|
From the President
 We in America live in a country founded by Europeans seeking a place to practice their religions. From Puritans in New England to Quakers in Pennsylvania to Catholics in Maryland, people came to this continent from places where their views were not tolerated in order to be free of religious persecution. Further, they erected their churches and meeting houses upon land sacred to the peoples who already inhabited it. In fact, massacres occurred on or near some of the sites now occupied by buildings erected for religious gatherings and worship.
Since the early days of the founding our our republic, this country has grown in diversity until now a cultural and religious tapestry woven of wondrous threads from many parts of the world spreads across the land. Those indigenous to this land practice their own religions, religions and spiritual perspectives have been brought here from other places, and this land has engendered new religions.
The First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution guarantees all Americans the right to assemble peaceably. As practitioners of the "ancient-future" Pagan religions, we at Cherry Hill Seminary support the right of all Americans to express their spirituality, and to honor their cultures of origin, wherever they choose.
Aline O'Brien (Macha)
|
|
Webmaster Opportunity
 Are you creative, reliable and
tech-savvy? CHS is looking for a webmaster so that Selina can devote
more of her time to other duties. This is a volunteer position with
specific responsibilities and the expectation of roughly ten hours per
week work. If you are a CHS student, you are entitled to a modest
discount on your tuition. Applicants should submit a resume, three
references, and provide copies of or links to samples of web design work
you have done. Email us for a job description or with your questions. |
|
|
Fall Courses Still Open for Registration
 Why take classes with Cherry Hill Seminary? As Mari Elm, current student in the Pagan Pastoral Counseling department, says, "What I've learned in my brief vocation as
clergy is that I am not anywhere near adequately prepared to counsel
people for such emotional/psychological disorders. This is why I'm back
in school, earning a Master of Divinity degree with a focus on
pastoral care and counseling. I need to be a safe resource for my
ministry patrons, and part of that safety involves knowing where the
line is between when I can help and when it is time to refer that person
to a properly trained, competent professional."
The following classes need more students to register in order for them to run:Western Initiation - needs at least one more student to run
American Spiritualities - needs at least two more students to run
Global Paganisms - needs at least two more students to run
A Saunter With Muir and Whitman - will be running, but more students are welcome to join
Starting a Spiritually-Centered Business - still has room for students to join
The following classes are confirmed to run during the fall semester:
Research & Writing in Pagan Studies
Effective Web Development for Pagan Organizations
Erotic Ethics
A Saunter With Muir & Whitman
Call of the Dark Mother
Paganism and the Body
Starting a Spiritually-Centered Business
Personality Theories
Human Development in a Pagan Context
The following classes are confirmed as cancelled during the fall semester:
Rites of Passage
Warrior in Shadow
Religion & the Law
Spirit of Economics
Visit our website for more information on our classes or register. Remember, registration closes on September 6th, so register today! |
|
Meet Michael Walker
 The Reverend Michael Walker is an ordained Unitarian Universalist minister, with a 25-year history in the Pagan community. His academic vita includes a Master of Divinity from Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley and a Master of Arts in Humanities and Leadership from New College of California, formerly in San Francisco. He is currently a distance doctoral student at Saybrook University, based in San Francisco.
He serves as an officer on the national Board of Trustees of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. He has served on boards and steering committees for various groups within the Pagan community since 1989; he has also served on various committees and boards associated with the GLBT community, for HIV services (Michael was formerly a nurse), and in academia and UU churches.
Today, he is a Resident Minister and the Administrative Manager at the UU Rowe Camp and Conference Center in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. He lives in the intentional community that operates Rowe Center. In the past, he was an Adjunct Professor at Starr King School for the Ministry (teaching about Paganism to Pagan, UU and Christian graduate students), and in August 2010, he joined the faculty of Cherry Hill Seminary. An alumnus of Pacific School of Religion and ordained by the First Unitarian Universalist Society of San Francisco, he became one of a handful of Pagan UU ministers who are getting very good at rocking the boat.
Believing in the right of all Pagans to live as they choose, and to be accepted by mainstream society, he has been involved with the International Pagan Pride Project and other Pagan advocacy organizations. During 2004-05, he served as a Co-Chair for the San Diego (CA) Pagan Pride Day event, and is very proud of how they have continued to grow and flourish after he moved away. 'Pagan ministry' - two words that are not often heard spoken in the same sentence - it is one of Michael's lifelong goals to help change that. For him, ministry includes (among other things) providing social services (chaplaincy, elder care, and other special assistance) to members of the community during their times of greatest need. Since he finally came to the conclusion that the Pagan community was not growing up fast enough to provide the types of ministry that he wished to be part of, he branched out and developed a relationship with Unitarian Universalism. It is his goal to provide ministry in both spiritual communities, together and (if necessary) separately.
In his personal life, he is a single gay man, living in rural Massachusetts with his beloved black cat, Kali. He loves Celtic and world music, reads science fiction and fantasy, and believes that his artistic pursuits are a spiritual practice. He formerly owned an art gallery in San Diego, and is a weaver, sculptor and lapidary/jewelry-maker, although he doesn't currently offer his artwork commercially. He is a veteran of the US Navy, having served in the U.S. and Japan. |
|
Michelle Mueller
 Michelle Mueller lead a Pagan Book Discussion Group at the UU church where she works. The group will read and discuss Aradia, or the Gospel of the Witches, The Metamorphoses of Apuleius, and their influence on modern Wicca and Paganism. Meetings are the first Tuesday of every month, starting on Sept. 7, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Cherry Hill, NJ. Meetings are free and open to anyone in the area, but there will be a charge to cover the cost of printing. Contact Michelle for information. Michelle may develop a literature/theology course for CHS with these sources in the future. |
|
|
