Great Decisions 2013

Co-sponsored with The League of Women Voters Berkeley Heights, New Providence and Summit

 

The Great Decisions program is the centerpiece of the longest-running civic education program in the U.S. devoted to foreign affairs. Developed by the non-partisan Foreign Policy Association, the program includes eight thought-provoking discussion seminars related to global policy each led by a moderator. Opinion ballots for each topic are included to enable participants to make their views known to the public, policymakers and other course participants. Sign up for individual topics or the whole series. After registration, please pick up your briefing materials at the Interweave office. Course topics include: Future of the Euro, Egypt, NATO, Myanmar and Southeast Asia, Humanitarian Intervention, Iran, China in Africa and Threat Assessment. 

 

8 Wednesdays, Feb. 13, 20, 27, Mar. 6, 13, 17, 20, 27, Apr. 3, 10

7:30-9:30 pm 

$90 ($80 members) $15 drop-in 

Interweave (Calvary)

 

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Friday Forum

Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship

Co-sponsored with Christ Church, Short Hills

 

Explore how what appear to be opposing forces can work together in service of universal human dignity, using Robert Fuller’s Religion and Science: A Beautiful Friendship? Ponder the ways in which logic and intuition inform one another.

 

4 Fridays, April 5, 12, 19, 26, 9:30-11:30 am

$60 ($50 members) $20 drop-in

Christ Church, Short Hills

 

The Rev. R. Douglas Bendall, Ph.D., president of the Newark School of Theology.

James Reho is Chaplain and Direc­tor of Pastoral Care, Deployment, Formation and Theological Field Education at General Theological Seminary.

Peter Savastano is Associate Professor of Anthropology at Seton Hall University.

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Dances of Universal Peace

Harmony and Healing in Movement

 

Rejuvenate your spirit and open your heart with sacred circle dancing and joyous group singing honoring the world’s mystical traditions. Participation, not presentation, is the focus. No musical or dance experience of any kind required.

 

1st Fridays, 7:30-9:00 pm, Feb. 1, April 5 at Interweave (Calvary)

Mar. 8, May 3 at the Unitarian Church in Summit

$10 per evening

 

André Bernard, a former resident at the Lama Foundation in New Mexico, has been a student of sacred music and dance for many years., and a Certified Leader of the Dances of Universal Peace.

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Bible Book of the Month 

Early Witnesses to Jesus

The Gospels and Beyond

 

Ever feel biblically ‘illiterate?‘ In this easy method of getting basic facts, you read the Scripture selection before the session, using our study guide, then come for discussion. Pre-register to get the study guide by mail, or go to www.interweave.org or www.calvarysummit.org each month. We will look at how the gospels were written, study early Christian texts like the Didache, and selections from ‘heretical’ gospels like Thomas, Philip and Mary to get a fuller picture of how people saw Jesus in the first two centuries of the Christian era.

 

1st Saturdays, Jan. 5, Feb. 2, Mar. 2, Apr. 6, May 4, & June 1 

9:00-10:30 am

$15 per session 

Interweave (Calvary)

  

Robert Corin Morris, D.D., is Founder of Interweave.

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Threads of Consciousness

Weaving the Tapestry of Our Lives Through Writing

 

Do you enjoy writing or need a little encouragement to write? Would you like to find an oasis of calm where you can express yourself and share with other kindred spirits? If so, join us for our monthly writing circle, where we will explore ideas in an atmosphere of deep listening and mutual respect. Discover and give voice to what is meaningful to you and waiting to be said. You may bring a piece you have been working on or write in real time during the session. No previous experience needed. Class size is limited.

 

1st Saturdays, Feb. 2, Mar. 2, Apr. 6, May 4

9:30-11:30 am

$50 ($45 members) $20 Drop-In

Interweave (Calvary)

 

Lorri Lizza, MBA, has facilitated workshops and learning circles at the Omega Institute, ALIA Institute, Interweave, and the 55th and 56th sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

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Annual Membership Dinner Meeting

Members’ Preview of “Spring into Art” Show

 

Join us to mark 32 years of Interweave making connections! Celebrate our accomplishments in this year of transition. Share your hopes for the future! Meet our new Board members. Feast on delicious food provided by Interweave’s “master chefs,” Geri and Ford Livengood, and their “crew!” Enjoy contemporary jazz music by the Rev. Lon Calvin Whitfield. And be the first to view and purchase the work of amazingly talented local artists, headlined by our very own Lisa Brown. Registration, art show preview, and social hour begin at 6 pm with dinner at 7 pm followed by a brief business meeting.

 

Saturday, April 6, 6:00-9:30 pm

$25 per person for dinner

Details: www.interweave.org

 

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Fundraiser - Open to the Public

“Spring into Art” Show and Sale

 

Interweave welcomes artists and art lovers! Local artists, including Interweave members and friends, will showcase their work: oil painting, watercolor, pastel, mixed media, photography, sculpture, pottery, and more. You’ll be able to purchase real art at a reasonable price! A portion of the proceeds will benefit Interweave.

 

Sunday, April 7, 11:00 am-4:00 pm

Free and open to the public

Parish House at Calvary Church

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Book of the Year Event

Presentation and Book Signing with Peter Block

 

Meet and greet renowned thought leader and best-selling author Peter Block as he signs copies of his book The Abundant Community, Interweave’s choice for Book of the Year 2013! Learn how to awaken the power of your families and neighborhoods. Bring friends, family and colleagues!

 

Monday, April 8 at 7:00pm

Free and open to the public

Interweave, 31 Woodland Avenue, Summit, NJ

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Monthly Spiritual Sharing and Practice Group

Christpaths

 

Join with others for an expertly guided monthly experience of meditation, focused learning and spiritual sharing in the Christian tradition. The many varieties of spiritual experience are welcomed. Participants pledge regular attendance and share in leadership.

 

2nd Tuesdays, Feb. 12, Mar. 12, Apr. 9, May 14, & June 11

9:30 am-12:00 noon

Yearly tuition: $175

Christ Church, Short Hills 

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Spiritual Sharing Group

The Benedictine Way

Preferring Nothing Whatever to Christ

 

Are you struggling to find a spiritual life in the midst of days that are forever busy and fragmenting? Looking for ways to restore personal balance and wholeness? Now in its fifth year, this group will explore how timeless ideas in the sixth century Rule of St. Benedict can foster centered and holistic living in the 21st century, and help you discover the many ways Benedictine spirituality can help you live into your Baptismal Covenant and deepen your life with Christ. We’ll be using Esther de Waal’s noted book Seeking God: The Way of St. Benedict to guide the study of the Rule of St. Benedict. The group will also pray with Scripture using group lectio divina. New members are always welcome.

 

2nd Wednesday of each month, Feb. 13, Mar. 13, Apr. 10, May 8, 1:30-4:00 pm

Yearly tuition $250 ($125 per semester)

Interweave (Calvary)

  

The Rev. Dr. Jane Tomaine is an Episcopal priest, published writer, teacher, and a popular speaker and leader. At her former parish, St. Peter’s, Livingston, Jane developed her book St. Benedict’s Toolbox, a guide for living a modern Christ-centered life. Visit her website at: www.stbenedictstoolbox.org.

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Mid-Week Forum

Help, Thanks, Wow!

Praying for Real About Almost Everything

 

Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, join us for this down-to-earth approach to prayer. According to popular writer Anne Lamott, only when we stop trying to control things can we start seeing the good and the everyday miracles that surround us. Help, Thanks, and Wow are the “three essential prayers” that can link anybody to the Mystery that works still more good when we give it some room to move in our lives. Using Lamott’s best-selling book Help, Thanks, Wow, we’ll study the dynamics of life-affirming meditation and prayer and share stories of the encounters that make us utter those three words.

 

4 Wednesdays, April 10, 17, 24, May 1

9:30-11:30 am

$60 ($40 members) $20 drop-in

Interweave (Calvary)

 

Robert Corin Morris D.D., is Founder of Interweave.

 

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

 

 

 

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Thinking On Thursdays (TOT) Series

A Partnership with Calvary Episcopal Church

 

Strange Bedfellows

Tradition and Modernity in Marriage

  

Join a panel of women from the Islamic, Jewish and Chirstian faiths as they respond to some key questions, including: How can a person whose life has been shaped in the modern world successfully engage in marriage, an institution predicated on spiritual values rooted in the pre-modern world? What resources can be found within our religious traditions to help us establish and sustain fulfilling marriages? When a marriage relationship falters or ends in divorce, what is the role of a faith community?

  

Thursday, April 11, 7:00-9:00 pm

Free and open to the public

Calvary Church

 

Diana Clark is Associate Rector, Calvary Church, Summit. 

Suzy S. Ismail is author of Modern Muslim Marriage: Finding the Right Match and Making Your Marriage Succeed. 

Rabbi Helaine Ettinger is a Reform Rabbi,Co-President of the Women’s Rabbinic Network and a fellow with Rabbis Without Borders.

 

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

 

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Grandeur, Complexity and Plurality in Islamic Art

A Day at the Metropolitan Museum of Art

 

The Metropolitan Museum of Art houses one of the largest, most comprehensive collections of Islamic art in the world. With the renovation and expansion of a suite of 15 galleries, more than 12,000 works that evoke both the diversity and interconnectedness of the Islamic tradition are again on view, offering an historical perspective that spans 13 centuries of art from the Middle East to North Africa. Robert Morris will be your guide through this melting pot of rich cultures.

 

Saturday, April 13, Tour from 10:30-1:00 pm

Meet at MMA or travel together on the 8:42 train from Summit

$35 ($30 members) Does not include train ticket or lunch

 

Robert Corin Morris, D.D., is Founder of Interweave.

  

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

 

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Inhale, Exhale, Repeat

Mindfulness Meditation

 

Looking to cultivate calmness, peace and joy? This introduction to mindfulness meditation will include an overview of basic theory and serve to introduce techniques for increased balance, self-awareness and mindfulness in your personal and professional lives.

 

Sunday, April 14, 2:00-3:30 pm

$20 ($15 members) Limited scholarships available, pre-registration required

Interweave (Calvary)

 

Sarah Sherman and Home Nguyen are co-presidents of the Mindfulness and Education Working Group at Columbia University’s Teachers College, a first of its kind initiative that explores and promotes the role of mindfulness and contemplative practices in education.

 

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

 

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Year-Long Intensive

The Skillful Heart

A Year’s Training in Compassion

 

Compassion is a central element of every spiritual pathway, from the Confucian dictum “do not do to others what you want not done to you” to Judaism’s “love your neighbor as yourself” and Christianity’s “be kindly-affectioned one to another.” But how do compassion, empathy and fellow-feeling develop, and how can these capacities continue to grow toward full maturity? This monthly, intensive course, conducted in a series of retreat-like sessions, will bring ancient spiritual wisdom and practices from many traditions, especially Buddhism, Sufism and Christianity, modern scientific research into the roots of compassion, and “lifework” or specific exercises designed to develop the sense of compassion, justice, and the ability to serve the Good.

 

9 Monthly Sessions 9:00 am-2:30 pm, Jan. 19, Feb. 16, Mar. 16, Apr. 20, May 18, Sept. 21, Oct. 19, Nov. 16, & Dec. 21

Retreat Oct. 19-20, 3:00 pm-3:00 pm

Tuition; $1300 (payable in installments)

Community of St. John Baptist, Mendham

 

Robert Corin Morris, D.D., is Founder of Interweave, and an Episcopal priest, certified spiritual director, meditation teacher and author. He will be joined by guest presenters.

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

 

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Speaking from the Heart

Listening, Opening, Creating, Blessing

 

There are many ways of speaking; the first is to listen. When we truly listen to another from an open place in our heart all things are possible. Likewise, when we speak from the heart we are heard. In this program we will explore how we energetically greet the world, identify some of the lines that we create, and the gentle shifts that we can make to open our hearts and minds for more growth and healing. We will look at how we “walk” in relationship to others in our lives: behind, above, below, in front, or side-by-side. There will be group dialogue, exercises with partners, reflection, and whole body-mind-heart integration offered through selections from the Dances of Universal Peace. We warmly invite you to join us!

 

Saturday, April 20, 9:30 am-12:00 noon

$35 ($30 members)

Interweave (Calvary)

 

Lorri Lizza, MBA, has facilitated workshops and learning circles at the Omega Institute, ALIA Institute, Interweave, and the 55th and 56th sessions of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women.

 

André Bernard, a former resident at the Lama Foundation in New Mexico, has been a student of sacred music and dance for many years, and a Certified Leader of the Dances of Universal Peace.

 

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

 

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Living A Life that Matters

Working with Our Shadow

 

We all carry a shadow side. Our shadow, although having great value, represents aspects of our personality we have learned to fear, reject or put in exile. In this introductory workshop using Zen meditation based exercises, we will learn how to meet, acknowledge and explore our personal shadow side in order to reclaim its value and offer us a greater sense of wholeness in how we live.

 

Saturday, April 27, 9:00 am-12:00 noon

$45 ($40 members) pre-registration required

Interweave (Calvary)

 

Ray Cicetti LCSW is a Zen teacher and psychotherapist in private practice, and has published several articles on Zen and psychotherapy.

 

REGISTER FOR THIS --- INSTRUCTORS --- DIRECTIONS

  

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Hesychastic Prayer

A Transformative Practice

 

Hesychastic Prayer, or Prayer of the Heart, is a little-known but profound and beautiful form of meditation that serves as a core element in Christian, Hindu, and Sufi mystical practice. In this half day we will examine the full, transformative practice and effects of Hesychastic Prayer, learn to experience God in the heart, tap into the Holy Spirit/Shakti/Shekinah/ that lives within us, and explore how to use the opened heart for the healing of deep emotional trauma. Bring a meditation cushion and/or shawl if they are part of your practice, as well as a journal and pen. All levels of meditators and prayers are welcome... especially beginners!

 

Sunday, April 28, 1:00-4:00 pm

$25 ($20 members)

Interweave (Calvary)

 

James Reho is Chaplain and Direc­tor of Pastoral Care, Deployment, Formation and Theological Field Education at General Theological Seminary.

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Reflective Practices at Community St. John Baptist

Walking the Labyrinth:

A Time for Reflection and Refreshment

Learn about this ancient way of meditation, a perfect way to ponder an issue, pray for guidance or simply walk toward calmness and centeredness. Reflection and group discussion follow. Meet at the convent building.

Frequent Saturdays, 2:00-4:00 pm

$10 suggested donation

(see www.csjb.org or call 973-543-4641 for details)

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Centering Prayer:

Entering the Silence of God

Join the Sisters for a quiet hour practicing a method of silent prayer that prepares heart and mind to receive the gift of contemplation, the deep state of mind in which the presence of the Divine can be known within.

Thursdays, 7:15-8:15 pm

No Charge

(see www.csjb.org or call 973-543-4641 for details)

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