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September 22, 2023
Dear friends,
Yesterday, as a group of our staff and friends gathered for a Lectio Terra session, we touched on the idea of longing. So much of our lives can be spent in longing — for change, for healing, for a future different from the present. Certainly, when we are faced with the realities of a climate-changed world, longing for healing, grounding, and stability rather than chaos and destruction is a natural impulse.
In the conversation, though, we invited each other to live in that longing, recognizing the divine impulse in the longing itself. Instead of jumping immediately to action or trying to alleviate the discomfort, we might ask what the longing is asking of us. At The BTS Center, we're working to offer programs and events in which we all can hold these complex experiences in community and connection. And we have many such opportunities this fall.
Registration for next week's in-person Convocation 2023 is now closed. Registration for our Online Companions Track for Convocation is still open, and we hope those of you who can't join us in person will join us online.
Next week, on September 26, we'll release the first episode of our second season of Climate Changed — The BTS Center's podcast. This season features a roster of profound and insightful guests joining our hosts, Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis, exploring collective honesty and complicated hope. We hope you will listen and share when the season premieres. In the meantime, Season One is always available for listening on your favorite podcast platform!
In October, we'll begin a book study centered on Margaret Wheatley's powerful text Who Do We Choose To Be? Facing Reality, Claiming Leadership, Restoring Sanity. We'll also be hosting a very special evening with Margaret Wheatley on October 24 centered on Complicated Hope. We hope you'll join us for an evening of conversation, music, and connection.
We'll also co-host a workshop entitled Climate Change and the Chaplain's Presence with the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab in October, as well as leading a Wonder and Wonder at Tir na nOg Farm in Pownal, Maine.
We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these offerings in the coming months!
With best wishes,
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