Cultivating Connections Recommends:  

Events and More for Metro Louisville - January 2015

Affirming Connections between Planet, People, Power and Possibilities

Table of Contents - Click to Jump to the Listing
Saturday the 3rd * NOKXL Pledge of Resistance Gathering
Starting Tuesday the 7th * The Great Work: Recovering a Sacred Community
Wednesday the 7th * Louisville Sustainability Forum
Starting Thursday the 8th * Cultivating Mindful Leadership via Reflection on Sacred Texts
Tuesday the 13th * Compassionate Louisville Town Hall Meeting at 7 Counties
Wednesday the 14th * Food Chains Film Screening - Advance Tickets Required
Saturday the 17th * Louisville TimeBank 3rd Birthday Party
Monday the 19th * Social Change Book Club - Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions
Tuesday the 20th * Greater Louisville Sierra Club presents Tom Fitzgerald
Tickets on sale now - Merton, Eckhart and Calling w/ Matthew Fox
Tickets on sale now - Becoming a Mystic Warrior for Our Times w/ Matthew Fox
findusonfacebook

If You Are on Facebook,
 Please go to our Facebook Page
and give us a "Like".
 

Saturday, January 3 from 3 - 5pm
NOKXL Pledge of Resistance Gathering
Thomas Jefferson Unitarian Church, 4936 Brownsboro Road

From the 350 Louisville Keystone Pipeline Organizers:
 
350 Louisville is holding this event to continue the focus on the Keystone Pipeline because there may be Senate action on the Keystone XL very early in the year.  Over the last sixteen months, we have trained 60+ people to engage in civil disobedience if the pipeline is approved.  This January 3 event will bring these trainees back together to re-connect with each other, to review our "Pledge of Resistance" plans, and to talk about possible Pledge "re-mobilization." We have broadened this invitation to the larger progressive community in hopes of attracting participation in the support rally (non-arrestees) that would accompany any action.  We may also hold another training session if there is interest and time. 
 
Please RSVP to Drew Foley at bdrewf@yahoo.com 
 

There will also be a short video of the story of "350 Louisville" that was presented at Bluegrass Bioneers in October.  Everyone is welcome regardless of whether or not you've been involved with "the Pledge;" we are all one group working on the same issue (i.e., stopping climate change and protecting Earth).  Let's build community.


 


Tuesdays and Wednesdays in January
The Great Work:
Recovering a Sacred Community
Passionist Earth and Spirit Center, 1924 Newburg Road

Many people now recognize that caring for the Earth is of vital importance for survival and the well being of our children. This course explores how we can make a transition from a period of human devastation of the Earth to a period when humans would celebrate the sacredness of all creation. It is a transformative educational experience that empowers participants to respond to humanity's current situation with action and informed, grounded optimism about our future.

Employing the observations and insights of Thomas Berry, the course examines the current ecological and cultural crises as well as considers the values and vision we need for the healing of our world. The goal is to engage in the Great Work of our time: to bring forth an environmentally sustainable, spiritually fulfilling and socially just human presence on the planet.

Learn about the extraordinary shift taking place in our understanding of the world and our place as humans within it.

Four Tuesday Sessions: January 6, 13, 20, 27, 2015 from 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Four Wednesday Sessions: January 7, 14, 21, 28, 2015 from 10:00-12:00 noon.
Facilitator: Emily DeMoor, PhD
Cost: Suggested donation $100 early registration or $120 if paid after December 22. Some scholarships are available upon request. 

Registration and information on the Passionist Earth and Spirit website

 



Wednesday, January 7, 12 - 1:45 pm
Louisville Sustainability Forum
Passionist Earth and Spirit Center
(located behind St Agnes Church at 1920 Newburg Road)

Presentations:

Nick Covault with PosSOUPbility

Bethany Green with My Dog Eats First
 
Now in its seventh year, the purposes of the Louisville Sustainability Forum are:
1.We hold and promote the intention of sustainability for Louisville.
2. We establish and nourish relationships that strengthen
community and create change.
3. We create a space for discussion that inspires, motivates and deepens
our ability to catalyze social change.

Food & drink:
Feel free to bring a bag lunch. If you'd like to prepare extra food or drink to share with others,
that is always welcome!

 

 
Weekly starting on Thursday, January 8 in the morning from 8 to 9 am
Cultivating Mindful Leadership through Intergenerational,
Contemplative Reflection on the World's Sacred Texts
The Loft 107 Crescent Ave  40206

While reading the latest theories on effective leadership is important, it is also valuable for today's leaders to be able to integrate the insights of the world's sacred traditions and the wisdom of their elders.

This weekly gathering will contemplatively study a variety of the world's sacred scriptures, listening for the wisdom and insights that emerge from intergenerational reflection and dialogue. 

Multiple generations, parents and adult children, and mentors and students are encouraged to participate. Weekly participation is not a requirement.  Come when you are able.

Facilitated by John and Jud Hendrix
 
John and Jud Hendrix, a father and son, have been wrestling separately and together with sacred texts for most of their lives.  Dr. John Hendrix is a former professor at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and author of many books, including "Nothing Never Happens: Experiential Learning and the Church." Jud Hendrix has a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary and teaches classes on theology, spirituality, and social change at Bellarmine University.   

Donations welcomed.  Details  judhendrix7@gmail.com  502-235-3250

Tuesday, January 13 at 12 pm
Join Seven Counties as it hosts the
January 2015 Compassionate Louisville Town Hall
Chestnut and Preston Streets

Experience compassion in action.
Each month we invite Louisville on a pilgrimage to discover the city's
often hidden compassion gems.

Everyone is invited! Bring a Friend! No RSVP required.

Through intention and social innovation, Compassionate Louisville creates
and celebrates a community and world becoming more and more compassionate.

The mission of the Partnership for a Compassionate Louisville is to
champion and nurture the growth of compassion.
    

Wednesday, January 14 at 7:30 pm
Food Chains Film Screening
Carmike Stonybrook 20 Cinemas, 2745 South Hurstborne Parkway

This is a crowd-sourced event, so to make it happen, we need 86 people to buy tickets ahead of time by *January 7th* for a screening on Wednesday, January 14th @ 7:30pm. (No charge to your credit card if for some crazy reason we don't reach the threshold).

Food Chains opened in theaters across the country during Thanksgiving week. It features the Coalition of Immokalee Workers' battle to transform the $4 trillion global supermarket industry through its worker-driven Fair Food Program.  The film is a must-see!

It reveals the human cost in our food supply and the complicity of large buyers of produce like fast food and supermarkets. Fast food is big, but supermarkets are bigger - earning $4 trillion globally. They have tremendous power over the agricultural system. Over the past 3 decades they have drained revenue from their supply chain leaving farmworkers in poverty and forced to work under sub-human conditions. Yet many take no responsibility for this.

Watch the trailer and buy tickets here!

The screening - at the Carmike Stonybrook 20 on Hurstborne - is hosted by the Presbyterian Hunger Program, Food in Neighborhoods Community Coalition, New Roots, Inc, KITLAC, 15Thousand Farmers, Sowers Of Justice Network, National Farm Worker Ministry, Edible Louisville, and FoodWorks: Louisville, and will include a post-film Q&A session.


 
 Timebank
Saturday, January 17 time tba
Louisville TimeBank Birthday Party
Highland Community Campus, 1228 E. Breckinridge 40204

Open to anyone interested in learning more about the Timebank!

There will be music, a dessert buffet, and more to celebrate the Louisville TimeBank's 3rd birthday party.

Would you like to be involved and help with either set up or at the event? Want to do some decorating? Make special desserts?   We will need a few more people than a normal potluck to make this party. Let us know if you would like to be involved!

The Louisville TimeBank's main fundraiser of the year is our silent auction. We already have some wonderful donations,(tickets to the Clifton Center and a massage in your home! ) but we would love your support in any items that you would like to donate! Small items are good too!

Parking is behind the building. The entrance is also on the back of the building off of Barrett.
 

 
Monday, January 19 at 6 pm
Social Change Book Club explores
Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions
by Gerd Gigerenzer
Heine Bros. Coffee, 119 Chenoweth Lane, St Matthews

Numbers may not lie, but they are certainly often misunderstood, according to German psychologist and risk analyst Gerd Gigerenzer, author of the January 19 book, Risk Savvy: How to Make Good Decisions. We make poor decisions on an array of issues, from health-care screenings to investment decisions to planned outings, because we blindly rely on data that may be incorrectly interpreted and reported.

Gigerenzer draws on psychology, sociology, and math to explain how data can start off clear and end up murky by the time it reaches its intended audience, leaving us helpless to make sound decisions about the risks involved.

In Risk Savvy, Gigerenzer reveals that most of us, including doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, and elected officials, misunderstand statistics much more often than we think, leaving us not only misinformed, but vulnerable to exploitation. Yet anyone can learn to make better decisions for their health, finances, family, and business without needing to consult an expert or a super computer, and Gigerenzer shows us how.

Hosted by Howard Mason

  
 Tuesday, January 20, 6 pm
Greater Louisville Sierra Club presents
Tom Fitzgerald on
"The 2015 General Assembly:
What's in store for the environment?
Clifton Center 2117 Payne Street

Please join us as we welcome Tom FitzGerald for our annual Kentucky legislative update. We'll learn about the good, the bad, and the ugly of our current state legislative agenda. This is an excellent opportunity to learn about what's going on in Frankfort and what we can do to make a difference. Our program is free and open to the public.

 

Tom FitzGerald has been a fixture in the halls of the Kentucky General Assembly since 1978 and the Director of the Kentucky Resources Council (KRC) since 1984.  KRC is a non-profit environmental advocacy organization providing free legal, strategic and policy assistance to individuals, organizations and communities concerning environmental quality, resource extraction, energy, and utility issues.

 

Tom has received numerous state and national awards for his amazing work, including the 14th Heinz Award in the Environment Category in 2008.




Make Your Reservations!




Cultivating Connections invites you to join us for this inspiring event exploring the benefits and risks of following your personal sense of calling over societal expectations. In addition to offering insights and stories from Thomas Merton and Meister Eckhart, author and theologian Matthew Fox will be dialoguing with a panel of local community members who have made a commitment to "following their bliss."

Matthew Fox is the internationally recognized, award-winning author of thirty books including his most recent Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for our Times, Original Blessing, The Reinvention of Work, A Spirituality Called Compassion and The Coming of the Cosmic Christ. He is an instrumental teacher and scholar in the revival of Western mysticism, particularly the work of Hildegard of Bingen, Meister Eckhart, and Thomas Aquinas.

Matthew served as a catholic priest until 1993 when his progressive theological perspective resulted in his expulsion from the church by then Cardinal Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict).  He presently serves as a Episcopal priest and resides in the Oakland California area.

"By connecting Eckhart's wisdom to the problems of today, Fox creates a sense of optimistic urgency; solutions do not wait in the future or lie in the past, but are present right now if people choose to act with compassion and conviction. The book is not only an excellent introduction to Eckhart's theology, but also an inspirational guidepost for connecting faith with activism."

                    - Publishers Weekly on Matthew's latest book:
                        Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for our Times

Friday tickets are available on a sliding scale: ($15  $25  $50)




In his latest book, Meister Eckhart: A Mystic Warrior for our Times, Matthew Fox explores the idea that in order to respond to the needs of this moment in history we must become "Mystic Warriors."  Such a transformation will require us to go deep - "deep where the joy resides; where the darkness pain and grief cry to us; where creativity is unearthed; where the passion for justice and compassion return again."

In addition to examining perspectives and tools for developing the depths of our personal compassion, this workshop will also explore the possibilities for justice-making that exist for the broader community in committing to "going deep."

Our exploration will be experienced through the powerful lens of the four paths of the Creation Spirituality tradition as articulated by our workshop's guide, theologian Matthew Fox.

The program will include a series of presentations from Matthew, corresponding processing opportunities facilitated by Cultivating Connections' Mark Steiner, topped off with the music and insight of the wonderful kRi and Hettie.

Fee is set on a sliding scale $40    $60    $95
Registration Open Now at BrownPaperTickets

Some work-study exchange and scholarship opportunities are available.
Email CultivatingConnections@twc.com for details.

This information brought to you by
Cultivating Connections
15000
 
cultivatingconnections@twc.com
502-897-2721
Louisville, Kentucky

Join Our FaceBook Group Find us on Facebook