The Her Way of Love Episcopal Church Community of Women follows The Way of Love as a rule of life. During the 79th General Convention of the Episcopal Church, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry encouraged Episcopalians to adopt the The Way of Love as a rule of life, through the seven practices of Turn, Learn, Pray, Worship, Bless, Go + Rest. The Her Way of Love mission is to provide a community of support for women seeking to cultivate an intentional life of prayer and action by committing themselves to The Way of Love.
Learn more about The Way of Love here: https://episcopalchurch.org/way-of-love
Learn more about Her Way of Love here: https://www.herwayoflove.com
At Saint John’s, we’re inviting you to join an eight month journey in the Her Way of Love Book Club. Through memoirs, theology and poetry, we’ll enrich our spiritual lives and grow together. Each month of book club we will read a book that is paired with one of the practices. To kick off the journey, we will begin with a book focusing on what a, “Rule of Life,” is and how to cultivate it in our lives:
How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community, by Judith Valente
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36755784-how-to-live
“The Rule of Saint Benedict arose from an era when a great civilization was threatened by violence, economic forces that favored the wealthy, political leaders that lacked the trust of the public, and rampant xenophobia. Similar to the anxieties and frustrations of the 6th century, we are living in a time where societies need to stress community over competition, consensus over conflict, simplicity over self gain, and silence over the constant chatter and distractions of our lives. In How to Live, Judith Valente explores the key elements of the rule and clearly demonstrates how incorporating this ancient wisdom can change the quality and texture of our lives offering a way forward from the divisions gripping our country. These fresh and profound explorations are inspiring and thoughtful, and will motivate readers to live a meaningful life.”
“Judith Valente is an award-winning author, poet, and journalist. She is the senior correspondent for WGLT Radio, a National Public Radio affiliate in central Illinois. She writes for U.S. Catholic and National Catholic Reporter, and is a former staff writer for The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post. She also worked as an on-air correspondent for Chicago Public Radio and “Religion & Ethics Newsweekly” on national PBS-TV. She holds a B.A in English and classical languages from St. Peter’s University in Jersey City, NJ, and an MFA in creative writing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She is married to Illinois Judge Charles Reynard, also a poet. The couple operates an alfalfa farm in central Illinois, where Judith is a member of the Grand Prairie Master Naturalists, a group that cares for and maintains the Illinois prairie.”
You’ll want to access Facebook on the Internet to participate in the Her Way of Love Book Club that will be held online, “virtually,” in a private Facebook group. However, if you desire a real time, in person, discussion option at Saint John’s, please See * below. The Her Way of Love Book Club private Facebook group begins on Monday, January 6, 2020. You’re more than welcome to sign up and get into the Her Way of Love Book Club private Facebook group now.
There’s no fee for participating in the book club. They’ll move through one book each month and the Her Way of Love team will post throughout the month with prompts for questions and discussions. They encourage you to do the same and stay active in the discussions. To join the private Facebook group, you’ll want to input your information in the box at this link to the Her Way of Love Book Club, and from there, you’ll receive an email with another link to join the group: https://www.herwayoflove.com/bookclub
Please know that you might choose to read any one or all of the eight books on the reading list at any time, during the next eight months, and that you may choose reading at your own pace, contributing at your own pace, and reflecting at your own pace. This book club is intended to be a gentle and nurturing tool that brings, “Joy to Your Journey,” with no deadlines, no distress, and especially, no dread. You choose what is best for you!
The Her Way of Love Book Club Reading List, with links on Amazon:
January: Rule of Life – “How to Live: What the Rule of St. Benedict Teaches Us About Happiness, Meaning, and Community” by Judith Valente
February: Turn – “At Home in This Life: Finding Peace at the Crossroads of Unraveled Dreams and Beautiful Surprises” by Jerusalem Greer
March: Learn – “Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Loving the Bible Again” by Rachel Held Evans
April: Pray – “Glory Happening: Finding the Divine in Everyday Places” by Kaitlin Curtice
May: Worship – “We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God” by Kendall Vanderslice
June: Bless – “Shalom Sistas: Living Wholeheartedly in a Brokenhearted World” by Osheta Moore
July: Go – “Take This Bread: A Radical Conversion” by Sara Miles
August: Rest – “Becoming Who I Am: Reflections on Wholeness and Embracing Our Divine Stories” by Beth-Sarah Wright
* For anyone preferring not to join the Her Way of Love Book Club in the private Facebook group on the Internet, but rather, preferring to ask questions and to discuss one or all of the books in person, as well as, anyone with any general questions, please contact Robin McCrady. With enough interest in a particular book or books, we’ll schedule one or more gatherings with refreshments in Saint John’s garden, for questions and discussion, so watch for more announcements with information in spring and summer of 2020, as fair weather follows.
Saint John’s Episcopal Church
27 Devens Street
Charlestown, MA 02129
(617) 242-1272