Dear Friends,
I have the privilege of serving as Team Leader for the upcoming Greater Northwest 5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation. I completed the Upper Room’s 2 Year Academy about 20 years ago and it remains a profound component of my spiritual life, and an avenue where I have been inspired to create and share my writing and to be affirmed in my gifts as part of a spiritual community.
Attending a 2 Year Academy is a once in a lifetime experience that can’t be repeated, but thankfully the Academy offers 5 Day sessions open to anyone hungry for deep spiritual experience. I’m inviting you to attend the upcoming Academy, and I’m asking you to help me spread the word by sharing this newsletter with others who might be hungry for spiritual nourishment.
Our Theme is Welcoming the Wilderness. And here is more about the week:
With all the uncertainty in our world, our country, our churches, and our communities, many of us feel lost and overwhelmed by change. How do we not just survive, but welcome this time in our wilderness? How do we resist the desire to go back to the way things were and instead trust in God’s presence with us here and now? How do we welcome the wilderness, be faithful travelers in it, and grow as God’s people?
The Greater Northwest 5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation this April 21-26 is the place to wrestle with those questions and we would love to have you join us. The Academy creates transformative space for communion with God, self, others, and creation for the sake of the world. It provides the opportunity to step away from the demands of daily life and be enveloped in a rhythm of daily prayer, study, worship, silence, deep listening, and small group sharing. Our core values include an invitation to authentic spiritual practice with radical hospitality, inclusivity, compassion, and humor.
We are fortunate to have experienced Academy Faculty Amy Oden and Daniel Wolpert to guide us with their wisdom on how to move beyond simple survival to welcome our wandering in the wilderness as God’s people.
Dr. Amy G. Oden’s topic is "This Is Where We Begin: Practices for the Present Moment." She says, "Jesus invites us to inhabit the actual lives we are in, finding abundant life right here in the messiness. We’ll explore practices that call us to have 'eyes to see and ears to hear' the present moment where we encounter the sacred."
Amy is a working professor, teaching church history and Christian spirituality for several seminaries. She has served on the faculties of Oklahoma City University, Saint Paul School of Theology and Wesley Theological Seminary where she also served as Dean. Amy teaches theology, history of Christianity and spiritual formation, walking with students in learning. Born and raised on the prairies of Oklahoma, Amy has found her spiritual home under the wide-open sky. Her passion is to introduce spiritual practices that can ground and nourish lives for justice in the world.
"Hanging Your Laundry on a Beam of Light: Finding God When Things Fall Apart,” is Daniel Wolpert’s topic. He will be using the work of Brigid of Ireland to explore how we listen for God in times of wilderness/apocalypse.
A healer and student of the spiritual life, Dan worked as a research scientist, psychologist, farmer, and teacher, before earning his Master of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Co-founder and Executive Director of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing, he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation in numerous settings around the world. A writer and a spiritual director, he has also played key roles in developing environments for contemplation and spiritual leadership, helping to build or restore monasteries, theological schools, and retreat centers across North America. His most recent book is Creation’s Wisdom: Spiritual Practice and Climate Change (Orbis 2020). When not on the road, he divides his time between Seattle and Minnesota.
Our 5 Day Academy will be held at the beautiful Archbishop Brunett Retreat Center overlooking the Salish Sea with a view of the Olympic Mountains, hiking trails, a library with balcony, and a labyrinth. The registration fee of $1070 includes a single occupancy room with a private bath, all meals, and tuition. Scholarships are available. Contact our Registrar, Karen Fisher: kmfishwoman@nwi.net for information. Continuing education funds for clergy may be available from Regional Conferences or Dioceses.
We hope you’ll join us for this rich and transformative Academy week. And please help us spread the word by sharing this email or flyer with others who might be hungering for deep spiritual sustenance.
Cathy Warner, Team Leader
Rev. Paul Mitchell, Worship Leader
Rev. Karen Fisher, Registrar
Deb Nondorf, Hospitality
Rev. Pat Longstroth, Listening Circles
Download & share our flyer: