Kirtland Spiritual Formation Center Is Open

Many visitors to the Kirtland Visitor and Spiritual Formation Center this past summer and fall have asked, “What kind of things are going to happen at the formation center?” It will be a place for people to come to and have an opportunity to explore their relationship with God and to go deeper in their encounter with the Holy. We hope it will be an inward and outward experience of self-examination, experiencing God in renewing ways, arriving at new understandings, taking time to express gratitude to the One whose nature it is to bless, and to be sent out to express the gospel to a world that stands in need.

Congregations are invited to come and learn about discernment and to participate in an exploration of calling and purpose. Through the process of Group Spiritual Direction, participants will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to “listen to the Voice that echoes across the eons of time and yet speaks anew in this moment” (Doctrine and Covenants 162:1b). In this small group process, the vision and mission of the congregation will be explored as well as the role each participant will play in making the vision and mission come alive.

The invitation is extended to mission centers to come and explore particular priesthood-office ministry. A mission center may want to bring its staff for spiritual renewal, spiritual intimacy, worship, a historical tour, and planning. Through these experiences the staff will draw closer together and have time to listen, be heard, and find mutual support.

Worshiping in the Temple is a highlight for many.

The formation center will be a place that celebrates the Prayer for Peace daily throughout the summer months. Covenant Discipleship Group training will also be offered for those mission centers and congregations looking for a process that takes the members deeper in their relationship with the One who calls us forth.

Barbara Walden, historic sites coordinator, and Bruce Crockett, spiritual formation minister, work together to bring the best of the Kirtland experience. Come to worship, explore the Temple, learn of our history and the empowering story of the people of Kirtland, reflect, pray, discern, and find renewal in the formation experience.

—Bruce Crockett reporting
March 2008 Herald