Instructor

Beth Norcross, Founding Director, Center for Spirituality in Nature, and adjunct faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary

Imagine. Those water molecules in your cup of morning coffee have been circling around the earth for millions of years – in the form of clouds, rain, snow, rivers, groundwater, oceans. Those same molecules could have been present in the Red Sea when it was parted or in the basin of water with which Jesus washed the disciple’s feet or in the glass of wine he offered at the Last Supper. And, the water that makes up nearly 80 precent of our bodies could have been in Jonah’s body or the whale’s for that matter. Water quite literally connects us across geography and time, with humans and non-humans alike.

Is it any wonder that we are drawn to the ocean, to the river, to the wetland, for spiritual nourishment?

Come explore The Spirituality of Water with us. Over the four days, we will discuss the role of water in some of the 500 references in the Scriptures, review the many watery images for the divine and ask why, time and again, important spiritual experiences occur in or around water. We will also spend time in nearby parks, ponds, and creeks, coming to understand the ecological role of water while doing specific spiritual exercises designed to discover our own connections with water. And, we will discuss the spiritual implications of the increasing scarcity of clean water for so many people and creatures.

Dates

June 14, 2015, 7:00 p.m. - June 17, 2015, 1:00 p.m.

Location

Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101, a ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Cost

Registration Fee: $375 (most meals included)

Lodging at Kearns: $120 (3 nights: check-in Sunday, June 14, 2015 after 4 p.m.; check-out Wednesday, June 17, 2015 after 1:00 p.m.)

Registration

Click HERE.

Required Reading

The reading list will be provided upon registration. Please do your very best to read the required books before arriving. If you wish to be in the Spiritual Formation Certificate program, you should prepare a one-page reflection paper for each book; these will be collected Sunday evening. If you do not plan to seek the certificate but are taking the class for personal enrichment, the reflection papers are not required.

This program is sponsored jointly by Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Center for Spirituality in Nature.

Instructor

Beth Norcross, Founding Director, Center for Spirituality in Nature, and adjunct faculty at Wesley Theological Seminary

Imagine. Those water molecules in your cup of morning coffee have been circling around the earth for millions of years – in the form of clouds, rain, snow, rivers, groundwater, oceans. Those same molecules could have been present in the Red Sea when it was parted or in the basin of water with which Jesus washed the disciple’s feet or in the glass of wine he offered at the Last Supper. And, the water that makes up nearly 80 precent of our bodies could have been in Jonah’s body or the whale’s for that matter. Water quite literally connects us across geography and time, with humans and non-humans alike.

Is it any wonder that we are drawn to the ocean, to the river, to the wetland, for spiritual nourishment?

Come explore The Spirituality of Water with us. Over the four days, we will discuss the role of water in some of the 500 references in the Scriptures, review the many watery images for the divine and ask why, time and again, important spiritual experiences occur in or around water. We will also spend time in nearby parks, ponds, and creeks, coming to understand the ecological role of water while doing specific spiritual exercises designed to discover our own connections with water. And, we will discuss the spiritual implications of the increasing scarcity of clean water for so many people and creatures.

Dates

June 14, 2015, 7:00 p.m. - June 17, 2015, 1:00 p.m.

Location

Kearns Spirituality Center, 9000 Babcock Blvd., Allison Park, PA 15101, a ministry of the Sisters of Divine Providence.

Cost

Registration Fee: $375 (most meals included)

Lodging at Kearns: $120 (3 nights: check-in Sunday, June 14, 2015 after 4 p.m.; check-out Wednesday, June 17, 2015 after 1:00 p.m.)

Registration

Click HERE.

Required Reading

The reading list will be provided upon registration. Please do your very best to read the required books before arriving. If you wish to be in the Spiritual Formation Certificate program, you should prepare a one-page reflection paper for each book; these will be collected Sunday evening. If you do not plan to seek the certificate but are taking the class for personal enrichment, the reflection papers are not required.

This program is sponsored jointly by Pittsburgh Theological Seminary and the Center for Spirituality in Nature.