SIX NEW THINGS – WEEK OF AUGUST 08, 2022

Stories, art, journaling, and poetry: developing and deepening spiritual practices – for both individuals and the community – helps us develop and deepen our sense of self, and our sense of belonging.

ONE

Henry loves pink. But others believe Penguins Don’t Wear Pink (Beaming). Staying true to himself helps Henry find friends who accept him for who he is. Encourage Littles to be their True Self and develop meaningful, affirming friendships with this and other resources from our Bullying & Friendship lib guide (a great list for going back to school!)

Learn to support children, youth, and families in developing tools for emotional awareness and resilience in our Belonging of Family webinar, part of our Belonging: Welcome Wellbeing series.

TWO

Stories provide an antidote to loneliness, alienation, global crisis, and despair’, by making ‘a home within ourselves and one another’. In Between the Listening and the Telling; How Stories Can Save Us (Broadleaf), Mark Yaconelli offers ‘story, commentary, and meditation’ to encourage story sharing.

Discover tech tools for sharing stories to deepen community in Belonging for Relationship, part of our Belonging: Welcome Wellbeing series.

THREE

“Art is not just an ‘add on’ to life. It is essential to helping us articulate where we came from, who we are and how we hope to be.” Soul Art: A Workshop Manual for Creativity and Wellbeing (Wild Goose) is a practical leader’s guide to deliver art and wellbeing sessions to the community.

Share art as a (hi)story-telling tool for people experiencing memory loss in Belonging among Elders, part of our Belonging: Welcome Wellbeing series.

FOUR

adrienne maree brown and Sonya Renee Taylor create an unforgettable and transformational experience of journaling your way into your most authentic self in Journal of Radical Permission: A Daily Guide for Following Your Soul’s Calling (Berrett-Koehler).

Self-awareness tools will be offered in Belonging to Self, part of our Belonging: Welcome Wellbeing series.

FIVE

Feeling a bit of pressure, lately? Karen An-hwei Lee shares Duress: A Collection of Poems (Cascade) ‘for souls in search of spiritual restoration’. Composed during the ‘anthropause’, these ‘poems of resiliency’ will ‘encourage and uplift weary hearts’.

Isolation contributes to fatigue and despair; find help for overcoming leader loneliness in our Belonging in Call webinar, part of our Belonging: Welcome Wellbeing hybrid webinar series. Learn more and register here.

SIX

In case you haven’t noticed, there’s a theme here: The Ministry Lab is delighted to share eight fabulous presenters in seven amazing in-person/online (hybrid) webinars inviting congregational leaders and seminary students to explore:

  • BELONGING TO SELF: employ gentle practices to develop mindful self-compassion and grace
  • BELONGING IN CALL: overcome leader loneliness with connection, collaboration, and colleagues
  • BELONGING OF FAMILY: develop emotional awareness to support children, youth, and families
  • BELONGING AMONG ELDERS: share art, joy, and (hi)stories with elders, folx experiencing memory loss and their loved ones and care-givers
  • BELONGING WITH GOD: discover how regular rhythms of rest are God’s strategy to return us to our truest sense of belonging
  • BELONGING FOR RELATIONSHIP: discover digital media tools for decentering ‘clicks’ in favor of knowing and being known.
  • BELONGING AMID DIVERSITY: enjoy music and song as equity-building gifts of hope and radical inclusion

Belonging: Welcome Wellbeing in-person/online webinars will convene from 2:00-3:30 PM CT Tuesdays, September 13, 20; October 04, 11, 25; and November 01, and 08, 2022.

Learn more here – registration is now open!