VT Faith Community's Online News - March 2011

Other Faith Common Articles

Faith Common is the email newsletter of the Vermont Ecumenical Council & Bible Society (VEC). PLEASE POST IT in your house of worship. To be added to this newsletter mailing list or to submit news, please send an email to the VEC office at info@vecbs.org.

PRAYER by Walter Brueggemann
God of faithful speech who makes promises and issues summons, we thank you for the memory of your utterance that you have entrusted to us. We thank you for the old women and faithful men who have kept that utterance for us, even until now. As we are able, we respond in love and adoration and passion to answer to your self-giving word. As we seek to love you with our minds, forgive us for lazy, thoughtless faith, and for reliance on old judgments and parroted convictions. By your spirit, open our minds to the thickness of your utterance. As we seek to love you with our minds, forgive us for trusting our own reason too easily. Bind our minds to our hearts, and bind both our minds and our hearts beyond ourselves, beyond our hurts and our vested interests, to your utterance of the word of life. Situate us in the company of those who bring our all – our clarity of mind, our openness of heart – in glad obedience to you. AMEN.

INSTITUTE FOR SPIRITUAL DEVELOPMENT EVENTS
ISD is offering these programs in March: - 12-step retreat on Sat., Mar. 12, 10 am – 3 pm. The focus is on the 12 steps of AA and Al-anon and deepening one's trust in God in applying them to one's life. Ann Burke facilitates. - Soul Collage- an intuitive process of listening and befriending oneself. A sense of curiosity, but no artistic ability, is needed. The retreat will be held from Fri., Mar. 25, 6:30 – 9 pm to Sat., Mar. 26, 9am – 4 pm. Holly Wilkinson facilitates. Both events will be held at Mount St. Mary at 100 Mansfield Avenue in Burlington. For more information, send an email to instituteforspiritualdevelopment@hotmail.com or call Sister Ann Duhaime at 802-862-2210. For fees and other details, go to: http://renewyourspirit.web.officelive.com/whatsgoingon.aspx

KIDS4PEACE INFORMATIONAL EVENT
Youth from Jewish, Muslim, and Christian traditions in grades 4 – 8 and their families are invited to attend this event on Tues., Mar. 15, 6:30 – 7:30pm, Ascension Lutheran Church, 95 Allen Road, South Burlington. The youth group “Ripple” which is based at this church is sponsoring the event. Come and hear about this amazing summer camp that brings together kids from these three faith traditions. There are still openings for this summer's program (for age 11-13 year olds). Kids who are too young to attend the camp this year are also invited so that they might think about attending camp in a future year. RSVPs are helpful but not required. For more information, call the church at 862-8866 or email Rachel Stampul: RachelStampul@gmail.com

THE SOCIAL AND THE SACRED:
Topics presented by St. Michael's College. Lectures are free and open to the public. -“Islam and Peace-building” (open class) is the title of the lecture by Dr. Saleem Ali that will be on Tues., March 22 at 11:45am at St. Michael's College in Cheray 101. Dr. Ali is a UVM Prof. of Environmental Studies, a native of Pakistan, and is the author of “Islam and Education: Conflict and Conformity in Pakistan's Madrassahs.” -Roshi Bernie Glassman will speak about “Social Engagement as Spiritual Practice,” McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael's, on Thurs., Mar. 24, 7 pm. Zen Master Bernie Glassman is founder of Zen Peacemakers and is a leading proponent of social engage- ment as spiritual practice. He is an internationally recognized pioneer of Buddhism in the West, and is regarded as one of the most creative forces in Western Buddhism, creating new paths and practices to serve the people who fall between the cracks of society. Call 802-654-2536 for more information.

THE HOPE OF FORGIVENESS- HEALING SELF, HEALING RELATIONSHIP
This five-day intensive will be held at Metta Earth Institute in Lincoln from May 22 – 27. It is an exploration of forgiveness through the mirror of the natural world. The group (of no more than 12) will meet with the two guides each morning to deepen understanding of forgiveness through teachings, dream work, and personal sharing. In the afternoon, participants will spend time in personal reflection in the natural world. In the late after- noon and evening, the group will gather to listen to what has been discovered during the day and bring the lessons into form through writing, creative arts, and ceremony. Participants may choose to enact an overnight solo midway through the week to deepen the forgiveness work

Participants will explore how to begin and deepen the work of forgiveness in their lives by: learning the stages of forgiveness and which ones are relevant for them now; examining the differ- ences between shame and guilt, forgiving and forgetting, accep- tance and approval, self forgiveness and forgiveness of others; exploring the elements of trust and how to rebuild trust; trans- forming stories of hurt into stories of healing and compassion; receiving guidance from the natural world and dreams about healing and forgiveness; receiving individual guidance and sup- port from the guides; learning practices that will continue the path of forgiveness in daily life. The leaders, Fran Weinbaum and Wes Burwell, are experienced Wilderness Rites of Passage Guides; Fran is also a Spiritual Life Coach and Wes is Hospice Chaplain and Pastoral Psychotherapist. For more details or to receive a brochure contact Fran at fran_weinbaum@yahoo.com or call her at 802-229-0940.

REMINDER: IMMIGRATION, THE CHURCH, AND THE BIBLE
This day-long program led by Professor M. Daniel Carroll R. will be at the Wesley United Methodist Church in Worcester, Mass. on Fri., Mar. 11 from 9 am – 4 pm. Fee: $20. To learn more, call 617-523-2771 or email council@masscouncilofchurches.org