A home for contemplatives in West Michigan — events, community, and the journey inward.
Join the community
A home for contemplatives in West Michigan — events, community, and the journey inward.
Join the communityWho we are
Last summer I went on a Centering Prayer retreat organized by the Chicago chapter of Contemplative Outreach. I was impressed that that chapter has a newsletter listing area events of interest, holds meetings, organizes retreats, and offers fellowship and community.
Impressed and a little envious. I couldn't find anything similar in West Michigan.
I would like to start something similar in the Grand Rapids area. Contemplative West Michigan — CWM — is the beginning of that effort.
Did you know that cwm — pronounced "coom" — is a word? One of the very few in English where "w" is a vowel. A cwm is a small glacial valley head containing a lake: an area scraped clean by the insistent grinding of a glacier and filled with water. Often a place of austere beauty.
For now, CWM is an email list, a newsletter, and this web page — a clearinghouse for contemplative events and resources in West Michigan. In time, I hope it grows into something more.
Upcoming
CWM serves as a clearinghouse for contemplative events in the West Michigan area — retreats, days of recollection, workshops, and gatherings from a variety of traditions and organizations.
Events will be listed here as they are announced.
Sign up below to receive them by email.
Where we're headed
CWM begins simply — an email list and a webpage. But the hope is larger.
If you'd like to help shape what CWM becomes, reply to any newsletter email or reach out directly. All are welcome.
Stay connected
Sign up to receive infrequent emails with announcements of contemplative events and news from the CWM community. No spam, no commitment — just the journey.
Our gatherings are free. If you'd like to support the work, donations are always welcome.