Isaiah 43:1,4 -
"As the deer pants for
streams of living water,
so my soul pants for You,
my God." - Psalm 42:1
Our Racial Reconciliation Journey
God accepts us where we are and invites us to become more…
Jesus’ essence was one of welcome and radical hospitality.
Over 400 years ago, our country didn’t show the essence of Jesus and brought people from Africa to be sold as slaves. African American people have been enslaved in many ways ever since. The visible murder of George Floyd has awakened a too often dormant demand to face the raw truth that the crimes of injustice are happening throughout this country every minute of every day.
It is in this horrific truth, that the Journey Center invites you to travel inside yourself and into the history of both white and black experiences that have perpetuated the pain and have been recipients of the pain of injustices. We offer this with deep humility aware of the limitations each of us has, but we come with hearts open and eager to name truth and be in an authentic and safe community to learn, confront, lament and grow.
Our journey begins with a discussion of the book, White Awake, An Honest Look at What It Means to Be White, by Daniel Hill. All are welcome regardless of color or creed. Come knowing that the content will focus on what white people need to name, lament, repent and practice.
Following this first phase, we will enter into the next phase of reconciliation, with an anti-racism agenda. More details about this to follow.
Isaiah 62:10
“Go through, go through the gates,
Prepare the way for the people:
Build up, build up the highway,
Clear it of stones,
Lift up an ensign over the peoples.”
Come as you are
Encounter the holy
Be renewed
Welcome
Welcome to the Journey Center of Chicago
Reflections
Lord, it seems hard to quiet my heart and mind. So much is swirling around and within me. In these moments, please quiet me within. I need your peace of heart and mind to have strength for the day. Hear me Oh Lord, I pray.
Reflections...
Opening Prayer
Lord, it seems hard to quiet my heart and mind. So much is swirling around and within me. In these moments, please quiet me within. I need your peace of heart and mind to have strength for the day. Hear me Oh Lord, I pray.
Invitation
Pause for a moment or two to quiet your mind, heart, and body. Take in a few deep breaths. Inhale God’s peace and release any tension. Do this a few times. Breathe in deeply God’s peace for you.
Reflection
As we begin Advent, so many troubles and heartaches in the world clamor for our attention. Climate Change has reached a state of emergency. Children continue to be separated from their parents at the border. Power and privilege continue as weapons to hurt others. Too many people are still without their basic needs. Racism still oppresses. LGBTQ lives are still not honored with value. If ever we longed to connect to the hope of Advent it is now.
Read the poem below through a few times. Pause and reflect on a word or phrase on where you are drawn.
Advent Begins
Longing and yearning
Stretching and straining
Desiring with all my being
Your light in the midst of the encompassing darkness
Heartaches cover my vision
And dim the light within
I cling to Hope to wrap myself in
like a soft warm blanket
Lift my eyes above and beyond
All that aches without and within
May the light of hope kindle a fire
Bright to warm the hearts of all who gather
Radiant to fill our eyes with your vision
Ablaze with your hope and your life
We gather you within and around
Just as you gather us in
And embrace us with yourself.
Amen.
(Rev. Eva Sullivan-Knoff, copyright 2019)
News
Coming Fall 2020
Spiritual Direction Training Program
Join Us On The Journey
We are not a church or an institution.
We are people who have encountered God’s welcome and are being made whole through God’s expansive love. We create space just as God has created space for us. If you desire to know God’s radical welcome or to join us on a journey toward wholeness, you are so welcome here. You are invited to Come as you are, Encounter the Holy, Be Renewed.
We embrace the diversity of sexual orientation, gender identity and its expression, religious background, age, range of abilities, racial and cultural identity or background, and educational and socioeconomic status.
Events // upcoming ways to get involved
We are a part of an Association of Journey Centers, a growing, vibrant movement of God’s Spirit inviting people to encounter the Holy.
Thank you!
”Thank you so much to you and to the group who guides the Journey Center!
The learning and experiences through your workshops keep on quietly blessing me with hope and peace.”
A sacred space
“The POC group was a sacred, insightful space for me. I was already quite familiar with the Enneagram, but it was a powerful and healing experience to receive teaching and further understanding through a person of color teaching it and to engage with it among only people of color. I would highly recommend this space for people of color seeking wholeness and self-awareness.”
Just as we are
“I’m thrilled to know that there are places like Journey Center where people can come to be received and loved by God just as we are and a place where we can learn and join the sacred journey together.”
The Spirit was present
“What a wonderful, insightful and sacred time Journey Center of Chicago provided at the Contemplative Retreat. Through prayer, dialogue and spiritual exercises the movement of the Spirit was present. Thank you for fostering a safe and holy space. Peace be with you.”