The Bishop will be speaking to the Adult education class on "The Art of Prayer." Here is a sample of her thoughts on prayer from the 2014 Annual Council:
"When I think of stretching, I immediately think of Georgia, the beautiful little dog that owns Tom and me. When she wakes up, Georgia indulges in long, slow, luxurious stretches – first extending her head and shoulders, then expanding her back, and finally lengthening her legs. When that ritual is complete, she leaps into play position, tail wagging madly. Her wonderful stretching is only a prelude to what follows.
"It’s like that for us. We stretch before the run, to prepare for the competition, to warm up before the presentation, for refreshment in the middle of a long sit. The stretching, satisfying in and of itself, prepares us for what comes next.
"During this Council we will stretch and be stretched. Through the stretching, we will look for signs of what comes next, signs of what the Holy Spirit is up to in our midst.
"Let us prepare ourselves now in the soul stretching exercise of prayer.
"Holy Lord God, you wake us every morning with the promise of new possibilities, new hope and new challenges, and you stretch us to work with you in making your hope a reality; Pour down the abundance of your blessing on this 219th Council of the Diocese of Virginia as we gather to be stretched, to learn, to grow, and to do the work of governance. Awaken our eyes to see you at work among us. Awaken our ears to hear you in the voices of one another. Awaken our mouths to speak your truth. Awaken our hearts to be vessels of your love. Awaken our souls and make us yours alone. Stretch every nerve in us so that we will be your faithful people, even here, even now. Amen."