I believe that the world needs the wisdom of the Celtic Christian tradition. The church, with all its denominations and expressions throughout the centuries, has lost its way. The “traditional” way the gospel has been taught for the last few centuries isn’t working for people anymore. We are starting to wake up to the fact that the teachings of Jesus aren’t the true core of what the mainstream church does and teaches. A quick glance at Christianity’s involvement in world politics throughout the centuries and even today let’s us know just how wonky theology has gotten. New Eden Ministry is one of many groups seeking to heal that brokenness.
We are an online community of spiritual seekers looking for a new (or perhaps very old) expression of the Christian faith. One that is rooted in love. One that connects us to the natural world. One that draws us closer to God in the hidden recesses of our hearts. The Celtic way has much to offer the revival of contemplative spirituality and the internet and social media is an amazing way to reach all kinds of people all around the world. Many of us were not able to find local communities who met our spiritual needs. Yet, in a virtual community of international seekers we are able to nurture our faith and help one another to grow, learn, and love in new ways.
Doing things online has many benefits, including a HUGE reduction in overhead costs as we are not trying to maintain outdated buildings. The only real expenses to making all this work are the minister’s salary and a handful of small fees for some tech services to keep the website up and running. Thanks to the generous support of many members in our community (that includes people who volunteer their time and people who donate money) I am able to continue my reading and writing so that there is a regular stream of teachings from the Celtic and contemplative traditions going out into the world free of charge.
While some of the money which supports my work comes from the virtual retreat and some of it comes from my work as a spiritual director, many people also make small monthly donations through Patreon. These donations, small though they may be, add up to help make all this possible. When I started New Eden I was still working at a local call center and it made it difficult to give this community the love and attention it deserves. Now that I no longer need to work a full time job I am able to focus all my attention on our community. Thank you all so much for making this possible!
I would like to ask if you would consider being one of the people who make a small monthly donation. These donations are processed through Patreon, which is an online service that many bloggers and podcasters use to help them handle the money side of things. It makes the process safe, simple, and even gives a few extra bonuses to those who sign up. If you become one of my patrons you will get to see a little more about my writing process and can even request that I write about topics that interest you.
This is NOT a price tag on being part of our community. Our weekly meditation meetings, blog posts, discussion questions and everything you’re used to getting for free will continue to be free. The Virtual Chapel is a place where people can come to grow in their spirituality and connect with others on a similar journey and we would never want to keep the gift of all you lovely and amazing people from those who need a community like ours. If you decide to sign up you will be helping to make this accessible to those who cannot afford to pay.
If you would like to sign up, you can click the “become a patron” button below to check out Patreon and see how it works. Again, thank you SO much for being part of this community and making this amazing virtual space available to the world.
