Sam Shoemaker Community (SSC)
Our Story
We are a small, widely dispersed group of men and women active in our 12-Step recovery Fellowships and living changed lives through the practice of Two Way Prayer lived within the Christian tradition. We have come together in community to share God’s love and to seek God’s will for us in the world.
We hope our website will introduce you to what excites us, unites us, and guide us. Should theses coincide with what you’ve been searching for, perhaps, in time, you’ll wish to join us on the journey.
How To Join Us
Please be aware that we are in the early stages of our own formation. And being as small a community as we are, we’re not yet positioned to guide new members through an individual discernment or structured formation process. In the future, we hope this will change.
But for now, if you’re interested in joining us, we welcome you to let us know of your interest but then we encourage you to begin your work where you are. Here’s how to begin:
First, explore our website. See if we are traveling in a direction toward which God may be guiding you.
Next, spend time in prayer. Reflect on each of our Four Pillars as explained below. These form the shared values of our community. Study the recommended literature for each Pillar and watch the videos prepared by some of our past and present community members.
Finally, after practicing Two Way Prayer for a minimum of six months (either alone or with a Prayer Partner,) we ask you to test your calling by engaging in either one of the two Service Fields our community supports. Each of our members is presently engaged in one or both of these efforts and we will do our best to provide you with the guidance and tools you may need.
Our Two Service Fields
They include:
Starting a weekly Two Way Prayer Meeting among your recovery friends – or –
Starting a weekly contemplative prayer service known as Lectio Devina (Recovery Lectio)
We’ve developed suggested formats, templates and videos to help you with each of these Service Fields and we’re happy to answer any questions you may have regarding them. But our expectation is that you will have begun one or both of these forms of outreach before applying for formal membership in SSC.
So, let’s begin with the core beliefs and practices of our community. We refer to these as our Four Pillars, and we’ve developed a reading list and a short video for each.