SPRING TERM
SPRING 2011 OFFERINGS
SERVICE AS A SPIRITUAL PRACTICE
Mondays from 10:30 a.m.–12 p.m. beginning January 25 for 8 weeks
In this circle of practice, we will agree to “A Blessing Way in Life” each day. This “Blessing Way” includes: 1) Holding a sacred intention for each day; 2) Giving thanks each day; and 3) taking a life-affirming action each day. We will use the new book Spirit of Service: Your Daily Stimulus for Making a Difference, which offers daily meditations and suggestions for taking action in the areas of: money, energy, focus, compassion, support, and passage. At each class, we will check in with one another, then spend time with the daily suggestions from the book. After some time in silence and reflection, we talk about the topic of the morning and end by coming back together for a circle to check out. This is a gentle, invitational circle where we come together in faith to support and be supported as we continue to deepen on the spiritual journey through acts of service.
Location: The Upper Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Led by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D.
SACRED ACTIVISM: BEING PRESENT TO CHILDREN IN POVERTY
January 25, February 22, March 29, April 26 and May 24, 2010 from 4–6 p.m.
Come to any of our monthly meetings to hear about our work with children in poverty in our community. We go to a local community housing environment and offer after-school programming two times a week. Come and see if this might be a volunteer opportunity that is life-giving for you at this point in your life.
Location: First Floor Conference Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Facilitated by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D. and other spiritual activists
TWO SESSIONS ON THE CLASSIC ESSAY “SERVANT AS LEADER” BY ROBERT K. GREENLEAF
Thursday, February 11 and Thursday, February 18, 2010 from 7—8:30 p.m.
Come and explore the relevance and applicability of the ideas of servant leadership as expressed in the classic essay, “The Servant as Leader” by Robert K. Greenleaf. This provocative piece, which initiated a world-wide movement, begins this way: “Servant and Leader. Can these two roles be fused in one real person, in all levels of status and calling? If so, can that person live and be productive in the real world of the present? My sense of the present leads me to say yes to both questions. This paper is an attempt to explain why and to suggest how.” If you are in business or nonprofit or are an active volunteer in our community (or just curious about the leadership opportunities available to us all in our everyday lives) and have wondered about the possibility of leading with more emphasis on service, imagination and inner authority, come together with others who are reading and reflecting on this essay to help deepen our understanding of these original ideas.
Location: The Gospel Café, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Facilitated by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D. and Russ Moxley, M.Th.
GROUP SPIRITUAL DIRECTION
Tuesdays from 12–1:30 p.m. beginning January 19 for 6 weeks
Are you seeking some regular time to enhance God’s presence in your daily living? Do you sense the need for a small community that could support contemplative listening? Group spiritual direction is a unique way of tending to the Spirit of God through regular sharing in a sacred space with a community of four or five persons of faith, plus facilitators.
Location: The Upper Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Led by: Marion McCollum and Nancy Nikiforow
JESUS WANTS TO SAVE CHRISTIANS
Tuesdays from 12:30–2 p.m. beginning January 26 for 10 weeks
The Rev. Frank Dew, chaplain at Greensboro Urban Ministry, will facilitate a discussion of the book, Jesus Wants to Save Christians: A Manifesto for the Church in Exile by Rob Bell and Don Golden. The class begins at 12:30 p.m. at the service for the guests at Greensboro Urban Ministry and then transitions into a time for discussion of the book in the chaplain’s office. The book is a very modern version of the Biblical story – one that will make you laugh out loud and cringe at the same time. For example, chapter one begins: “What started with two people and some fruit has escalated to murder among family members, to an entire civilization at odds with God.” The authors weave the biblical story into our current cultural and personal stories
in new and surprising ways.
Location: Greensboro Urban Ministry, 305 W. Lee Street
Led by: The Rev. Frank Dew
CONTEMPLATIVE PRAYER
Wednesdays from 12–1 p.m. beginning January 27 for 10 weeks
We will meditate in silence for 20 minutes, followed by journaling and further sharing in circle format. Together, we will become a community of meditation as we explore being Present to the love of God together. All levels of seekers most welcome.
Location: The Upper Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Led by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D.
SENIOR MEN’S SPIRITUALITY GROUP
Wednesdays from 6–8 p.m. beginning January 27 for 10 weeks
The Senior Men’s Spirituality Group is a group providing a safe place for seniormen to inquire, share, and learn in a spirit of acceptance, caring, and encouragement: a place where we can speak truths from our hearts, explore our spiritual lives and our relation with God, ourselves and others, and an avenue to becoming Wise Men and Sages. The group will begin with a meal together at 5:30 p.m. (bring your own or purchase a takeout meal from Holy Trinity’s kitchen, available beginning at 5:30 p.m.). Our time is devoted to checking in where we are in our journey with ourselves and God, a time of study, and a time of prayer. We will be using the book Winter Grace: Spirituality and Aging, by Kathleen Fischer as a source of discussion.
Location: The Upper Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Led by: Paul C. Volk, MSW, Spiritual Director
FROM WILD MAN TO WISE MAN: A MEN’S SPIRITUALITY GROUP
Thursdays from 7–9 p.m. beginning January 28 for 10 weeks
Drawing on Richard Rohr’s book, From Wild Man to Wise Man, this men’s spirituality group will become a center of learning, devoting study time to deepen our faith and knowledge; a place for pastoral care as we pray and support one another in our own spiritual formation; and a safe place where we can speak from our “true self,” not just from the head but the heart. We will follow Rohr’s outline for men’s groups. During the first section (lasting about 30 minutes) we will discuss what is going on in our lives. The second section is given to the study of Rohr’s book. The last section will focus on individual needs, praying for personal ministries and for the concerns of all members.Timing will be flexible, and we will adapt each section according to the group’s needs and interests.
Location: The Upper Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Led by: Paul C. Volk, MSW, Spiritual Director
“If we do not transform our pain we will transmit it in some form.” –Richard Rohr
TRANSFORMING CONFLICT: WORKING WITH DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS
Wednesdays from 6:30–8 p.m. beginning February 10 for 6 weeks
Our speech is the main way we communicate with one another, but so often we take the things we say for granted and very seldom do we examine what we say or hear from a place of presence or awareness. This lack of awareness can be the source of conflict, both large and small. Becoming aware of our communication and the feelings and needs behind it can help us to become better communicators and enable us to navigate conflict more effectively. We can also learn to hear what others say through a lens of understanding and compassion, which renders us less vulnerable to being hurt by those we love. Using the process of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as taught by Dr. Marshall Rosenberg and using circle practice, we will learn and practice NVC through bringing our own issues and concerns to our community of practice.
Location: First Floor Conference Room, 211 W. Fisher Avenue
Led by: Amelia Poole, M.A.
