ElderSpirit

We are the mentors, the wisdom keepers.
We are the ones who bestow the
blessings of spiritual legacy.
We are the survivors with a story to tell
that can save others.
We are the ones who serve notice
it is possible to transcend “doing”
in favor of “being”.
We are the models of what it means to
arrive wounded and triumphant at the
end.
We are the map-makers for the final
uncharted part of the journey.
We are the elders.

ElderSpirit is an educational program created by our church in 2001.  Through an ongoing series of workshops, participants are invited to explore the gifts of “age” and discover that the years beyond 50 are intended to be the most meaningful of all.

Workshops are held twice each year and feature speakers of national reputation, including:

Re-imagining Age:  The Rev. Jean Clift, PhD.  Former President American Association of Pastoral Counselors, and The Rev. Canon Wallace Clift, PhD. Former Chair, Department of Religion, Denver University, author of “Jung and Christianity.”

Finding Hope After Loss:  The Rev. Ted Bowman, former senior trainer for Wilder Foundation, author of “Loss of Dreams: A Special Kind of Grief”.

Practice for Life:  John Schlorholtz, principal yoga instructor at Harvard University Center for Wellness.

Lessons From the Dying:  Rodney Smith, Guiding Teacher of the Seattle Insight Meditation Center, author of “Lessons From the Dying.”

Becoming a Sage:  Ancient Wisdom for the Second Half of Life:  William Martin, author of “The Sage’s Tao Te Ching” and founder of Stillpoint Community, Chico, California.