 The Stories of Advent: His Story, Your Story
“Long time ago in Bethelehem, so the Holy Bible say, Mary’s boy child Jesus Christ, was born on Christmas Day. There are so many stories of Advent surronding the birth of Jesus Christ. In this day retreat, we will read through some of them. There is an elderly couple, a young virgin, a old man and an old widow and lowly shepherds. They are not the kind of characters that make an exciting story, except that they were surprised by God! As the year is closing, take a day out to remember the story of Advent, His story. Along the way, review the year and be surprised by God as well. Date: 16 Dec 2017 (Sat) Time: 9am to 5pm Venue: CSF Closing Date for Registration: 4 Dec 2017 Please email admin@csfcommunity.org.sg for more information  Advent is a season that offers the gifts of joy and anticipation. However, Christmas is often celebrated without the true meaning of the Advent season. We usually get so bogged down with the festive shopping, partying, decorating and presents that consumerism is more common than wonderment. To help us get back on track, this retreat is an invitation to shift your focus to experience and savour the essence of the Advent, to prepare your heart for the coming of the Christ Child and the coming King.
The 3 day 2 night guided silent retreat will also help you pause to recollect the birth of Christ in your life and then to anticipate His coming again. You will also be guided to recognize and respond to the presence of God through His Word and prayer. Date: 6 - 8 Dec 2017 Venue: Lifesprings Canossian Spirituality Centre Closing Date for registration: 17 November 2017 Please e-mail admin@csfcommunity.org.sg for more information  SF101 is an introduction to the Christian Year, which is based on the life of Christ. We will seek to understand the significance of each remembrance: Advent, Epiphany, Lent, Christ’s Death & Resurrection, Ascension, Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, and the Ordinary Times. The Christian Year is a wonderful rhythm of grace that helps us to walk afresh with Jesus each year, following in His footsteps in order to counter-act the deadening effect of busyness and hurry.
Session 1: Overview: The Christian Year as seven seasons in three cycles* & 1st Cycle of Light Session 2: 2nd Cycle of Life (Lent, The Paschal Triduum, Easter) Session 3: 3rd Cycle of Love (Pentecost and Ordinary Time) Date: 11, 18 & 25 Nov 2017 (Saturday) Time: 2 - 5pm Venue: Bethel Presbyterian Church Closing Date for Registration: 30 Oct 2017 Please e-mail admin@csfcommunity.org.sg for more information The CSF team is meeting on 11 and 12 August for 2018 Workplan discussions.
We will be closed on these 2 days, please join us again for noon prayers next week. Meantime, we would appreciate your prayers for the team to have hearts and ears that listen well to God and to each other, for clear minds as we plan for the upcoming year(s) ahead and for unity of spirit when we have difficult conversations over differing opinions. Thank you all #Community #TeamCSF  The story of God that started with Jesus Christ, the Word with God become flesh is more than two thousand years old. Since that first landing, God has continued to encounter individuals in every age, race, culture and era. And these saints of old have left reflections of their encounters in treatises, letters, books and writings of all sorts. Through the Reading Fellowship, we aim to help those who join this fellowship see the richness of the spiritual heritage of the church, to connect the dots and behold the unbroken flow and wonder of God’s story, and to make the links themselves to discover the contemporary relevance of past spiritual wisdom. In 2017, we will focus on the theme of 'Personal Interior'. We have chosen books written by authors who are people of the heart, have a personal pursuit of God, a focus on the relational, and a focus on the Interior life. Join us to read these books together, see what we can learn from their writings, from their own encounters with God. Dates: 11 & 18 Sep; 02 & 16 Oct (Mon evenings)
Time: 7:30 – 10pm Venue: CSF @ Bethel Cost: Freewill Offering Closing Date for Registration: 3 September 2017  This retreat is an invitation to recover the rhythm of rest and work that God has graced us with. It will help you savour the rest that God has designed for you as you move away from the busy world.
 Praying The Word (Lectio Divina) (SF104)The essence of Lectio Divina is prayer, seeking God. It is heartening to learn that the Word of God is not only a revelation of the LORD to His children but also a resource to aid us in our prayer to Him. In this course, we will learn to let the Word of God descend from our head to our heart and seek God there. It is there where reading the Bible seeks to challenge our habitual beliefs, attitudes and behavior. We become open to the Holy Spirit’s action of grace upon our lives. Session 1: The Theological Basis of Lectio Divina Session 2: The Movement of Lectio Divina Session 3: The Practice and Posture of Lectio Divina 1st Run: 01, 08, 15 July 2017, Saturdays (2 ~ 5 pm) @ CSF The Lord's Prayer (SF105)SF105 draws our attention to the Prayer the Lord Jesus Himself taught, and seeks to learn this prayer as a Pattern for our own prayers as we seek, by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to grow in Christlikeness to the glory of the Father. Our focus will be on relating with God as “Our Father,” like Jesus. And, like Jesus, we will seek to relate with Him as our Heavenly Father, Who is wholly Separate and Sovereign, Who Providentially Cares for us in our Everyday Life on Earth. This course will offer suggestions for the daily use of The Lord’s Prayer for a deeper relationship with our Triune God. Session 1: Relating with God as Our Father Session 2: Relating with God as Our Heavenly Father Session 3: Relating with God as Our Heavenly Father in Our Everyday Life on Earth 1st Run: 05, 19, 26 Aug 2017, Saturdays (2 ~ 5pm) @ CSF As a resource and learning community, CSF offers three series of spiritual formation programmes of increasing depth and duration. These courses aim to provide the foundation and framework for spiritual formation both to deepen the Christian’s communion with God, and to encourage the Christian to live out this deeper life in his or her church community. Each of these 3 levels (grouped as SF100, SF200, SF300 series) will have its own range of courses of various duration. The SF series distinctive is the attention given to reflection of the participant’s own walk with God, not just teaching new content.
Joyful Exiles: Life in Christ on the Dangerous Edge of Things (James Houston) Advent is a season that offers the gifts of joy and anticipation. However, Christmas is often celebrated without the true meaning of the Advent season. We usually get so bogged down with the festive shopping, partying, decorating and presents that consumerism is more common than wonderment.
To help us get back on track, this retreat is an invitation to shift your focus to experience and savour the essence of the Advent, to prepare our heart for the coming of the Christ Child and the coming King. The 3day-2night guided silent retreat will also help you pause to recollect the birth of Christ in your life and then to anticipate His coming again. You will also be guided to recognise and respond to the presence of God through His Word and prayer. This retreat is an invitation to recover the rhythms of rest and work that God has graced us with. The 3 day-2 night retreat will help you savour the rest that God has designed for you as you move away from the busy world. You will also be guided to adopt a Sabbatical lifestyle.
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