(Note: Classics in Religion programs are off site at Penn Yan Library, and are listed separately at the link.)

All programs are supported by free-will donations only. Additional information available for the linked items.

NEW!! Dish-to-Pass Sunday Suppers
When: Sunday afternoons, 4:00–7:30 p.m., September 8 & 22; October 13 & 27

Facilitator: Anne Meyer-Wilber

Come and enjoy our grounds and center… Come as you are! Bring a dish to pass, your own table service, and non-alcoholic beverage… All are welcome— bring a friend, the kids, or your grands for some fun! Rain or shine!

#610 Mondays at Cobblestone
When: Monday afternoons, 1– 2:30
September 9 & 23; October 7 & 21; November 4 & 18;
December 2 & 16

Facilitator: Judy Wilbert

A reflection-discussion group for women using the book An Altar in the World by Barbara Brown Taylor. Each session will focus on a particular section of the book. It is not necessary to attend every session.

#611 Conversations About Race 101
When: Wednesday evenings, 7:00 –8:30 p.m.
September 11 & 25; October 9 & 23; November 6 & 20; December 4 & 18

Facilitator: Heather Cook

When was the first time you remember being aware of race? What puzzles you about others’ experience of race?

This discussion group will explore our assumptions and experiences of race, and seek to bring to light our blind spots. Although we will use a variety of resources to better understand racism’s history in the US and its current manifestations, this group will be experiential rather than academic.

# 612 Conversations on Race 201
When: Wednesdays mornings, 10:00-11:30 a.m.
September 11 & 25; October 9 & 23; November 6 & 20; December 4 & 18

Facilitator: Heather Cook

This group will discuss Robin Diangelo’s challenging book White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, using the publisher’s Reading Guide. If there’s time, we will also discuss the memoir The Distance Between Us by Reyna Grande, about her family’s coming to the US from Mexico and the various fragmentations they bore.

#613 Earth Poetry, Earth Spirituality
When: Sunday, September 22, 1 – 4 p.m.

Facilitators: Jan Carr and Sally White

We walk the Earth and are connected to and participate in the physical creation that surrounds us. People throughout history and to the present day have recognized the interweaving of the sacred and the natural, and expressed that oneness in poetry and prayer. The Earth is a source of wonder and revelation. Each of us has, at some time, been touched by nature’s beauty, power, stillness. These moments deepen our awareness of the sacred, and inspire us to express in words the depth of our experiences. This workshop will help participants connect with the spirit within nature, and express their own experiences in words and poetry.

#614 Trust
When: Saturdays, September 28 October 26 and November 9,
10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Facilitator: Lisa Rustici

So much of our lives depends on trust. It is the foundation of all of our relationships— starting with ourselves and then extending to God, others, and life itself. Trust is the one thing that takes time and effort to build but no time at all to destroy. How can we trust ourselves when we are constantly feeling that we just don’t measure up? How do we trust God when we don’t even understand all that God is? How can we trust others when they have hurt and betrayed us? And how do we trust life as we approach an unknown and unsure future? These are the last three sessions in a 4-part series on TRUST, where we will explore how to create trust in all of these areas in order to have a peaceful, more joyful life!

#615 Forest Bathing Walk
When: Saturday, October 5, 1:30 – 4:00 p.m.

Facilitator: Deborah Denome

Join us and immerse in the Japanese practice of Shinrin-Yoku, loosely translated into Forest Bathing (fully clothed!). This is not your usual walk in the woods. You will be skillfully guided in a slow, enjoyable, full sensory experience of the forms, sounds, fragrances, textures, tastes and wisdom of the forest. The walk will be concluded with a tea ceremony of wild tea, foraged from the grounds of Cobblestone Springs.

#616 Grief Circles
When: Second Thursday mornings, 9:30-11:30 a.m, October 10, November 14, and December 12

Facilitator: Heather M. Cook

Many of us think of grief only in the context of the recent death of a loved one. In his illuminating book The Wild Edge of Sorrow: Rituals of Renewal and the Sacred Work of Grief, psychotherapist Francis Weller articulates the soul truth that we grieve much more, but rarely consciously. Unattended sorrow can color our lives in puzzling ways, sometimes showing up in such experiences as anger, withdrawal, discouragement, and attempts to self-medicate. This circle includes ritual, quiet reflection, and sharing by those who care to.