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Are you looking to deepen your ministry of congregational leadership?
Shalem's long-term programs might be the perfect fit for you.
- accepting applications in the spring, program begins summer 2013
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Shalem's Mission is to
nurture
contemplative
living
and leadership -
a way of being
prayerfully
attentive
and responsive to
God's presence
and guidance.
"I'm so deeply
grateful for Shalem
and the meaningful faith community
it is for me
and so many,
and for the
countless ways this
connection sustains, supports and nurtures
not only the
various ministries
I offer, but the
heart of my soul itself.
How could I
not support Shalem in return?!"
(A Shalem Donor)
Thank you!
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"We need a graced trust if we are to relinquish what we so desperately cling to for security, for the sake of our real freedom and security in God."
- Tilden Edwards
Join Shalem's FB page to view contemplative photos, inspiring quotes and be part of an online praying community of almost 1500 people.
To join, click on the FB link below and LIKE Shalem's page.
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Events in:
New York
Virginia
West Virginia
Austria
Canada
Italy
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Support Shalem this Holiday Season by
Donating through Amazon
When you purchase your holiday gifts on Amazon through the link below, as well as through the Amazon links on
Shalem.org, a portion of the proceeds will go to Shalem!
Please consider Shalem the next time you get that special gift for that special someone and order through Amazon via Shalem!
Thank you!!!
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A Marvelous Needlepoint Pictureby Lee Goodwin
One of my directees is a parish pastor. Several months ago, we spent some time considering his questions around the possibility of a call to a different congregation. The issues raised were specifically related to the act of discernment. How does one discern which way to turn? What decision is the right one? Is there one right decision? What information or experience is fair game for the discernment process? In the cacophony of voices that speak at such a time, which ones are authentic and which ones are the "sirens" of the false self?
My feeling of inadequacy before this range of questions evokes a sense of the great mystery that lies beneath the act of discernment as well as the importance of humility in approaching any occasion for discernment. But I'd like to suggest four keys to the discernment process which surfaced in our conversations.
First, the incarnational key: this is the whole panoply of questions and issues that revolve around the concrete realities of life in a place. What is it about a place-its geography, its demographics, its personality-that is either appealing or unappealing? What about a place is experienced  as sacred? The very physical aspects of a place (whether rural, urban or suburban) are part of the incarnational assessment. This key assumes that God comes to us in people and places. In the "flesh" of earth and sky, city streets and the common life as it is commonly lived, there is God. Certainly God can be encountered in any place, but the incarnational key leads us to ask specifically where in this place or in some new location do we sense God's presence. With this question comes the invitation not only to recognize God in what is familiar but also to recognize our human inclination to limit or domesticate God.
The second key is...
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 Lee Goodwin, a Lutheran Pastor (ELCA) living in northern Wisconsin, is a graduate of Shalem's Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats Program and Shalem's Spiritual Guidance Program. A parish pastor until 2008, he currently is a planned giving developer for the Northern Great Lakes Synod and is co-director of a nine-month program of spiritual enrichment ("Deepening the Spiritual Life") offered by the Norbertine Center for Spirituality at St. Norbert Abbey in Green Bay, Wisconsin, where he also offers spiritual direction.
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In Thanksgiving
During this season of giving thanks, we are particularly grateful for our Shalem community far and near.
Your prayers, support and partnership sustain
Shalem's work in the world.
O, God, We thank you for this earth, our home; for the wide sky and the blessed sun, for the ocean and streams, for the towering hills and the whispering wind, for the trees and green grass.
We thank you for our senses by which we hear the songs of birds and see the splendor of fields of golden wheat, and taste autumn's fruit, rejoice in the feel of snow, and smell the breath of spring flowers.
 Grant us a heart opened wide to all this beauty; and save us from being so blind that we pass unseeing when even the common thornbush is aflame with your glory. For each new dawn is filled with infinite possibilities for new beginnings and new discoveries. Life is constantly changing and renewing itself. In this new day of new beginning with God, all things are possible. We are restored and renewed in a joyous awakening to the wonder that our lives are and yet can be. Amen. 
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Leading Contemplative Prayer Groups & Retreats Program Early Deadline Dec. 1 "Participation in this program has been one of the most significant experiences in my spiritual journey and my pastoral ministry." - Dennis Adams
Application deadlines: December 1, 2012, January 1, 2013
Program begins: January 2013
First Residency: May 1-8, 2013
Second Residency: March 11-18, 2014
Program ends: June 1, 2014
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Spiritual Guidance Program
Early Bird Deadline December 1
"This has truly been a blessed and life changing opportunity."
- Jade Angelica
If you would like to apply for this program, click here to learn more or contact Christine Jeffrey chris@shalem.org the Program Registrar at 301-897-7334 or download the application form (PDF) by clicking here. |
Empowering Leadership II: Discernment in Transition
January 26, 2013
"It allowed me to get reacquainted with silence and hear from my heart the deeper things that are within." - Participant from October's Empowering Leadership workshop
Throughout history, in every culture and religious tradition, human beings have relied on a dynamic source of Wisdom, listening for the heartbeat of the future world. As an executive, you know that the increasingly complex problems your organization faces require more than intellect alone. It is an urgent time for rediscovering, and deepening connections to, the power of Wisdom.
This workshop will be composed of a seminar, specific practices for cultivating presence and awareness, questions for reflection, and group interaction.
Empowering Leadership II: Discernment in Transition
Saturday, January 26, 2013
10:00am - 4:00pm
St. Paul's College, 3015 Fourth Street, NE, Washington, DC
Led by Ann Dean, Leah Rampy & Kendrick Curry$100 for the workshop
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Yoga & Drumming Retreat
January 26-27, 2013
What would my life and relationships be like if my intent were just to be present - not to be efficient, be productive, accomplish anything, learn anything, meet a goal, or "use" my time wisely?
In this weekend retreat, we will have the opportunity to answer the call of Spirit to come away to a quiet place where we will not be distracted by the demands of the world. During this time of renewal, we will experience yoga and drumming as prayer forms as we practice contemplative prayer in the form of devotional chanting, meditation, conscious breathing, drumming and yoga postures.
No prior experience with yoga or drumming is necessary.
Saturday, Jan. 26 (10am) - Sunday Jan. 27 (after lunch)
Holy Trinity Spiritual Center
8400 Park Heights Avenue North, Pikesville, MD
Led by Katy Gaughan and Ani Vidrine
$235 early bird registration before January 5, 2013
$260 registration after January 5, 2013
Cost includes tuition, single room, shared bath and meals.
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Nurturing Day for Clergy
January 28, 2013
 Nurturing one's own soul and deepening in the life of the Spirit are essential to spiritual leadership and are the heart of an ordained vocation. Our focus will be on spiritually grounded life and leadership, and our time will include guided meditation, silent prayerful listening, individual and small group reflection along with opportunities to share from your own experience with colleagues who seek to lead from their spiritual heart.
For those interested in Shalem's Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership: Going Deeper Program, there will be a special introduction to the program at the end of the day. Monday, January 28, 2013 10:00am - 4:00pm
Shalem Library, 3025 4th St. NE, Washington, DC
Led by Carole Crumley, Director of Shalem's Clergy Spiritual Life and Leadership: Going Deeper Program
$50. Please bring a bag lunch.
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Sounds of Hope - A Spirit-Filled Evening with Djesben | |
Djesben at The Potter's House
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On Friday, November 9, Shalem friends and music lovers gathered at the Potters House in Washington, DC, to enjoy an evening of special entertainment and to support the ministry of Shalem. Former Shalem staff member Katy Gaughan and her band Djesben provided a special arrangement of spirit-filled music, including a number set to the poetry of Rumi. With Katy on percussion, Topher Dunne on the Chapman Stick and Christian Crowley on the Appalachian Dulcimer, the delighted crowd was treated to a wonderful selection of contemplative world/jazz/groove music and left wanting to hear more of this talented band.
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Three staff members stayed on to keep the center up and running and provide meals for us. While Hurricane Sandy raged outside and the trees groaned and swayed, our prayerful circles continued. 
