Spirituality Gathering – Day 1

General Information

• Free admission to all ESR / BTS/ EC students
• Community members are encouraged to pay a $30 fee for conference & Saturday lunch.
• Masks are required for all in-person events.
• Participants can only attend one workshop/sample class at a time.

Agenda

Thursday, March 10

Event	Time	Location	Presenter(s)	Notes.
Opening Worship	11.20 – 1200	Quigg + Zoom	Brown Mujete	Worship is open to everyone registered or not.
Stories of Drawing the Bigger Circle	2 -3 pm	Zoom	Tammy Forner	Workshop
Milarepa and the Cave Demons: Exploring Hospitality in Buddhist Thought and Practice	2 – 3 pm	Zoom	Natalia Bowdoin	workshop
Information Session	3 – 4 pm	Zoom	Julie Dishman	Free admission Prospective students + any other community members, including current students and alumni, are invited.
Alumni panel	4.15 – 5.15	Zoom	Julie Dishman	Free admission

Event Summary

Keynote

Michael Birkel (ESR professor of Spirituality) will be discussing the question of being a “guest” in other people’s religion/Spirituality. Michael and Lonnie will also lead A Conversation on Interfaith Encounters drawing from their collective experiences of teaching students from a wide variety of faiths at ESR.

More Workshops

Stories of Drawing the Bigger Circle

by Tammy Forner

Tammy will share a story depicting a uniquely framed occurrence of hospitality that unfolded in a secular ministry of work and invites your observations about the encounter as a ground for open discussion. She invites you to bring a story that we might consider as well.

Milarepa and the Cave Demons: Exploring Hospitality in Buddhist Thought and Practice

by Natalia Bowdoin (ESR M. Div. Student)

Natalia Bowdoin will lead a workshop helping participants Explore hospitality in the Buddhist practice.

Information Session

Prospective students learn more about ESR and explore the different offerings ESR is known for.

Alumni Panel

Select alumni share about their current ministries and how ESR has helped shape them. They also take questions from prospective students.

Room at the Table: Global Quaker view on Hospitality

by Gretchen (ESR Dean)

Gretchen will share from her experience working with Quakers globally on the quaker view of hospitality and how that fits into the more extensive discussion on Spirituality.  

Setting Out the Welcome Mat: practical hospitality in a virtual world

by Kriss Miller (ESR MAPST Student)

Kriss will lead a workshop on the practicality of hospitality in a virtual world. How do we show hospitality in the current context of Covid-19?

LGBTQ+ Spirituality and the Bible: The responsibility of the Cis / Heterosexual

by April Vanlonden (Joint Seminaries Registrar)

April will discuss the responsibility of the straight in guarding the Spirituality of the LGBTQ+ community as a form of hospitality.

“Tienes Tu Casa” Message of Friendship and hospitality from friends in Cuba

by Jade and Tom Rockwell

Jade and Tom will talk about  “you have your home,” a message from their recent visit to Quakers in Cuba.