Chris Godfredsen is the East/West Sioux Classis Leader of the RCA, meaning he is essentially a pastor to pastors. Chris is also a facilitator for Faithwalking, an ongoing process of spiritual formation whose mission is making wholeness possible for individuals, communities, and the world. In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Chris has organized an online Zoom session centered around our anxious reactions in times of stress and uncertainty. Chris is offering his session, “From Anxious Reactivity to Faithful Response”, by way of multiple video calls with different churches. He has opened up a session for Trinity Church on Tuesday, March 31 from 6:30-7:30pm. We interviewed Chris for more information about this opportunity.
Who is this session for?
This session is for anyone who finds themselves wrestling with their thoughts, feelings, and emotions which lead them to responding to situations in ways that they regret. A global pandemic exacerbates these feelings, but if we are honest with ourselves and one another, each one of us has experienced anxiety and reacted in ways that we wish we could take back. Therefore, the session is for anyone and it is for everyone.
How can I sign up?
People may use this SignupGenius link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0A49A5AA28AAF49-from, but if they experience difficulty with the link, they may email me directly at cgodfredsen@gmail.com.
What topics will this session cover?
In our time together, I hope we will deepen our understanding of anxiety, the obstacles that arise when we get stirred up, and ways we can counteract reactivity and begin to respond in anxious moments in ways that honor God, ourselves, and others.
What will participation in this session look like?
The session will be conducted online through the platform Zoom. Once people have logged in, the first half of the session will be devoted to content that has largely been derived from the work of Faithwalking. Faithwalking is an ongoing spiritual formation process which believes that wholeness is possible. In Faithwalking, we believe there are two primary ways of learning – the Greek way and the Hebrew way. The first half of the session will be in the Greek method where someone shares information and the participant takes in that information. Then, for about 20 minutes, participants will practice in the Hebrew way where they will be sent to breakout rooms in Zoom where they will have opportunity to speak and listen to other participants related to the things they have just heard. A set of questions will be made available to guide these discussions. This can be uncomfortable for some, but what I’m finding is that in a time of social distancing people enjoy the interaction. It is also true that we learn and connect to concepts more deeply when we hear what other people are learning, too.
How will participants benefit from engaging in this session?
This is a good question, friends. I came to Christ a little later in life, and for the longest time I believed if I just prayed enough or read the Bible enough that everything would be okay and that I would stop feeling the way I felt in, and after, particular situations. But Jesus knew that we would experience things like this, otherwise he wouldn’t have said, “In the world you will have trouble, but take heart, I have overcome the world.”
So for me, the primary benefit of engaging in this work is to identify why I do the things I do when I feel anxiety rising in and around me. The more I understand about myself and am able to get out of my feeling processes and into my thinking processes when I am stressed out, the better I respond to situations and the more I live the life that Jesus desires me to live. Engaging in this session will also help participants realize that they are not the only ones that experience anxiety. Sometimes we feel like we are the only ones in the world that feels the way we do, so there is solidarity in knowing we aren’t alone and that others also desire to do this work of moving from reactivity to faithful response. I hope you will join us.