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Download the most recent issue of CenterLine ~ The Newsletter of The Educational Center:
April CenterLine~ News about what's happening at the Educational Center !
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CenterLine ~ September 2011
It is only a few days until September 11 and the tenth anniversary of the events that will forever be embedded in the human collective psyche. The lectionary reading for Sunday, September 11 is Matthew 18:21-35 which is Peter's inquiry about forgiveness. Our BibleWorkbench group met earlier today and one person's comment is haunting me: "Forgive is a linking verb". I haven't heard that grammatical phrase in many years. We were working with the phrase "I forgive you". Imagine a person or group of people who have wronged you. Write down their name(s). Seven times slowly say ,I forgive you. Notice what actually happens within your body. Forgive is a linking verb.
It bears repeating: TWO NEW RESOURCES FOR ADVENT
Excellent resources for a small group or individual study during Advent. The Characters of Christmas is an adventure in word, music, film and art based on the major players in the Christmas narrative. Encounter Mary, Joseph, the Magi, the Shepherds and the angels from a fresh and engaging perspective!
Here is a sample page: Joseph's Dream by Gaetano Gandolfi (1790):
Gaetano Gandolfi was born in 1734 near Bologna, to a family of artists. He was an Italian painter of the late Baroque and early Neoclassic period. Gandolfi became a prominent artist and was active for nearly five decades in the late 17th Century. With an output of about 220 paintings plus etchings, terracotta sculptures and many drawings, he also had a national reputation as one of the "greatest Italian artists of his century." He traveled to England, and became strongly influenced by Tiepolo. His philosophy is summarized as he says, "All art should have a certain mystery and should make demands on the spectator."
Taking the artist's quotation into account, consider the following points as you contemplate the painting:
BibleWorkbench Special Advent Issue is perfect if you are not a current subscriber or want to offer a group study for Advent. We have lifted out the 5 sessions of the season, added links to art, other readings and more! Also available later this month. Visit the website to learn more: Publications .
BIBLE WORKBENCH TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Richmond, Virginia – Friday October 28 – Saturday October 29 at The Meeting House
Wilmington, North Carolina - Friday November 4 - Saturday, November 5 at Church of the Servant ~ 4925 Oriole Drive ~ admin @ coepiscopal.com ~ 910.395.0616 ~ Reverend Catherine Powell, Rector
We'll post the details for Richmond soon. Contact us with any questions.
THE LATEST BOOK AND FILM REVIEWS
What We're Reading and Watching
Unprotected Texts: The Bible's Surprising Contradictions about Sex and Desire by Jennifer Wright Knust
Midnight in Paris ~ a film by Woody Allen
COMING SOON:
New Resource for Small Group Study in Film!
Have you ever considered starting a film group? Works like a book group. We started one here at the Center last year with much success. We watched a film together and then had about an hour's discussion. We have gathered together all of the questions that drove those discussions, added cultural links, film reviews, and music links to create a moviegoers handbook.
The theme for this resource is "living an authentic life" – what Parker Palmer calls the "undivided life" and we used the following five films:
Imitation of Life
Far From Heaven
TransAmerica
Batman Begins
The Secret Life of Bees
In each film there are characters collecting the missing pieces of their souls, discovering and exploring who they really are, showing up in the world as an authentic self. These five movies consider the cost and the promise of taking off the masks and living one's truth.
Included in the handbook are some practical ideas for hosting a movie night and plenty of excellent helps in making the most of your series.
AVAILABLE LATER THIS FALL....Watch the website for details!.
Centerline is the monthly newsletter of The Educational Center ~ a 501(c) 3 organization. All donations are fully tax deductible. Donate Now!
CenterLine ~ August 2011
___________________________________________________________________________
Introducing a
New Initiative
of The Educational Center !!
CenterQuest is actually an old concept with a new twist.
CenterQuest began as a curriculum originally published by The Educational Center in 1979. It was an excellent spiritual formation resource for Kindergartners through Adults and was informed by Jungian thought, rooted in stories (sacred and archetypal) and promoted as Maieutic (issue-centered) education.
For some time now we have been wondering whether our name, The Educational Center, really says anything about what we do. Conclusion: it doesn't. Unless you already know what we do, this name won't tell you much. In fact, we get several phone calls a week from folks asking if we have any job openings in our school cafeteria! On the other hand, there are plenty of people who do know us as The Educational Center and appreciate our rich history as such.
The challenge: to remain true to our roots while appealing to a new constituency that is totally unfamiliar with us and for whom "The Educational Center" might not have much appeal.
The solution: resurrect CenterQuest as a new initiative of the Center, rewrite our Vision/Mission and Philosophy statements to reflect who we are and what we do, and launch our new ventures under the banner of CenterQuest.
We hope you like our new look, our new initiative, and our new resources as they begin to roll out this fall. Visit the website....still the same address: www.educationalcenter.org and www.bibleworkbench.org and eventually at www.centerquest.org . Three paths to one destination!
Our Vision/Mission and Philosophy Statements
VISION AND MISSION
We are an inclusive community of spiritual seekers, thinkers, educators and artists who create resources and opportunities to explore the mystery and wisdom in sacred and archetypal stories. We exist to support and serve spiritual growth in children, youth and adults and in the communities around us, believing that personal transformation can engender global transformation as we seek to embody the community of God.
PHILOSOPHY
Stories have the power to ignite the imagination and to create symbols that teach us something about who we are. That's why our philosophy of spiritual education is grounded in story. The Bible, the Gnostic gospels, the mythologies of culture, the poetry of Rumi, the works of Shakespeare, the films of Spielberg, the paintings of Chagall—whether derived from religious or literary texts, the media culture, or the narratives of our own lives, stories can awaken universal patterns that can enliven and inform our choices. We acknowledge that powerful stories often create tensions that make us uncomfortable, but it is out of that tension that vital questions arise: Who am I? Who are you? How are we connected? Why are we here? What waits for us around the corner? The resources and opportunities we create provide a context for conscious involvement in the never-ending search for meaning in our lives.
New For Advent !!
Speaking of new resources, we have two new 5-part Advent study resources in the final stages of production. Check them out!
One is a Special Advent Edition of BibleWorkbench, much like the Lenten Issue we published earlier in 2011.
The other is called "The Characters of Christmas" and is a Faith + Arts adventure into the stories of Joseph, Mary, the Shepherds, the Magi and a few angels!
They would be GREAT for a short-term class during Advent.
Contact Us for more information. Available Soon!
BibleWorkbench Training Retreats ~ Fall, 2011
Canton, MS – Friday and Saturday September 9 & 10.
Richmond, VA – Friday and Saturday October 28 & 29.
Wilmington, NC – Friday and Saturday November 4 & 5.
Charlotte, NC – check our website in September. We have two in the planning stages!
Centerline ~ June/July 2011
Newsletter for The Educational Center
Summer Vacation??
Sabbath (sab eth) n. Heb shabat, to rest. 1. The seventh day of the week (Saturday), set aside in Jewish scripture for rest and worship 2. Sunday as the usual Christian day of rest and worship.
It is summer.
In fact, it is way too summer for me, as the temperatures rise into the upper 90s and the humidity is close to 100%. There is a line in The Secret Life of Bees when Lily says, "If the heat goes over 104 degrees in South Carolina, you have to go to bed. It's practically the law." I agree with Lily. Even though I live in North Carolina, this is still practically the law. (I wrote about this back in October 2010 as well...Sue Monk Kidd seems to have made an impression on me).
My friends and Facebook denizens are off to some great places this summer for sabbath time, rest, relaxation. They're off to Minnesota, Michigan, the Pacific Northwest, the mountains, the beaches....all kinds of places, most of which are far cooler than the Piedmont of North Carolina. Things at the Center, while never still, are a bit quieter, as groups disband for the summer and the phone rings less. That will change in August.
But summer begs a bigger question, one that I've written about before: do we honor the sabbath anymore?
The latest trends in religious/spiritual education have to do with brain research. This November the Religious Education Association will hold its annual gathering in Toronto. The subject: brain research and learning. Turns out, in this age of rapid-fire communication and over stimulation, we are learning more and more about the dangers of the brain that never gets a rest. Your brain needs to go on a vacation once in a while. It is a fact. Your brain needs to play. You need to practice the fine art of doing nothing. An example: in this same passage in The Secret Life of Bees Lily tells the story of a boy in her class who has a steel plate in his head. When the answers to the teacher's questions are not forthcoming for the young boy, he blames it on the answer's not being able to get through the steel plate. Lily says we're all like that...we all have steel plates in our heads. Every now and again we need to lie down so the steel plate, like elevator doors, can open up and let in the dreams, thoughts, and imaginings. This is brain vacation.
How often do you do this?
The Psalmist writes:
Are you restoring your soul this summer?
Lao Tzu writes:
The Educational Center: What We Do (Issue-Centered Maieutic Education)
We tell stories. As human beings, spiritual beings, meaning-making beings, we tell stories. It is how we make sense of things, as much as that is possible.
The Educational Center understands this. Our method of education recognizes that stories reflect our lives and awaken universal patterns that enliven and inform our choices. Whether they are historical or mythical, biblical or personal, fictional or biographical, stories invite the imagination and the symbolic. Clarrisa Pinkola Estes, author, storyteller and Jungian analyst says, "Stories are medicine." They have the power to reach down inside and crack open the tight places. Stories are the way, in, down, around, that let us see the patterns that are in all people. Dr. Jung called them the "archetypes." Bill Dols, former Executive Director of the Center often says, "I'm going to tell you a story that you have never heard before, and yet at the same time you already know it." They are both speaking of the universal patterns that are alive in everyone touched by stories.
Where do these stories come from? From the biblical narratives, of course. But also from books, videos, films, newspapers, magazines, YouTube, Twitter, sacred literature, short stories, plays, poetry, and talk across the clothesline or in the grocery checkout lane. Stories occur in any medium that includes the issues or polarities alive in the classrooms of our lives.
Issue-centered education honors the inner pulls between opposing needs or values. For example: "I want to let go and yet, at the same time, I want to hold one." This simple statement captures a universal dynamic, one that all people will experience in their lives. Issue-centered education offers structure that embraces a "both/and" perspective rather than reducing the value and complexity of each alternative to an "either/or" posture. It leads one to the awareness of response-ability and poss-ability.
The bridge between the individual's experience and the wisdom of stories is built with questions. In the teaching tradition of Socrates and Jesus, our goal is to assist the birth of knowing, providing context and support, and posing questions that lead to an ever-deepening exploration of the issue. The central word here is "birth" – Maieutic is the Greek word for "midwife" which is what the teacher becomes. So, the learners discover or birth the story within them, recognizing the polarities and tensions, examining the cost and the promise of each opposing value. As a result of this newly birthed insight (one could argue it is a re-collection) the learners are challenged to responsible choice making. The teacher or leader is the midwife, not the authority with total knowledge and expertise.
One of our favorite storytellers is David Whyte, whose poetry often appears in BibleWorkbench and our other resources. His "Mameen" is about telling your story....enjoy it here: David Whyte.
If you're interested in Biblical stories, consider attending the Network of Biblical Storytellers, International Annual Gathering August 10-13 at Ridgecrest Conference Center near Asheville, NC. There are still spaces available.
These storytellers are unique in that they do not interpret biblical texts; they simply recite the narrative as it appears in the Bible. Of course there is some interpretation going on as one recites, but by in large it's storytelling at its best. Engaging for the listener. A great way to connect to the story as it might have been told, not read. There are plenty of workshops and opportunities, and this year's topic is Forgiveness. To read more about it, visit their website at http://www.nbsint.org/.
Photo credit: Sonia Handelman Meyer/Hodges Taylor Gallery
Centerline ~ May 2011 ~ Newsletter for The Educational Center
The New BibleWorkbench Design!!
If you are a subscriber to BibleWorkbench, you have likely received your latest-- Volume 18, Issue 4. We hope you like the changes. We have worked for nearly a year to redesign and reformat BWB to give it a fresh, new look and to cut costs in printing and delivery without compromising the quality and content you have come to expect.
We are still working on getting BWB to you as an online resource, and as always, we are open to your suggestions and feedback. Contact info @ educationalcenter.org with your comments! And keep checking our website for new offerings, as we are busy developing new resources for the spiritual journey!
Final Film in Our Spring Series: The Secret Life of Bees
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd was adapted for film in 2008 by the author and Gina Prince-Bythewood. The Educational Center will screen the movie on Friday May 20 at 6:30 with a discussion to follow. This will conclude our series on "Living Authentically".
Set in 1964 in South Carolina, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, a 14-year-old girl whose mother was killed when Lily was only four. There is a mystery and a very fuzzy memory around the event, and Lily herself cannot distinguish between what really happened and what her abusive father leads her to believe what happened—that she is somehow complicit in her mother's death.
When Lily's only trusted friend, Rosaleen (an outspoken, independent young black woman) insults the town's most prominent and vociferous racists and is beaten, Lily decides she and Rosaleen must make a break for it. So they run away and head towards the small town of Tiburon, South Carolina—an address Lily found on the back of the only photograph she has of her mother.
Lily's journey to find her mother's past, her own truth, and any hope for her future becomes tied to three bee-keeping sisters named May, June and August Boatwright and the Black Madonna that is central in their lives. Like the characters in our previous films, Lily sets out on the hero's journey toward healing, wholeness and authenticity. Shortly after arriving at the Boatwrights, Lily says to Rosaleen, "I feel like I'm where I'm supposed to be. I really do. I just need some time to figure out why." This is a grace-filled story of searching and finding, gaining and losing, dying and coming back to life.
If you live nearby, please join us. If you're far away, consider screening the film in your small group or church. We will have a study guide available by summer's end. Contact us for more information at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
A Time Apart: Creating Sabbaths in Your Life
A retreat for women on May 7, 2011
I write this after the fact—the retreat was three days ago. But I believe you might be interested in what The Educational Center is offering along other venues.
Fourteen of us gathered for a day of study, reflection, respite and repose. We crawled into Leviticus 25—BibleWorkbench style—and discovered the richness and deep importance of the Jubilee year, of letting the land lie fallow, of stopping, of honoring cycles, and of recognizing God's imperative in all of this.
We watched film clips from Shirley Valentine and The Secret Life of Bees, clips illustrating the vital importance of Sabbath time, self care, reconnecting with one's soul, and risking something big for something good.
We spent some time with Picasso.
We began our day in silence on the labyrinth, and again at 1:00 we walked the labyrinth in observance of World Labyrinth Day. On this day people from around the globe walked at 1:00 in their time zones. The objective was to "effect a rolling wave of peaceful energy" across the planet.
We had our evening meal on a screened porch overlooking Soul's Home Studio, a formal herb garden, a wide expanse of lawn, southern style. As the darkness moved in, we shared a holy communion. Not with the usual, scripted words of institution, but each with our own words, words pouring from our imaginal realms, words that forged our individual and collective bonds to sacred transformations. In closing we reminded one another to "rest a minute". It was a full day, almost 12 hours, and most of us thought we should certainly have been exhausted. As it turns out, it felt like Sabbath. Shalom.
Like May Boatwright in The Secret Life of Bees we built a wailing wall.
The Educational Center is happy to lead retreats such as "A Time Apart" for your church or small group. We travel! Contact us if you are interested; I will gladly talk with you about customizing an event for your group: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
At The Educational Center, we are a community of seekers helping each other engage the sacred wisdom of stories. Let us know how we can be of service to you on your journey...on your "center quest".
