A Three-Day Retreat and Community of Practice for teams from Northern New England congregations. We invite you to recruit a team of four from your congregation to to apply to participate in this three-day retreat and community of practice. Nine congregations will be selected.
Dates: Thursday, June 20, 2024 (11:00 am) through Saturday, June 22, 2024 (1:00 pm)
Location: Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, Maine
Enrollment fee: As an expression of our commitment to helping congregations step into their calls to transformational ministry in a climate-changed world, this program is offered without an enrollment fee.
Dates: Thursday, June 20, 2024 (11:00 am) through Saturday, June 22, 2024 (1:00 pm)
Location: Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, Maine
Enrollment fee: As an expression of our commitment to helping congregations step into their calls to transformational ministry in a climate-changed world, this program is offered without an enrollment fee.
There is no denying that we live in a climate-changed world. Climate change is not just a social cause. It is our weather. It is the flooding and wildfire smoke in our communities. It is the record-breaking heat. It is an intensifying crisis happening at a scale unlike any other crisis we’ve previously encountered, and it is one that demands a radical re-envisioning of what it means to be human on planet earth. |
Responding to this crisis is not just the work of scientists, policymakers, and advocates. The church brings spiritual resources to this moment that cannot be filled by any others. Our world is crying out for bold, prophetic moral leadership that can truthfully name the predicament and transform the misguided priorities that have brought this crisis to our doorstep. With rich histories of advocating for justice and providing care for those most in need, faith communities have the opportunity to envision and nurture a world in which people turn towards one another rather than against each other in the face of intensifying challenges.
What is the role for your church? If your church has felt called to respond transformationally to this moment in the context of your local watershed, this retreat will help you enter into a season of rich vocational formation in order to claim and deepen your congregation’s unique call to ministry in a climate-changed world.
Apply to join us for this formational opportunity, offered at no cost to your congregation. “Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World” begins with a three-day retreat at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park, Maine, where your congregational team will share deep conversation with theologians, scientists, and indigenous scholars about how climate change will impact the communities where you live and what a spiritually-grounded, justice-seeking response could look like for your church. It continues as you integrate what you’ve learned by undertaking a “small experiment with radical intent” in the context of a supportive community of practice.
Join us to:
Venue:
Named one of the top venues for nature lovers in the country, the Schoodic Institute is located in Acadia National Park and is Acadia’s primary partner in science and education. Located on the rugged Maine coastland, surrounded by thousands of acres of evergreen forests, the park hosts conferences, retreats, and workshops for groups from around the globe. For those traveling from farther away, there is the possibility of staying independently at the Schoodic Institute before and after the retreat.
Application Process:
Application Deadline: April 10
Participants will be announced May 1.
What is the role for your church? If your church has felt called to respond transformationally to this moment in the context of your local watershed, this retreat will help you enter into a season of rich vocational formation in order to claim and deepen your congregation’s unique call to ministry in a climate-changed world.
Apply to join us for this formational opportunity, offered at no cost to your congregation. “Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World” begins with a three-day retreat at the Schoodic Institute in Acadia National Park, Maine, where your congregational team will share deep conversation with theologians, scientists, and indigenous scholars about how climate change will impact the communities where you live and what a spiritually-grounded, justice-seeking response could look like for your church. It continues as you integrate what you’ve learned by undertaking a “small experiment with radical intent” in the context of a supportive community of practice.
Join us to:
- Enter into a rich time of community building, learning, and vocational formation with theologians, scientists, and indigenous leaders.
- Learn about the unique role that the Christian tradition and your congregation can play in a climate-changed world in offering care and advocating for justice in the places you call home.
- Engage in place-based formation with the grounds of Acadia National Park as your classroom.
- Build supportive community with members of your congregation, as well as with like-minded leaders from other congregations across Northern New England.
- Worship, sing, and play in one of the most beautiful outdoor settings in New England.
- Integrate what you’ve learned by participating in a Community of Practice from July through October 2024, including taking on a “small experiment with radical intent,” supported by a community of peers.
Venue:
Named one of the top venues for nature lovers in the country, the Schoodic Institute is located in Acadia National Park and is Acadia’s primary partner in science and education. Located on the rugged Maine coastland, surrounded by thousands of acres of evergreen forests, the park hosts conferences, retreats, and workshops for groups from around the globe. For those traveling from farther away, there is the possibility of staying independently at the Schoodic Institute before and after the retreat.
Application Process:
- We are looking for applicant congregations who:
- Can offer a team of four church leaders to attend the retreat. Preference will be given to teams that include the lead pastor (or functional equivalent), but in situations where that expectation presents a barrier, we will request a conversation and consider applications from differently configured teams assuming that the team has the expressed support of their lead pastor (or functional equivalent.
- Are from New England
- Are interested in further deepening their sense of call to ministry in a climate-changed world
- Can help us form a diverse ecumenical cohort of congregations
- The application process includes:
- Completing the application form here. For a downloadable PDF with the application questions, please click below.
- Providing one letter of support from a member of your community, supporting the congregation’s application for participation in this cohort
- Committing to bring a team of four people to the retreat, including the lead pastor or functional equivalent
Application Deadline: April 10
Participants will be announced May 1.