Starting Tuesday, 2/14

Tuesdays, 4:45-6 pm, Wilder 215

Rev. Greg McGonigle and Asher Kolieboi

This course will be an introduction to queer theory and an exploration of queer experience in various religious traditions. Through short readings, discussions, films and guest speakers we will explore the resources present in various religious traditions both for queer oppression and queer liberation. In this community based learning course, students will be encouraged to develop opportunities for challenging and transforming spiritual violence against LGBTQ people through ritual, activism, education, and community building projects. Enrollment limited to 15; application and consent of instructor required.

Instructor: Willie Kunert wkunert@oberlin.edu

Day and Time TBA

This semester Willie Kunert, a member of the Oberlin Meditators will be guiding a meditation exco. It will meet once a week at either 7 or 4:30 on a weekday not yet specified. There are obviously countless traditions and methods of meditation, but in this exco he'll be focusing on the practices he's  been devoted to over the last few years. The exco will draw primarily from Qi Gong, Kundalini and Zen, but is really a mix of things that have worked well for him. This class is going to be based around community, open sharing, and group learning/teaching as much as it is going to be about the act of sitting meditation itself. All the meditations covered in this class have helped make create some incredibly positive changes in Willie's life, and he's hoping to be able to share them with as many people as possible to help create some really wonderful communities at Oberlin this semester.

Saturday, 2/11, 11 am-2 pm, First Church in Oberlin JFO Room

The Interfaith Hospitality Network is a shelter program that rotates among towns and faith communities in Lorain County, sponsored by Family Promise. Several faith communities in Oberlin host the shelter and/or provide volunteers to staff it. If you would like to get involved, please attend this volunteer training, conducted by Katherine Robbie, VISTA Volunteer and Lois Pozega, the new Executive Director of Family Promise of Lorain County. Lunch will be provided. 

Sunday, 2/12, 11:15 am, First Church in Oberlin JFO Room

This year President Marvin Krislov singed Oberlin College on to President Obama's Interfaith Engagement and Community Service Campus Challenge--a national recognition program for campuses around the country to survey and scale their work in promoting religious pluralism and interfaith engagement. Oberlin joins 250 other campuses around the country that are conducting President's Challenge projects this year. Come learn about the aspects of Oberlin's President's Challenge project and how it is deepening our institutional commitment to religious pluralism and interfaith engagement. All are welcome.

Wednesdays, 2/8 & 29, 3/21, 4/11 and 5/2, 6:45 pm, First Church in Oberlin JFO Room

Former Oberlin Religion Professor Ed Long will offer this series on the directions religion may take in the future (with primary attention to Christianity). Some think religion may not have a future--belonging is down and the significance of religion for shaping human affairs in the First World is less obvious than in the past. But the evidence is different from the Third World. Whether the current situation is temporary or permanent is not clear. This series will examine movements and trends as seen both in the media and by theological scholars, and the intersections between the two. General topic areas are listed below:

2/8 Reaffirming and Reconceptualizing Beliefs: Reasserting orthodoxy, modernizing belief, changing the understanding of doctrine

2/29 Improving Personal Fortunes or Experience: Prosperity gospel, purpose-driven life, replacing religion with spirituality

3/21 Centering Religion in Group Identity: Culture faith, liberation theology, Christianity in non-Western settings

4/11 Interrelating Traditions: Ecumenical movement, interfaith practices

5/2 Witnessing and Transforming the World: Living as "resident aliens," seeking social justice, environmental concerns and peacemaking 

Friday, 2/10, 5-9 pm

Saturday, 2/11, 8 am-9 pm

Sunday, 2/12, noon-5 pm

Location: Wilder 115

Alternatives to Violence Project workshops use the shared experience of participants, interactive exercises, games and role-plays to examine the ways in which we respond to situations where injustice, prejudice, frustration and anger can lead to aggressive behavior and violence. The training is highly experiential with participants choosing many of the ways in which the exercises and skill learning occur. $35 is requested to cover the expenses of the trainers but all are welcome, regardless of ability to pay. To register please call or email David Snyder at (440) 574-9501 or davidasnyder@hotmail.com. Sponsored by Oberlin Friends (Quaker) Meeting, Oberlin College Student Young Friends, and the Oberlin College Office of Religious and Spiritual Life.

Tuesday, 2/14, 4:30-6 pm, Science Center Commons

Sponsored by the Bonner Center for Service and Learning

Friday, 2/17, 8 pm, Finney Chapel

The Blind Boys of Alabama are recognized worldwide as living legends of gospel music and winners of five Grammy Awards. Tickets are available at Central Ticket Service (440-775-8169)  and Wilder Information Desk): $7 OCID/ $15 Public. Sponsored by the Assemblies Committee.

Tuesday, 2/21, 7:30 pm, Finney Chapel
*Free tickets available from Central Ticket Services 67 N. Main Street, starting February 13 for patrons with OCID.

Wednesday, 2/22, 12:10 pm, Fairchild Chapel

The Reverend Dr. Brian Wilbert of Christ Episcopal Church in Oberlin will celebrate the liturgy of the day with the imposition of ashes and holy communion. All are welcome.

Sunday, 3/4, 7:30 pm, Craig Aud., Ancient Synagogues: Field Debates

Monday, 3/5, 7:30 pm, Craig Aud., Palestinian Synagogues: Iconographic Cues

Wednesday, 3/7, 4:30 pm, Craig Aud., Diaspora Synagogues: Continuity and Innovation

Jodi Magness, PhD, is the Kenan Distinguished Professor for Teaching Excellence in Early Judaism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She previously taught at Tufts University. Dr. Magness specializes in the archaeology of ancient Palestine in the Roman, Byzantine, and early Islamic periods. Her research interests include Jerusalem, Qumran and the Dead Sea Scrolls, ancient synagogues, Masada, and ancient pottery. She received her BA in Archaeology and History from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and her PhD in Classical Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania. She was a post-doctoral fellow at Brown University. In June 2011 she began a new dig at Huqoq, an ancient Jewish village just 2.8 miles from Migdal and close to Capernaum.

Tuesday, 3/13, 7 pm, First Church in Oberlin (UCC) Meetinghouse

"Thy Will Be Done" is a film that explores the experience of a transgender person seeking ordination in the Presbyterian Church (USA). The film screening will be followed by refreshments and a panel-led discussion. All are welcome.

This summer GoEco is hosting an exciting opportunity to teach children from different religious backgrounds in a fun, outdoor camp in beautiful Northern Israel. This is the second year GoEco, together with local Jewish and Arab partner organizations, is running this groundbreaking program for children and volunteers of all backgrounds. These camps aim to promote peace and coexistence alongside arts, sports, and environmental education. This is a wonderful opportunity to gain international volunteer experience, become immersed in a mix of foreign cultures, and leave a lasting positive impact on the lives of children.