Wednesday Lenten Supper & Class Offerings

February 29 – March 28 (five sessions)
Centering Prayer 5:15pm
Holy Communion 5:45pm
Supper 6:20pm
Classes 7:00 – 8:30pm

Spiritual Discernment

Spiritual discernment in small groups is an excellent (and traditional) way to seek God's call. This class will teach and practice group spiritual discernment using a model similar to that recommended for candidates for holy orders. The method includes silent meditation, uninterrupted presentation of current issues in one's life, and prayerful feedback, with rotating roles among the participants. Participants should be able to commit to attend at least one of the first two sessions (Feb 29 and March 7) where the structure will be taught, and plan on attending as many of the remaining three sessions (March 14, 21, 28) as possible, to experience the method in community. The class will be led by Saint Ambrose members Ellen Horn-Lamb and Kris Bertness, who have been in such a group for over seven years.
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Advance Directives and End of Life Issues
What a gift we can give others when we have our end-of-life plans in order. Such things as living wills, power of attorney, wishes for your funeral . . . when others don’t have to guess or make difficult decisions in the midst of a crisis, that’s a good thing – a deep blessing, in fact. This class will be led by The Rev Bob Ritzen, a local chaplain for Boulder and Broomfield Hospice.

FROM END-OF-LIFE CHOICES
TO QUALITY-OF-LIFE DECISIONS
Learning what kinds of choices you will face at the end of your life is the first step toward making sure that you are not taken by surprise at a time when you most want control. Your life choices may shift along the way, and knowing how to rethink your options and wishes is the most important awareness you can build.

CRITICAL CONVERSATIONS:
Planning Your End-of-Life Decisions
Fewer than 50% of Americans have plans to ensure that they can make their own choices at one of the most vulnerable times of their lives—at the end of life, at any age. How do you know where to begin? What gets in the way of making sure you stay in charge? In this presentation, we’ll talk about how to cut through the fear and confusion and make a plan that clearly communicates what you want.

IF I CAN’T TALK, HOW WILL THEY KNOW WHAT I NEED?:
What Is A Medical Durable Power of Attorney?
What can someone do to help you if you can’t speak for yourself? Who should that person be? Simply having a medical power of attorney signed does not guarantee that your wishes will be followed. In this session, we’ll explore what it means to select a Health Care Agent and how to give them what they need to make the best possible choices for you.

LETTING YOUR VALUES GUIDE YOU:
Creating a Living Will that Reflects the Best of Your Life. It is difficult to imagine what we might want or need in the future as we approach our inevitable deaths. In this session, we’ll look at how to bring the values that shaped your life into your decision-making process and explore what your medical and non-medical options might be. We’ll also learn how to put your decisions into a Living Will that will help others make sure your wishes are followed.

BUILDING THE BRIDGE:
End-of-Life Care Isn’t About the Last Two Weeks.
Death is inevitable. Dying in fear and pain is not. If we want to live our final years and months in peace and comfort, it’s critical to start thinking now about how to begin this journey on a bridge rather than a cliff. In this presentation, we’ll talk about how to start when we’re aging to shift our thinking, resources and choices so that we can stay informed and in charge as we move through the rest of our lives.

KNOWING WHERE TO TURN:
An Introduction to HospiceCare.
When we approach the final chapters of our lives, we want the kind of care that not only ensures that we won’t be in pain, but that helps us put our affairs in order, find spiritual peace, and complete and celebrate life. Moving from traditional medical care into comfort care that is designed based on your needs and goals is an education in recognizing the deepest values in our lives and being empowered to live by them. In this session, we’ll talk about what HospiceCare is, and learn how and when to think about moving into the most skilled and supportive environment you and your family can be in.