I wrote in my sabbatical proposal last year: "I intend to develop writing as a spiritual practice...hopeful that with such a practice I will expand my 'resilient zone.'" I was ready to do some deeper inner work. My proposal accepted, I began my fourteen week sabbatical on March 28.

I imagined myself as a fallow field described in the Torah: left unplanted to rest and regenerate, to replenish nutrients depleted from the top soil by crop production. Fallowing "raises levels of carbon, nitrogen and organic matter, improves moisture holding capacity, and increases beneficial microorganisms in the soil." (source) I imagined the benefits of such fallowing for myself.

It wasn't easy. I worried that I should do something, that I might be "wasting" the time. Was it really enough that I use my journal to explore my inner world and "[open] the sacred conversation within" by finding my own words for faith, prayer, sin, love, justice and other religious concepts as directed by Karen Hering in Writing to Wake the Soul? Did it matter that I left the book behind after a few weeks and let myself go undirected?

I came back to work on July 7. Rested. Renewed. Mystified about how that had happened. I read through my journals of those fourteen weeks. So many words. So much inner angst and automatic negative thoughts forced onto the page. And yet, here and there a breakthrough, a re-membering, a surfacing of the deeper nutrients that sustain and enliven me.

Being in Right Relationship with Change

Daytime offering: September 27, 1:00 PM (ET)*

Evening offering: September 29, 7:00 PM (ET)*

*An optional orientation to Spiritual Leadership Q&A session

will begin 30 minutes before each offering. 

In describing the concept of "emergent strategy," adrienne maree brown asks: 

“How do we get in a right relationship with change that allows us to harness and shape things towards community, towards liberation, towards justice?” 

As change envelopes us today, what might it be like for congregations to get into right relationship with change? How do practices of Spiritual Leadership — such as faithful risking and doing inner work — help sustain such a right relationship and guide our collective lives towards mission? 

We will kick off our community of practice for the new church year exploring how some congregations are shifting their orientation to change and what new possibilities emerge as they move into right relationship with change, steering toward community, liberation and justice. Registration and pre-work details will be sent out in early September.

Our bi-monthly gatherings allow congregations to learn from each other; share concerns, stories and questions; and explore opportunities for collaboration. If you have not already joined the community of practice, you can do so using this form. The community is open to all — religious professionals and laity. Once you join, you will automatically receive registration details and the pre-work assignment before each gathering.

To learn more, follow these links: 

• General description of this community of practice and a listing of scheduled gatherings
• Community Expectations and Covenant Practice
• The community's Resources list, which includes links to pre-work assignments and follow up notes, if any, for each session

Meet & Eat Series

Bring your lunch and come meet & eat with colleagues! All sessions will be held from 12:00 noon - 2:00 p.m. eastern time. Each session will have some content provided and the opportunity to delve into questions and conversations with colleagues in small breakout groups. 

The upcoming August 9, 2022 topic is Re-engaging families throughout COVID: lessons of the covid years so far, what we know about what our parents need, how to focus on connecting families without the volunteer power we used to be able to count on. Registration is free, and required.

Claiming Our Spiritual Leadership Series (In-person)

As leaders in your congregation, do you feel your church commitments are more like chores than a joyful expression of your faith? Are you collectively worried about having enough -- time, money, volunteers, funding, members? Do your people long to deepen or recapture their connection to each other, to spirit, to purpose? Do you have a vision for change but feel unsure how to bring it about or how to express it in a way that will be welcomed? 

If you answered “Yes” to these questions, now is the time to claim your spiritual leadership. Starting Sept. 25, 2022 - 1:30 PM to 3:00PM (ET).

A workshop designed for boards, committees, church staff, newly nominated or elected leaders, and volunteers who want to tap their individual and collective power for living into the mission and purpose of their congregation. Registration is open and ends September 16th. 

The New England Region extends a big thank you to the following honor congregations, which have contributed their full FY23 pledge to the Annual Program Fund.

Read the full list of Honor Congregations here!