Women's course

Course in a nutshell A 5 week course to enable women who have recently had children to come together and explore the way in which their lives, relationships and spirituality have been changed, and to support and affirm each other in growing in this new stage of life.

Why this course?
Caring for women , not just children
Church statistics – churches are struggling to retain and attract mothers
Impact of any major life event on faith
To create space at a time of pressure for women to actively and consciously shape their spirituality and walk with God
Discontinuity with the past: need for new models

Theoretical underpinning
Women’s faith development: story telling and community
Stages of life and stages of faith
The learning spiral – building on the past and integrating new experiences
Session specific – cognitive dissonance as motivator for growth, Maslow’s hierarchy of needs

Educational Methods
Dual emphasis on encouraging independent learning and learning from diversity
Facilitating approach
Integration with the whole of life

Practicalities
Target group: Christian women with pre-school children
Timing: during Sunday service, joining congregation for drinks at the end
Venue: church hall/premises
Crèche provided (normal Sunday) but children allowed in session

Session Structure
Opening prayer
Introduction to the session (with ice breaker)
Short reflection on a Biblical text
Journaling/creative time
Interactive activity
Act of worship (including prayer stations)
Drinks with the rest of the church and/or prayer ministry

Between Sessions
A diary
Blog
Prayer ministry if requested
Mentoring
Anything else agreed between the members of the group

Course Outline Session 1: Who am I? Session 2: Great Expectations Session 3: Body Beautiful Session 4: Stress and Pressure Session 5: Practising the Presence of God

Session 1: Who am I? Aim: to define ground rules for the group so as to create a safe space for women to share to find truth, affirmation and value in one’s identity, to locate one’s own story within the wider story of God and his people Key text: Mark 8:27-28 Activity centred on telling personal stories of faith and reflecting on each other’s lives

Session 2: Great Expectations To come in more detail later!

Session 3: Body Beautiful Aim: To embrace the changes that we understand to have occurred externally and see these in the light of our inner changes. Key text: Psalm 139:14 Activity: creative prayer exercise that allows for both joy and lament

Session 4: Stress and Pressure Aim: to discuss strategies to deal with the stress of early motherhood, with a focus on the re-negotiation of relationships to self, others and God Key text: ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ Mark 12:31 Activity: creative prayer stations and embodied prayer

Session 5: Practising the Presence of God Aim: to formulate a strategy for encountering God within a busy life Key text: Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Activity: creating home prayer stations and thinking about a rule of life

GREAT EXPECTATIONS Unto us a child is born....

AIMS
Discern what expectations are attached to mothering and where those expectations are coming from
Enable women to become increasingly self-aware and confident about their choices in mothering

Underlying theory
Exploring cognitive dissonance
Maslow's hierarchy of need

http ://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmykFKjNpdY&feature=player_embedded

Mary and Martha
Short reflection on the different expectations of all the characters in this scene
Ignatian meditation

Group discussion
Open ended discussion prompt – what leapt out of the passage or the meditation?
Follow up questions on what expectations we see bearing on ourselves, which are legitimate or not

Creative space and journal

CLOSING ACT OF WORSHIP

Sources and resources K. Aune, S. Sharma, & G. Vincett (2008) Women and religion in the West: Challenging Secularisation , Ashgate Brother Lawrence (2008 edition) The Practice of the Presence of God , Wilder Publications Ltd J. Fowler, KE Nipkow & F. Schweitzer (1992) Stages of Faith and Religious Development , London: SCM A. Heppenstall (2006) Wild Goose Chase: Exploring the Spirituality of Everyday Life , Iona: Wild Goose Publications J. Morley (1992) All Desires Known , London: SPCK Slee, N. (2004) Women’s Faith Development: Patterns and Processes , Ashgate Publishing

Women's course

by Rachel Marszalek on Aug 10, 2009

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Women’s course — Presentation Transcript