WTC Fall 2008 Course Catalog

We gratefully acknowledge the generosity of Kerem Shalom for hosting several of our Wright Tavern Center adult religious education programs this fall while we are undergoing our renovation. We welcome all to participate and enjoy!

Classes at First Parish in Weston

Several classes this year are co-sponsored by Wright Tavern Center and Journeys of Faith, a spiritual learning community at First Parish in Weston.

We are very excited about our first collaborative effort.

Online Registration is now available for selected courses.

Please click here to go to the online registration page.

Some ongoing classes can be joined in process for a prorated fee.

Check with the First Parish office at (978) 369-9602.

Please register for courses in advance. Details and a downloadable registration form can be found on the Registration page. For courses with no charge, please sign up with the First Parish office at (978) 369-9602.

Mary Elizabeth Wheeler, Director

Wright Tavern Center for Spiritual Renewal, First Parish in Concord

T’ai Ji

[Click here to register on-line for this course.]

Being in touch with our own energy gives us access to endless possibilities within ourselves. By combining music with Qigong (energy release exercises), and the simple movement of T’ai Ji (active relaxation) we can release blocked energy and bring our lives into balance. This class offers gentle low-impact exercise to reduce stress, enhance optimum health, and create a simple sense of joy and well-being in our lives. The practice is geared to all ages.

Mae Pagan holds degrees in Philosophy, Psychology and Education. She has studied T'ai Chi and QiGong for eighteen years, most recently as a student of Chungliang Al Huang. She follows his non-traditional style of teaching, which offers T'ai Ji movement as a joyful approach to life as well as a path to optimum health. With a background in Reiki and Tibetan QiGong, Mae provides a gentle mix of T'ai Ji movement with the healing aspects of QiGong.

4 Fridays

9/12, 10/3, 11/7 & 12/12

12:30-2:00 pm

$80 / $25 drop-in

The Power of Forgiveness: a documentary film

The Power of Forgiveness is an award-winning documentary that compassionately explores the many facets of forgiveness as the viewer hears from Elie Weisel, Thich Nhat Hahn, and many others. From Northern Ireland to Ground Zero to the Amish countryside, The Power of Forgiveness reveals how forgiveness can transform our lives. The film will be shown at the beginning of our year together, followed by discussion.

Rev. Margie King Saphier was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister in 2000. For the past six years, she has served as a hospice chaplain, while also serving as Affiliate Minister at United First Parish Church, Quincy, Massachusetts. Margie has studied at Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at UMass Medical Center in Worcester and is currently studying at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction. Prior to ministry Margie was a public health nurse, pediatric nurse practitioner, and advocate for parents with hospitalized children.

Monday

9/15

7:00-9:00 pm

no charge

Tea and Poetry

Take a break from the prosaic and join us for afternoon tea while sharing your favorite poems or just listening to others share theirs. This informal monthly gathering is for you if you love poetry or always thought you would if you knew where to start. We will recall poems we loved or memorized years ago, and explore why certain poems move us and make us laugh or cry. Come leave the humdrum behind for a while and join us under the calming and inspiring spell of Tea and Poetry.

Rev. Margie King Saphier was ordained as a Unitarian Universalist minister in 2000. For the past seven years, she has served as a hospice chaplain, offering pastoral care, preaching, and teaching religious education, while also serving as Affiliate Minister at United First Parish Church, Quincy, Massachusetts. Margie has studied at Jon Kabat-Zinn's Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction at UMass Medical Center in Worcester and is currently studying at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Direction. Prior to ministry Margie was a public health nurse, pediatric nurse practitioner, and advocate for parents with hospitalized children.

Lorraine Loviglio headed the Manuscript Editing Department of the New England Journal of Medicine for 10 years before her retirement. A popular speaker and author of a widely read column on grammar and usage for an international journal for science editors, she used humor to promote higher standards of clarity and grace in science writing. She was a writer/editor for various medical, educational, and corporate organizations, and during her five-plus years as a member of First Parish she has been involved in Jericho Road, Funderburg Scholars, and Amnesty International. Lorraine finds that sharing poems with others both enriches her enjoyment of her own favorites and expands her familiarity with the work of a variety of poets.

4 Tuesdays

9/16, 10/14, 11/11 & 12/9

3:00-4:30 pm

$20 / $5 drop-in

Zero Cholesterol/Vegan Cooking as a Spiritual Practice

[Click here to register on-line for this course.]

This course will present delicious recipes that are physically and spiritually healthy for our bodies, as well as for our planet and all of its inhabitants. We will prepare and eat lunch together. Everyone will have food to take home. Classes will be held Kathryn’s home. Directions will be sent upon registration.

9/17	Casseroles (Enchilada, Shepherd’s Pie, Mac & “Cheese”, Easy Crispy Burritos)
10/15	Cooking Seitan (Making meat free cutlets, sausages, corned “beef”)
11/12	Great Soups, Sauces and Salad Dressings
11/19	Thanksgiving Dinner
12/10	Holiday Desserts and Hors d’oeuvres

5 Wednesdays	9/17, 10/15, 11/12, 11/19 & 12/10	9:00 am-12:00 pm	$175 / $40 includes cost of food

Kundalini Yoga

[Click here to register on-line for this course.]

Kundalini Yoga is described as the yoga of awareness. This popular class is designed to help you strengthen your body, relax and focus your mind, bring harmony and balance, and lift your spirit. A Kundalini Yoga session includes exercise, postures, mantra, meditation and relaxation. The combination of body, mind and spirit exercises creates relaxing and uplifting effects that many people feel right away! All levels are welcome.

This offering begins with a sampler classes in September, free to new students – a great way to explore your interest. The ten week course begins in October, and will be held at First Parish in Weston, 349 Boston Post Road, Weston, MA 02493.
(781) 893-7798. Directions to First Parish in Weston. Please register for this course through Wright Tavern Center.

Dharm Singh has been teaching Kundalini Yoga for ten years. He is an instructor in the Boston Area Kundalini Yoga Teacher Training Program. In addition to his classes at First Parish in Concord, he teaches at the Newton-Wellesley Hospital Wellness Center, Cambridge School of Weston and at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Cambridge. For more information, please contact shabdguru@rcn.com.

Tuesday	9/23	9:30-11:00 am	$15 drop-in / FREE to new
10 Tuesdays	10/7 – 12/16	9:30-11:00 am	$150 / $20 drop-in
	(no class 11/25)

T’ai Chi: Meditation in Motion

[Click here to register on-line for this course.]

The original no-impact aerobics, T’ai Chi promotes mental, emotional, physical and spiritual health by combining physical exercise with relaxation and meditation. It accomplishes this without subjecting the body to the stress and punishment of more traditional Western exercises. Advanced practitioners view T’ai Chi as the art of moving effortlessly through life with ease, grace and balance – true meditation in motion. The course will be held at Kerem Shalom, 659 Elm Street, Concord, MA 01742, (978) 369-1223. Directions to Kerem Shalom. Please register for this course through Wright Tavern Center.

Sue Wood has been studying T’ai Chi with internationally recognized teacher David Zucker for over 20 years. After many years as intern for the Wright Tavern course, she has now accepted the mantle of teacher. She also teaches T’ai Chi to elementary children at Keystone Montessori School in Chelmsford. Sue is a member of First Parish in Concord.

8 Tuesdays	9/23 – 12/16	7:00-8:30 pm	$120 / $20 drop-in
	(no class 9/30, 10/14 or 11/11)

Eating with a Conscience Film Nights

This course will feature four films that explore what’s happening to the food we are eating and how it affects our health, our environment, the animals, world hunger and human rights. The films, Eating, The Future of Food, A Sacred Duty, and Sustainable Table, run about 1 hour and will be followed by discussion. Healthy snacks will be provided. Meetings will be held at Kathryn’s home at 106 Pope Road in Acton.

Kathryn Shane, a breast cancer survivor, has spent the last four years studying diet and how it effects out health, and the last two years being vegan. Her philosophy, which is a spiritual practice for her, emphasizes eating and cooking from kindness, compassion and knowledge rather than from habit, tradition, and convenience. Her business Peace on Your Plate offers vegan cooking classes, catering and personal chef services. She also lectures on the effects of animal agribusiness on the animals, our health, our environment, world hunger, and human rights.

3 Tuesdays	9/23, 10/21 & 12/16	7:00-8:30 pm	no charge - donation
1 Thursday	11/20	7:00-8:30 pm	no charge - donation

Listening for God

Join Rev. Gary Smith for a discussion of short stories taken from Listening for God, Volumes 3 and 4, by Paula J. Carlson and Peter S. Hawkins (ed. Ausberg Fortress Press, 2000 and 2003). Bring a bag lunch and beverage. The group meets monthly on Wednesdays from 12:15 – 1:15 pm. Copies of the book will be available in the First Parish office for $12.50 per copy.

Rev. Gary E. Smith is the senior minister of First Parish in Concord.

3 Wednesdays	12:15-1:15 pm		no charge
9/24	Notes of a Native Son	James Baldwin
11/5	While I was Gone	Sue Miller
12/10	The Tie that Binds	Kent Haruf

Finding the Deep River Within: The Art of Slowing Down in a 24/7 World

[Click here to register on-line for this course.]

In a culture that tells us “faster is better” and surface appearances are of the utmost value, how do we free ourselves from the tyranny of our to-do lists and invite the deeper currents within us to flow through daily life? Abby Seixas, local psychotherapist, consultant and teacher, will discuss how our culture’s “disease of a-thousand-things-to-do” affects us all, what we can do about it, and why it’s important to find ways to put on the brakes and remember what really matters.

This illustrated lecture is based on her highly-acclaimed book, Finding the Deep River Within: A Woman’s Guide to Recovering Balance and Meaning in Everyday Life. A book signing will follow the lecture at Kerem Shalom, 659 Elm Street, Concord, MA 01742, (978) 369-1223. Directions to Kerem Shalom. Please register for this event through Wright Tavern Center.

Abby will be teaching a seven week Deep River™ Group this fall at the Women’s Well in West Concord from 10/7–11/18.

Abby Seixas has been a psychotherapist in private practice for over twenty-five years, working as a consultant and clinical psychotherapy supervisor at training centers in the United States and abroad, including England, the Netherlands and Russia. For the last twelve years, she has specialized in issues of life balance, through public talks, retreats, workshops, individual coaching and her popular Deep River™ groups. Her television appearances include NBC’s “The Today Show” and the Hallmark channel, and her work has been featured in national and local print media, including O, The Oprah Magazine, Self, Body + Soul, Woman’s Day, and The Boston Globe. She is the mother of two grown children and lives with her husband near Boston, Massachusetts. For more information, visit www.deepriverwithin.com.

Thursday

9/25

7:00-9:00 pm

$10 suggested donation

Rise Up Singing

Often called the folk musician’s bible, the book Rise Up Singing is an amazing and comprehensive collection of traditional and contemporary folk songs, spirituals, children’s songs, hymns, rounds and chants. These songs provide a unique medium for the expression and understanding of our humanity and spirituality. The words and music of our ancestors and contemporaries speak to us across the decades and generations as we sing them together. Rise Up Singing is an informal monthly musical gathering of adults and children that provides participants with an opportunity to sing and share this music in special fellowship. Individuals are encouraged to bring instruments if they wish. Singers of all ages and experience are welcome. Bring a copy of Rise Up Singing if you own one; some copies will be available at each session.

Elizabeth (Beth) Norton, Director of Music at First Parish in Concord, and others will lead the sessions. Beth believes in the power of music to express what is beyond words, to deepen our spiritual experience and to build community. As a singer, conductor, violinist and folk musician, Beth enjoys making music in a wide variety of styles with people of all ages and abilities. She received her BA in Music from Smith College and her MM in Choral Conducting from the Hartt School of Music. Beth currently serves as president of the Unitarian Universalist Musicians Network, the professional organization for UU musicians.

4 Fridays

9/26, 10/24, 11/21 & 12/19

7:30-9:30 pm

no charge

Women’s AM/PM Book Group

All women are warmly invited to join this group that meets to discuss one book each month. Siri Smedvig coordinates the evening group, and Darien Smith the morning group. Meetings will be held off-site. Directions will be sent by email closer to the dates.

3 Mondays evenings	7:30-9:00 pm	no charge
3 Tuesday mornings	9:30-11:00 am	no charge
9/29 & 9/30	Special Topics in Calamity Physics	by Marisha Pessl
10/27 & 10/28	Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance	by Barack Obama
12/1 & 12/2	The Maytrees	By Annie Dillard

Spirit in Practice:

[Click here to register on-line for this course.]

Ten Workshops for Unitarian Universalist Adults

Created by Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom

Edited by Rev. Sarah Millspaugh

Published by the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations

Part of the Tapestry of Faith lifespan religious education series

This class is an in-depth continuation of last year’s UUA Tapestry of Faith field test created by Rev. Erik Walker Wikstrom to help religious liberals develop regular spiritual disciplines that support connection with the sacred, however they understand it. Whether you identify as Christian, Theist, Atheist, Agnostic, Humanist, Earth Centered, and/or any other path, these workshops offer a way to enrich our faith journeys.

Ten monthly 90-minute workshops focus one-by-one on eight spheres of holistic and whole hearted spiritual practices, with introduction and integration sessions. The morning class will be led by Rev. Tom Wintle; the evening class by Mary Elizabeth Wheeler. Stay tuned for details. First Parish in Concord members and non members: call (978) 369-9602 or email FPTavern@aol.com to sign up. First Parish in Weston members: call (781) 893-7798 or email journeys@firstparishweston.org to sign up.

Rev. Tom Wintle is the senior minister of First Parish in Weston.

Mary Elizabeth Wheeler is the Director of the Wright Tavern Center for Spiritual Renewal at First Parish in Concord.

Workshop Title	Day	Date	Time	Tuition
1. Introduction: Toward a Rich and Meaningful Unitarian Universalist Spirituality	Tuesday Wednesday	TBA	10:00 am-12:00 pm 7:00-9:00 pm	$50 FPC & FPW members $100 non-members
2. Personal Spiritual Practices		TBA
3. Communal Worship Practices		TBA
4. Spiritual Partnerships		TBA
5. Mind Practices		TBA
6. Body Practices		TBA
7. Soul Practices		TBA
8. Life Practices		TBA
9. Justice Practices		TBA
10. Integration: Looking Back and Moving Forward		TBA