Fall Term Companion Classes

(See Current Schedule for all events)

For the most part, there are no prerequisites to any of these classes.

Please check each class for specifics.  See registration form for class fees.

Sacred Activism: Being Present to Children in Poverty

August 23, September 27, October 25, and November 22, 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 West Fisher Avenue

Facilitated by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D. and other spiritual activists

“Once you realize that you have enough, the energy you used to get more of

what you don’t need is freed up to make a difference with what you have.”

–Lynne Twist

Prayerful Yoga: Healing Mind and Body

Mondays from 10:30–11:45 a.m. beginning September 13 for 12 weeks

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10) Prayerful Yoga begins

with a centering prayer, linking mind, breath and body, and encourages

participants to surrender to the present moment. The releasing and

opening experienced in yoga practice can directly influence the quality of

one’s spiritual journey. This series of gentle yoga poses is suitable for all

body types and levels of yoga experience. Please bring a mat or large towel.

Location: The Upper Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Kishie Wyatt, Registered Yoga Therapist

When Helping Hurts

Tuesdays from 12:30–2 p.m. beginning September 14 for 10 weeks

The Rev. Frank Dew, chaplain at Greensboro Urban Ministry, will

facilitate a discussion of the book When Helping Hurts: Alleviating Poverty

Without Hurting the Poor… and Ourselves. “Churches and individual

Christians typically have faulty assumptions about the causes of poverty,

resulting in the use of strategies that do considerable harm to poor people

and themselves. When Helping Hurts provides foundational concepts,

clearly articulated general principles and relevant applications. The result

is an effective and holistic ministry to the poor, not a truncated gospel.”

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.

Location: Greensboro Urban Ministry, 305 West Lee Street

Led by: The Rev. Frank Dew

“There is enough in the world for our needs but not for our greed. Civilization,

in the real sense of the term, consists not in the multiplication, but in the

deliberate and voluntary reduction of wants.” –Gandhi

Writing from the Heart

Wednesdays from 10 a.m.–12 p.m. beginning September 15 for 8 weeks

Good writing begins with telling the truth, a process which requires

struggle, courage, and faith. In this writing workshop, we will explore

links between writing and spiritual development. Both beginning and

experienced writers are welcome, as our emphasis will be on generating

new writing in a supportive atmosphere. The text for this class will be

Deena Metzger’s book, Writing for Your Life: A Guide and Companion to the

Inner Worlds. Class is limited to 12 students.

Location: The Upper Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Ellen Summers, Ph.D.

Contemplative Prayer

Wednesdays from 12–1 p.m. beginning September 15 for 12 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 are most welcome.

Location: The Upper Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Ruth D. Anderson, Ph.D. and members of the servant leadership community

“To be vulnerable, literally means “able to be wounded.” Much as we might

want to avoid it, this is precisely what true transformation calls for.”

–Gerald May

Senior Men’s Spirituality Group

Wednesdays from 5:30–8 p.m. beginning September 15 for 12 weeks

The Senior Men’s Spirituality Group provides a safe place for senior

men to inquire, share, and learn in a spirit of acceptance, caring, and

encouragement – a place where we can speak truths from our hearts, tell

our stories, 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 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Paul C. Volk, MSW, Spiritual Director

“Here is an opportunity for older men to share the wisdom of age and

experience. Following an evening of conversation which springs from the

discussion of our reading, we realize there are joys and sorrows which have

shaped our lives and made us the men we have become. Paul, thank you for

your able leadership.” –J. S.

Are You My Type? An Enneagram Wisdom Circle

Thursdays from 6:30–8:30 p.m. beginning September 16 for 9 weeks

See Healing Ground for course description.

Location: The Café, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Dee Irwin, Ph.D.

“If we do not transform our pain we will transmit it in some form.”

–Richard Rohr

From Wild Man to Wise Man: A Men’s Spirituality Group

Thursdays from 6:30 p.m–8:30 p.m. (The time was misprinted in the Fall Brochure)

beginning September 16 for 12 weeks

Drawing on Richard Rohr’s book, From Wild Man to Wise Man, 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 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Paul C. Volk, MSW, Spiritual Director

Communication Skills for Parents (Both Single and Together)

Tuesdays from 4:30—6 p.m. beginning October 5 for 6 weeks

No job is more important than that of parenting, yet we enter the role

totally unprepared for the challenges that we will face. One of the most

challenging tasks is that of developing good communication skills with our

partner, our former partner, or our children. Nonviolent communication

is a process that gives a framework for compassionate connection to others

and ourselves. This class will be useful for parents of children, either

single or together, in developing positive communication skills with your

children and with your partner, together or not.

Location: The Conference Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Amelia Poole, M.A., certified mediator

Transforming Conflict: Working with Difficult Conversations

Thursdays from 6:30–8 p.m. beginning October 7 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 others,

we will learn and practice NVC through bringing our own issues and

concerns to our community of practice.

Location: First Floor Conference Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: Amelia Poole, M.A., certified mediator

One City, One Book: Two Sessions on The Soloist by Steve Lopez

Wednesdays, October 20 and October 27, 2010 from 1:30—3 p.m.

Every two years, the city of Greensboro participates in the One City, One

Book program, which is sponsored by the Friends of the Greensboro

Public Library and the Greensboro Public Library Foundation. In 2010,

the selection is The Soloist: A Lost Dream, an Unlikely Friendship, and the

Redemptive Power of Music by Steve Lopez, which describes the unlikely

friendship that arises from the journalist’s real life encounter with

Nathaniel Ayers, a homeless schizophrenic who once attended Julliard as a

promising classical violinist.

Location: First Floor Conference Room, 211 West Fisher Avenue

Led by: May Toms, M.Ed.

Micro-finance: Global and Local (Lunch Study Group)

Third Thursday of each month from 12:30–2 p.m.

Suggested donation: Love offering for micro-finance projects. Bring a bag lunch.

See Healing Ground for course description.

Location: Broome Hall, Holy Trinity Episcopal Church

© Copyright 2010 The Servant Leadership School of Greensboro

215 West Fisher Avenue, Greensboro, NC  27401 U.S.A.

Phone: 336-275-0447   www.servantleadergreensboro.com