It is natural and healthy to seek meaning and purpose for our lives. Some people in this quest, will explore spiritual things through a variety of different religions not all of which are traditional or formalized. The religious landscape has changed much over recent decades and there are now many newer organisations offering more informal opportunities to explore faith and its meaning for our lives.
One of the key features to note in any group with which you might get involved is that apart from being warm and welcoming, it should not become all-consuming of your time and energy. The group should be supportive of you spending time with your family and friends. It should give you freedom to choose how much or how little you want to get involved. You should also be enthusiastically encouraged to talk openly to your family and friends about all that you are encountering. Your exploration of faith issues should be life giving and not life sapping and it is a privilege for those who accompany you.
With so many options, it can sometimes be hard to determine whether the group will be healthy and beneficial for you. Sadly, there are groups out there that are not so beneficial and may even be destructive. Therefore, it can be helpful periodically to reflect on the benefits of our involvement with any organisation and to what extent this involvement supports other aspects of our life and personal values. To help reflect on the benefits, you might find the following link to the Cult Information Centre website helpful.
Alternatively if it would be helpful to chat informally over coffee with a chaplain, then please do contact one of us, using the links on our team page. There is no pressure and no commitment to join any of the chaplaincy activities.
