Practices
Our desire is to provide a safe place to be vulnerable and to start the process of restoring one’s hope in a loving God through practices designed to facilitate the nearness of God.
We find great joy in helping others experience God’s presence, especially feeling embraced by the love of the heavenly Father, discovering your true self in union with Jesus Christ, and being filled with the Holy Spirit’s power and wisdom.
Retreats
Iona offers retreats to get away from hectic, media-saturated lives to slow down and be with God and others for spiritual renewal. Particular retreats focus on everything from contemplative prayer to encounters with the Holy Spirit. The retreats are also geared for different levels of Christian experience.
​Iona Circles
Like the retreats, Iona Circles are small groups that provide a resource for growing with others in spiritual practices. They have been a place to learn contemplative prayer practices as well as other ways to grow in Christ. Iona Circles vary in length and are either offered on-line or in our local area.
​Spiritual Direction
Spiritual Direction is receiving assistance in becoming more attentive to God’s presence and activity. The practice involves a spiritual companion—often called a Spiritual Director—who provides support in prayerfully discerning where God is and what God might be doing in one’s life. Spiritual Direction may occur in person or on-line.
Prayer
HEALING PRAYER
We believe that our good God wants us to be whole people. Healing prayer helps people find freedom from internal blockages that keep them from experiencing God’s love and opens them up to flourish in relationship with God and others. Healing prayer is done in person in our local area and at many Iona retreats.
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CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
Simply sitting with God alone and quiet can seem impossible or anxiety-producing. But God speaks in the silence, so we provide help in learning stillness, silence, and solitude for connecting with God. For those experienced in contemplative prayer, Iona gives opportunities to go deeper.
INTERCESSORY PRAYER
Jesus calls us to follow him in giving our lives for the life of the world. This begins and is sustained by prayer for his kingdom to come and his will to be done. We teach intercessory prayer, specifically the Lord’s Prayer and Psalms, for the needs of the church and the world.
Scripture
Some come from traditions that encourage Bible reading that is more about the head than the heart. We value Bible study, but also teach a method of reading the Bible that is Christ-centered and invites personal communication from God. This ancient way of Bible reading, commonly called Lectio Divina, often energizes those who have avoided the Bible or experience it as a dry book. Lectio Divina is taught and practiced in a variety of places.
Spirit
Jesus tells us that it is “the Spirit who gives life” (John 6:63), so connecting with the Holy Spirit plays a critical role in empowering people with the resurrection life of Christ. The result is fruit like love, joy, and peace and gifts that display the presence and power of the Spirit. We make use of diverse practices to experience the fullness of God’s Spirit.