Adult Faith Formation

Contemplative Practices

Our online contemplative group practices are like those offered at many in-person churches in the diocese, but primarily serve contemplatives from small churches/communities without in-person resources or for whom current  in-person meeting times aren’t convenient.

Centering and Welcoming Prayer

Centering and Welcoming Prayer are often described as two wings of the contemplative prayer bird: Centering Prayer being the passive form of surrender to the Indwelling Presence, Welcoming Prayer being the active form of surrender. Our group practices meet weekly.

Contemplative Creativity

Contemplative practices like Contemplative Creativity balance our active and communal prayer or worship, allowing space to connect individually and intuitively to God. Whether the method is ancient or new, consenting to the Indwelling Presence deepens our relationship with the Spirit that nurtures, heals, and empowers. This group practice meets monthly for art and companionship – to explore spirituality through mindful creativity, focusing on process or experience as opposed to product or permanence. We meet the second Wednesday evening of each month, via Zoom, beginning October 13, 2021 at 6pm PDT.

Mindful Poetry

Come and travel with us in a pursuit of poetry!  Our once-monthly group practice focuses on the mindful reading of verse, concentrating on sensory experience and spiritual connection. Instead of using analysis and explanation, we approach poems with a sense of curiosity and openness, a holistic approach to appreciating the beauty and wisdom of a poem. We meet the fourth Tuesday evening of each month, via Zoom, beginning September 28, 2021 at 6pm PDT.

Diocesan Resource Center

The Diocesan Resource Center is a lending library serving congregations and individuals in the Diocese of Olympia. It provides religious resources, in print and on DVD, with emphasis on materials for ministry, and includes books on the reading list for the College for Congregational Development and the Iona Olympia School, as well as having material on a variety of subjects of use in Sunday forums and study groups. A selection of materials from the Resource Center library is on display at many diocesan events and material can be checked out at that time; our catalog is online. Visits to the library at Diocesan House are welcome, and we also mail materials. For more information, please contact Sue Tait, Director of the Resource Center.

Education for Ministry (EfM)

Education for Ministry (EfM) is a faith formation program for lay men and women seeking to deepen their faith; currently over fifteen seminar groups in this diocese participate. Developed by The School of Theology, University of the South at Sewanee, small groups (6-12 people) meet weekly over the course of 36 weeks to discuss the bible and assigned texts with classmates.  The heart of the program is theological reflection, learning to see one’s life in the light of learning, experience and through group interation. Students only sign up for one year at a time, but the entire course covers four years and includes an overview of Christian tradition including church history, ethics, and worship. Each group is led by a trained mentor, who facilitates the group but is not a teacher. For more information, please contact Dean Mielke, the volunteer Diocesan  EfM Coordinator.

Iona Olympia

The Diocese of Olympia offers an Iona Initiative School (called Iona Olympia) for postulants seeking ordination in the diaconate, for some seeking local ordination as priests and deacons, and for lay persons who feel called to such training. We use the Seminary of the Southwest’s Iona Iniative curriculum as our baseline for both academic and practical education, enhancing and modifying it to meet our local needs.  It is a three year program, September to May.  The Iona Olympia School meets one weekend a month, usually at St. Andrew’s House Retreat Center.  Students prepare for the weekends through reading and viewing videos  During the weekends, students engage in large and small group discussions and activities, participate in and lead liturgies, and practice preaching.

Licensed Ministry Training

Sue Tait, Director of the Resource Center, is available to provide Licensed Ministry Training or to send materials to support training locally.