Thursday Morning Christian Meditation
Christian Meditation, Thursday mornings at 8:30 am in the Sanctuary
“We do not know how to pray, but the Spirit prays within us”
– St. Paul, Rom. 8:26
Meditation is not something new to the Christian experience, but is deeply rooted in Christian tradition, from the teachings of Jesus and St. Paul; through the Christian Desert Fathers and Mothers of fourth century Egypt; including medieval Christian mystics like the anonymous author of the “Cloud of Unknowing;” and on up to the modern day. However, many western Christians have no knowledge of this ancient tradition of prayer. Meditation, also known as contemplative prayer, is the prayer of silence, the place where direct contact with Christ can occur once the never ceasing activity of the mind has been stilled. In meditation we go beyond words, thoughts and images into the presence of God and the indwelling Spirit.
At Coralville United Methodist Church (CUMC), we follow the teachings on Christian meditation of John Main, a Benedictine monk of the 20th century who recovered this ancient form of contemplative prayer for modern people. In order to support our daily personal commitment to meditation, in 2010 we formed a meditation group that has been meeting weekly since. Our group is just one of hundreds that meet in over 110 countries around the world to practice meditation, and is part of an international community known as the World Community for Christian Meditation (www.wccm.org). CUMC’s meditation group meets every Thursday morning from 8:30 - 9:30 AM. For more information on Christian meditation or CUMC’s weekly group, please feel free to contact either the church office or Corey Houchins-Witt at corey.houchins.witt@gmail.com.
What's New
Our building is open and all are welcome to attend worship in-person at Coralville UMC! Our worship is on Sunday mornings at 9:30. To all who are joining us for the first time, welcome!
We will continue streaming live from Facebook on Sunday mornings at 9:30 as well. All are welcome! You can find our Facebook page by clicking the icon at the top of this website. Or, you can find it here: Facebook CoralvilleUMC
Regarding our mask guidance, in keeping with the City of Coralville and Iowa City Community School District, we will follow the new CDC guidelines at our church. Please take good care of yourselves and be loving and respectful toward one another, understanding that our personal health and personal levels of comfort will differ.
We are reserving the group of pews on the far right of the sanctuary as you are facing the altar for those who choose to be especially cautious about masking.
At Coralville UMC we affirm people of all ages, races, ethnicities, cultures, gender identities, sexual orientations, physical and mental abilities, and socio-economic status. We believe that prejudice, hatred, or discrimination directed toward any individual or group is contrary to the life and spirit of Jesus Christ. Therefore, we shall work to eliminate prejudice and discriminatory practices within ourselves and our community, and to show grace, in Jesus’ name.
We stand together in solidarity with the family of George Floyd and with people of color in our congregation, our communities, and around the world.
You can read the statement released by our Bishop, Laurie Haller, and the Appointive cabinet, here