Five COVID-fueled Shifts in Our Religious and Spiritual Landscape
Amidst all the devastation of this remarkable moment, COVID is extremely clarifying. It reveals the pain of loneliness and social isolation. It uncovers how profoundly most people long to focus on what matters most. And it stimulates amazing creativity and resilience.
We see five major COVID-fueled shifts in our religious and spiritual landscape.
Retreat in Place
This note, from Kirstin Vander Giessen-Reitsma, head caretaker at GilChrist (our public retreat center) and her staff, provides both an update about the closure of the center as a result of the pandemic and a reminder of the “unexpected gifts” it offers.
Practicing Democracy through Multifaith Engagement
As communication becomes increasingly global, interactions with people who have different beliefs, customs, and worldviews from our own become more common. We need to learn about those who are different from us and, at a minimum, to learn how to coexist with them. Building multifaith relationships bolsters the stability of our communities and country, and it also sustains one of America’s most cherished values--freedom of religion. Here are ten ways to engage with people of multiple traditions.
Note: Please adapt to social distancing best practices as necessary.
Family and Faith Help Transform Fear into Love
To say that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused us all to feel distressed and uneasy would be a great understatement—indeed, this event, as it unfolds, is causing changes we could never have imagined, some temporary, and some perhaps embedded in our souls and our society for months and years to come. As we physically isolate ourselves and wait for COVID-19 to begin its inevitable decline, our hearts and minds can easily succumb to the fears rising within us as we try to navigate this strange new time.
My Freedom Is in Your Hands
What if this virus had a hidden agenda other than spreading fear about how it might compromise our health? What if, hidden in its drive to be contagious there was another message, urging to be heard?
Parker Palmer on scarcity
What scarcity do you fear? What would help you be less fearful?
This quote is from our Seasons Booklet, a welcome to the Fetzer Institute's retreat center, with essays on the seasons by Parker Palmer.
Parker Palmer on abundance
Where are you witnessing the sharing Parker Palmer references? How can you contribute to another's sense of abundance?
This quote is from our Seasons Booklet, a welcome to the Fetzer Institute's retreat center, with essays on the seasons by Parker Palmer.
Freedom of Spirit: Celebrating John Fetzer
Our founder, John E. Fetzer, spent a lifetime following a deep spiritual yearning as documented in Brian C. Wilson’s book John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age. The book was recently awarded the Historical Society of Michigan's highest honor, the State History Award. Today, we celebrate the birth of Mr.
CANCELLED: The Lord Your Shepherd Silent Directed Retreats
One-night and two-night options available
"The Lord is your Shepherd... You shall not want... He makes you lie down in green pastures. He leads you beside the still waters. He restores your soul." Psalm 23:1-2
March Practice: From Rush to Replenish
As many Christians engage in the observance of Lent, we are drawn to two reflections that offer wisdom for these times and practices any of us can engage in, regardless of our faith.
Opening our hearts and beginning again: “Lent is a call to weep for what we could have been and are not…” wrote Sister Joan Chittister in 2011. “Lent is not about penance. Lent is about becoming, doing and changing whatever it is that is blocking the fullness of life in us right now.”