Opportunities
Institute for Spirituality at Palmetto Health taking applications for the January 2008 Spiritual Guidance Training Program
The Institute for Spirituality at Palmetto Health is taking applications for the January 2008 class in its Spiritual Guidance Training Program. This two-year, experiential, faith-based program prepares those involved in ministry—clergy, lay ministers, counselors, parish nurses and others—in the art and discipline of spiritual guidance (spiritual direction). Participants work from within the context of their own faith tradition, and, at the same time draw on the wealth of spiritual masters from other traditions as well as the arts, sciences and humanities.
The program includes home study, classroom experience, guided retreats, practicum, and peer groups. Participants are provided a certificate of completion at the end of the course and may be eligible for dual enrollment with the Graduate Theological Foundation to complete a Doctor of Ministry degree in Spiritual Direction. For more information or to obtain an application, contact Dr. Keith Barron at 803-296-5972 or e-mail him at keith.barron@palmettohealth.org. Information is also available on the website at www.palmettohealth.org .
Augusta's Convent of St. Helena offering "The Revolutionary Nature of Early Oriental Christianity," September 14-15
Dr. Lynn Bauman, workshop leader
Christianity is both an occidental and an
oriental religion, but we in the West have lost a great portion
of our oriental roots. Grounded in the Semitic and oriental
heritage of the Middle East, Christianity reflects both modes.
In this seminar we will explore those roots and the new
discoveries that are returning to us the oriental treasures of
our faith as they have originated in the teaching and wisdom of
Jesus (Yeshua). Many of these are contained in newly recovered
documents like the Gospels of Thomas, Mary Magdalene and Philip.
Each of these moves us toward the recovery of a wisdom
perspective that was the vision of the Christian East. We will
examine together these treasures recently recovered from the
sands of the ancient Middle East.
Lynn Bauman is a master teacher and retreat leader, traveling widely throughout the US sharing the mystical Christian tradition and his passion for the ancient perennial wisdom that originally influenced the world's faith traditions. He has written several texts on spirituality, most recently The Gospel of Thomas, Wisdom of the Twin; In Trouble and In Wonder (a commentary on Thomas); and Ancient Songs Sung Anew, The Psalms as Poetry. Thanks to his creativity, in the 1980's he developed the Anglican Rosary. His academic degrees include linguistics, ascetical theology, and a PhD in the hermeneutics of mystical discourse. His work is especially influenced by the spiritual traditions and poets of the Middle East where he and his wife, Jackie, lived for ten years. Program $55.
For more information, please contact the convent: 706.798.5201. Click here to see more offerings from St. Helena.
Research learnings from "Uncovering Your Church’s Hidden Spirit" help congregations find their spirit
By Celia Hahn
What do Episcopalians say they most need from their church? In one typical survey, four out of five replied “food for their spiritual hunger.” Another study found that although many people volunteered to serve on their vestries with the hope of enhancing their spiritual growth, at the end of their terms they often went away disappointed because they had experienced only a secular “Roberts Rules of Order” mentality. Unless such “Martha” churches can make room in their busyness for a rediscovery of their spiritual center, they risk losing energy and relevance.
In the three-year Congregational Spirituality research, it became clear that not only individuals but churches have a spirit, often hidden, that can be uncovered. Some found this spirit revealed --a gift that can inspire members to discover: “We’re being called upon to be a model as a diverse community.” Some parishes discovered a more incarnational kind of social activism—flowing naturally from the being of the congregation in a way that’s deeper than a principle or a task force. Or church leaders can learn really to trust members to live their ministries at work, at home, and in their communities, strengthened by their participation in parish life. A busy congregation can be a “Mary” as well as a “Martha” church when it uncovers its hidden spirit and lives its life out of that holy, given ground.
These learnings become practical in the book Uncovering Your Church's Hidden Spirit, describing what came out of the research. Celia Hahn was project director and founding Alban Institute editor. The book can be ordered at 1-800-486-1318 ext. 2.
Clay and Jane Turner to lead marriage enrichment retreats at Kanuga, September, November
Want to make your good marriage great? Your
great marriage even better?
Kanuga Conferences is sponsoring two fall Marriage Enrichment retreats to provide opportunities for committed married couples to enhance their lives together. One will be held September 30-Octtober 3 and another November 16-18.
Led by the Rev. Clay Turner and Mrs. Jane Turner of Spartanburg, S.C., certified marriage enrichment specialists, each retreat will enable couples to nurture their invaluable yet constantly changing relationships.
Married in 1961, the Turners have been involved in marriage enrichment since 1974. They currently serve on the training and certification committee for the national board of the Association for Couples in Marriage Enrichment. Clay Turner is a former rector of Church of the Advent, Spartanburg.
For more information on Marriage Enrichment retreats, visit www.kanuga.org or call 828.692-9136.