Contemplative Awareness in Love and Life

Member for

12 years 11 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
On
Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

9th annual dialogue with Cistercian contemplatives who visit Fetzer each year while attending the Medieval Congress at WMU. This year, Fr. Isaac Slater and Norman Fischer, both authors, poets, and priests, will lead a conversation on the creative imagination and spiritual practice.

Resources for Human Flourishing

Member for

12 years 11 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
On
Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

Partnering with the Center for Interfaith Relations, we are a proud supporter of the The 24th Annual Festival of Faiths, held April 25-27, 2019 in Louisville, Kentucky, and this gave us the opportunity to create a special resource list for conference attendees and our online community.

Festival of Faiths

Member for

12 years 11 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
On
Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

The 2019 festival will explore wisdom present at the intersection of faith and science; ancient and modern questions at the heart of human existence; and space where reason and revelation co-exist.

Dialogue, music, poetry, film, and art with spiritual leaders, teachers, and practitioners.

Study of Spirituality in America Advisory Group

Member for

12 years 11 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
On
Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

The advisory group for the Fetzer Institute Study of Spirituality in America convenes to review qualitative research conducted late 2018 and early 2019 as they begin to formulate a fielded survey for summer 2019. This study seeks to explore how Americans view and practice spirituality within and outside traditional religions, including how they exercise their spirituality in civic life.

Courageous Pluralism on College Campuses

Member for

15 years 5 months
Photo
Gillian Gonda
Cover Photo
Paper cranes
First Name
Gillian
Last Name
Gonda
Biography

My work in global outreach includes supporting programs and partners that use storytelling and public engagement to support human connection and belonging. I appreciate the ever-expanding opportunities online and face-to-face and through media of various kinds to create relationship with individuals and communities who are part of a shared vision for a loving world. I am enlivened daily by our partners—inspiring champions of this mission—as we work together to meet the needs of the world and imagine how our collaboration can serve a movement of transformation. 

I am passionate about restorative narratives and helping media makers and storytellers of all kinds see the transformational potential of their work. These efforts in support of human flourishing come alive when we are in deep relationship, seeking change through the creative process, collaboration, integrated learning, and bold action.

I have worked my entire career in the nonprofit sector, spending much of that time in public media and philanthropy leading communications, program strategy, community outreach, and public engagement. I have a BS and MA in Communication from the University of New Mexico.

I love both indoor and outdoor living, from jewelry making, reading, and good TV to kayaking and camping. Add in a music festival and my life is complete. My three kids are everything to me, and I thrive living vicariously through their island living, nature education, and drum solos.
 

Job Title
Program Director
Cover Caption
A few of the 1,000 paper cranes staff folded to bring peace and comfort during a time of loss.
Engagement Results Display
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Staff Department
Department or Org
Global Outreach
Email
GGonda@fetzer.org

Eboo Patel, founder of Interfaith Youth Core (IFYC) has devoted his life to the promise of a pluralistic American society, a potluck of flavors to nourish us all and stimulate taste buds beyond a bland melting pot of assimilation. Community and collaboration are at the heart of this vision, Patel asserted at the close of a recent IFYC training for campus leaders. Their schools will be paired for an 18-month exploration of “courageous pluralism,” supported by the Fetzer Institute and the Charles Koch Foundation.

Spirituality and Community

Member for

1 year 6 months
Photo
Kellen Manley
Cover Photo
pine and sunlight
First Name
Kellen
Last Name
Manley (He/Him/His)
Biography

To do what I love to do for an organization centered on love is indescribable. I am a social media specialist and a videographer and editor. Most of the time you will find me either behind a camera or in front of one or in the editing bay with headphones on, creating and sharing stories. Beyond this, my work is about engagement and our digital platforms—sharing, listening, and maintaining authentic community spaces that welcome everyone into this work.

BA in Film, Video, and Media Studies, am a proud WMU Bronco, and a passionate Tom Hanks Day founder. I love filmmaking, stand-up comedy, and all things humorous.

Job Title
Digital Media Manager
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Email
kmanley@fetzer.org

What spiritual presence or practice do you bring to the communities you belong to and why? Fetzer gathered people from various traditions to talk about how they nurture the spiritual dimension while in community. View the whole series, here.

Where Science, Spirituality, and Storytelling Meet: Introducing the Study of Spirituality in America

Member for

12 years 11 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
On
Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

Recent research has led to a narrative that church attendance in the United States is decreasing, and that more and more people consider themselves “spiritual.” But what does this mean—and why does it matter?

We know there is more to the story, but there is little research into the range of perspectives behind these words and what this means for our personal, communal, and societal wellbeing. So, in the spirit of inquiry and embracing the unknown, we are working on our inaugural Study of Spirituality in America.

The Promise of Inclusion, the Power of Love: Pursuing Global Understanding, Reconciliation, and Change

Member for

6 years 4 months
First Name
Katy
Last Name
Listwa
Job Title
Designer
Engagement Results Display
Off
Email
katy@interactiveknowledge.com

The Parliament is the oldest, largest, most diverse and inclusive global interfaith event. Join us in Toronto for The Promise of Inclusion, the Power of Love: Pursuing Global Understanding, Reconciliation, and Change. Fetzer is title sponsor for the Sacred Music Concert on November 4; our program staff will be presenting in sessions on democracy and spirituality; and we will be supporting our partners throughout the conference. Look for live-streaming details.