By Marta Castillo, Associate Executive Minister
As we move through our process of preparation, conversation, and discernment for Fall Assembly (Nov. 4-5), the Mosaic Prayer Team invites you to listen to the Holy Spirit through prayer and fasting as individuals, congregations, and small groups. By entering a posture of listening prayer, as in I Samuel 3, we allow God to speak. We then can share what we have heard through the Spirit, as the early church declared, “It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us,” (Acts 15:28a, NIV)
The theme for Mosaic’s fall Assembly is Chesed (חֶסֶד) God’s loving kindness, based on Psalm 116 and 117. As the psalmist wrote, we too believe that God’s unhesitating, constant love (chesed) will not be shaken.
Together, Mosaic Conference remembers God’s goodness, and we commit to extending God’s unhesitating, constant love to a broken and beautiful world. We are inviting you to listening prayer and join us as we ask to hear from God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit for wisdom.
How to be involved:
- An individual, congregation, or small group commits to a week or a certain day each week (which may include regularly scheduled prayer times) to pray and fast as God leads you during July and August.
- Register your commitment to joining us here, so we can support each other.
- We will be hosting two Zoom events and invite you to participate in either or both. Zoom links will be sent to you when you register your commitment. Events will be held:
- Wednesday, July 20, 7pm ET/4pm PT
- Wednesday, August 10, 7pm ET/4pm PT
- At the end of August, report back to the Mosaic Prayer team (via Marta Castillo) about your experience and what you heard through your Listening Prayers. These reports will be shared with the Mosaic Board.
If listening prayer is new for your group, here is a suggested format:
- Read Scripture together. (One suggestion would be Psalm 116 or 117)
- Listen in silence for God’s Spirit to speak. (5-10 minutes)
- Write down or make note of what you hear as individuals.
- Share in the group.
- Repeat by reading another Scripture or focus on a prayer point (see below).
- Listen in silence for God’s Spirit to speak. (5-10 minutes)
- Write down or make note of what you hear.
- Share in the group.
- Repeat as time allows.
- Discuss what would you like to share back to the larger community. (Listen for larger themes, the voice of the community, and consensus, but also listen for the minority voice.)
As you pray, you may also want to ask these questions or prayer points, and listen for a response through prayer:
- How do we keep Jesus in the center?
- How does God want to form our churches to be places of radical hospitality, inviting and engaging all people regardless of race, ethnicity, age, gender, lifestyle, or socio-economic status?
- How does God desire to bring transformation to all of us?
- How is God calling us to repent?
- How does God want us to live, work, and dialogue with those who hold differing views?
- How is God calling us to be communities of faith that are full of grace and full of truth?
- How can we pray for our leaders? (Mosaic Board meetings are July 18 and September 19; Executive Board Committee meeting is August 3.)
Groups who have already committed to participate:
- Mosaic’s weekly Prayer Group – Wednesdays, 12-1 pm ET (weekly Zoom link) – anyone is welcome to join!
- Upper Milford Mennonite Church (Zionsville, PA)
- Methacton Mennonite Church (Norristown, PA)
- Blooming Glen (PA) Mennonite Church
- Centro de Alabanza (South Philadelphia, PA)
Marta Castillo
Marta Castillo is the Associate Executive Minister for Mosaic Conference. Marta lives in Norristown, PA, with her husband, Julio, and has three sons, Christian, Andres and Daniel and one granddaughter, Isabel.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.