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Arts and Spirituality Mini-Retreat

This Sunday, December 1, during worship time–that is, 10am-12:30pm–and with the help of the Coalition of Artists and Creatives for Compassionate Communities, we’re holding an “Arts, Spirituality and Activism Mini-Retreat!” This will be jointly led by local artists and activists and Urban Sanctuary, giving us all a great opportunity to build relationships and connect with the divine through creativity.

The schedule for the retreat is as follows:

1. Gathering Circle – with rhythm and drums (with the legendary PJ Hirabayashi!) we bring our voices together to call in the wisdom of our ancestors and to invite the Creative Spirit to open our imaginations
2. Contemplative Guided Meditation
3. Creative Workshops – a choice to go to one of the following workshops: Creative Writing, Stone Painting, Making Peace Cranes. All workshops will provide a chance to reflect, create and dialogue about around wisdom we can draw from to address the need to create more just and compassionate communities
4. Sharing of Our Experiences after the workshops
5. Closing with a Gratitude Circle and making an offering of our creations on a simple altar in the meditation garden

No RSVP needed. Don’t miss this opportunity to join the arts community in spiritual practice!

At Urban Sanctuary, we believe that stewardship of the planet is part of our Christian duty. God’s creation should be cared for, not exploited!

On October 25 and 26, Urban Sanctuary will be going on a retreat together to Pacific Grove to participate in Blue Theology, a program focused on the intersection between spirituality and the ocean. Rev. Deb Streeter leads the program, which includes a visit to the world-renowned Monterey Bay Aquarium!

If you would like to go, please contact Pastor Lauren. You must RSVP to attend!

As our focus on incarceration continues, after worship every Sunday we gather to discuss The Church of the Second Chance: A Faith-Based Approach to Prison Reform, by Jens Soering.

Meet us at 11:30 in room 7. You don’t have to have read it before, or be caught up on anything. We love to learn in community, and all you need to bring is yourself and your questions!

…In the Silicon Valley Community Foundation Magazine!

You can catch John, who is now a Very Famous and Important Celebrity, on Sunday mornings, playing piano, singing, setting up mics, and generally being a blessing to everyone he comes across.

Come meet him–and the rest of us–this week, at 10am on Sunday!

After Rev. Sophia Jackson came to USSJ, we knew we had to work with her more. She had so much to teach us.

So, in conjunction with the Joint Youth Ministry, Cambrian Park UMC, Los Gatos UMC, Willow Glen UMC, and SURJ at Sacred Heart, Urban Sanctuary will be participating in a workshop led by Rev. Jackson entitled, Introduction to Racial Injustice, the Prison Industrial Complex & Mass Incarceration and the Church’s Response: more Conversations on Race & Privilege (CRP).

Event Info:

Sat., Sept. 21, 2019, 10 AM- 3PM. Lunch served.
Willow Glen United Methodist Church, Kohlstedt Hall, 1420 Newport Ave., San Jose, CA 95125
Register here.

Suggested reading before the workshop: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness