Cultivating Faith: Intergenerational Mentorship and Spiritual Formation in Urban Denver

Congregations and Communities grantee Rev Kathy Maskell shared this update on her work at her church in Denver. The early part of the year was spent brainstorming, planning and delegating assignments towards a focus on intergenerational spiritual formation. They began aligning and bringing in new spiritual formation tools, curriculum, and opportunities for adults. The church helped host a conversation with John Mark Comer, a pastor and writer who is seeking to bring the ancient spiritual disciplines afresh to the church in America. This inspired two small groups to dive into spiritual practices via Comer’s “Practicing The Way” and Tish Warren’s “Liturgy of the Ordinary.” In addition, they kicked off their new spiritual formation group for leaders, reading Henri Nouwen’s “Return of the Prodigal Son” and practicing silence, confession, lectio divina, and visio divina.

The church has also intentionally created intergenerational formation opportunities through youth and kids serving dinner together with adults at a sanctioned emcampment for 40 adults, participating together with our Ash Wednesday and Good Friday service, engaging two families seeking asylum from Venezuela at our Last Sundays connect brunch, 20-somethings joining their small groups, and an 84-year old and 27-year old joining the kids ministry team. In addition, they will be piloting their first pilgrimage experience the first weekend of June. Their spiritual formation group has been focused on spiritual practices, and assistant pastor has been meeting individually with leaders to process assessments.