The
Center for Spiritual Development is a program of The Church at Monument Square:
the Universalist Unitarian Church of Haverhill. The goal of the Center is to
help individuals on their life’s spiritual journey by providing resources to
awaken and sustain love. Our programs are guided by a set of seven principles,
found on the last page. One of these principles is of particular importance to
our work. It affirms our intention to accept one another and encourage each
other’s spiritual growth. We will not judge the path you have chosen; rather we
will offer programs which will help you strengthen your own disciplines.
Spiritual
development is a life-long process requiring Spiritual Practice, Life
Support, Education and Exploration, and Service to Others. These are
the categories we use to present our programs. They can be described this way:
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Spiritual Practice:
The
varieties of human Spiritual Practice are vast. Choosing those that
awaken your spirit can enrich and transform your life if done with discipline
and mindfulness.
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Life Support:
Each of us
is forced to navigate troubled waters on our life’s journey. To do this
successfully, without breaking our spirit, we need Life Support from
others.
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Education and Exploration:
All
spiritual growth requires an openness to learn and explore alternatives.
Whatever your chosen path, Education and Exploration are essential.
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Service to Others:
Once you begin to feel your life being transformed, you become alive to your new
strength and the possibility of being of Service to Others.
Winter/Spring 2006 Programs:
Quick Links:
Life Support
Education & Exploration
Service to Others
Special Programs
Spiritual Practice
Buddhist
Meditation Group:
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Learn and
practice ancient arts of meditation, chanting, Qi Gong, Buddhist Yoga and Reiki.
All practices focus on healing and creating inner and outer peace.
Leader: Peg
Travers, Ordained Priest, Buddha Heart, USA.
Day & Time: Every Sunday 5-6 pm.
Drop-ins Welcome, No registration required
Yoga:
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Join us for a relaxing and rejuvenating yoga class that promises to be great for everyone including those who are new to yoga or those who want to improve their practice. The class will be led by Paula Wilson, Registered Yoga Instructor who is trained in Ashtanga Yoga, which is a vinyasa (flowing style). Please arrive 10 minutes early for set-up and bring your own yoga mat. (They may be purchased at most department stores.) Feel free to email the instructor with any question at pjw592@adelphia.net.
Leader: Paula Wilson.
Day & Time: Tuesdays evenings from 7:00 pm to 8:00 pm, Sunday evenings from 6:15 pm to 7:15 pm, and Friday mornings from 9:00 am to 10:00 am
Cost: $12 (or $10 each if you pay for 6 classes). Payment is made to your instructor at the time of the class.
Registration required , Limited to 10 participants:
Register Online
or Phone: 978-372-5173
Green Sanctuaries/Social Action Group:
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The Seventh Principle of our faith pledges us to "respect the interdependent web of all existence of which we are a part of." You are invited to join efforts to make The Church at Monument Square a Green Sacntuary, an example of how institutions can live in harmony with the earth.
Leader: Richard Smyth & Graham Schwass.
Day & Time:Contact the church for more information.
Drop-ins Welcome, No registration
required
Spiritual Life
Support
Controlling Anger, Practicing Forgiveness and Assertiveness, and Discovering Your Power:
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In this three week series Dr. Ken Reeves will explore with participants conflicts in human relationships, the healthy expression of anger, problem solving, handling criticism, assertiveness, forgiveness, and how to handle difficult people.
Week 1: What is Anger? How anger fits into the emotional spectrum. Anger vs. Hostility. Healthy expression of anger. Anger management. Easing chronic or overly volatile anger.
Week 2: Problem Solving. Assertiveness. Talking power.
Week 3: How to handle complaint and criticism. Learning how to forgive and discovering the benefits it brings.
Leader: Dr. Ken Reeves.
Day & Time: Wednesday, April 26th, May 3rd, & 10th, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm
Cost: $30
Registration required by April 23rd, Limited to
12 participants:
Register Online
by April 23rd or Phone: 978-372-5173
Support Group for Caregivers
and Family Members who have loved ones dealing with a Mental Illness:
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A peer-led support group, facilitated by Hal and Joanna Fortna, will provide
support for caregivers and family members who have loved ones dealing with a
mental illness. The facilitators, trained by NAMI (National Alliance of
Mental Illness), will encourage support group members to share experiences and
learn how to cope. In addition to
providing resources, the support group can provide insight, empathy,
understanding and hope.
Leaders: Hal & Joanna Fortna
Day & Time: First Thursday of the month, 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm.
Registration
required, Limited to 12 participants:
Register Online
or
Phone 978-372-5173
Spirituality & Psychology:
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In this two session series led by Dr. Ken Reeves you will explore the differences between spirituality and psychology. How is spiritual development contrasted with psychological development? How do the two support each other? How do spirituality and psychology each define the self?
Leader: Dr. Ken Reeves
Day & Time: Wednesday, May 17th, & 24th, 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm.
Registration
required by May 14th, Limited to 12 participants:
Register Online by May 14th
or
Phone 978-372-5173
LaLeche League
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The LaLeche League helps mothers worldwide to breastfeed through mother-to-mother support, education, information, and encouragement and promotes a better understanding of breastfeeding as an important element in the healthy development of the baby and mother.
Leader: Michelle Michitson
Day & Time: Second Tuesdays of the month at 9:45 pm.
Drop-in's Welcome, No registration required
Education & Exploration
Programs for
the Spiritual Growth of Children and Youth:
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Our children's Religious Education program explores the world's many faiths and spiritual practices. Our program celebrates the natural world and honors the mystical. We invite our children to experience themselves as spiritual creatures and encourage them to discover their own personal truths. Through story telling, art and music, we study ritual celebrations, Gods and Goddesses, symbols and sacred texts. We acknowledge lessons learned form science and our collective histories. We embrace mystery and are respectful of other faiths and belief systems. Our classes are for children 3 and up and Nursery care is available for infants and toddlers.
Leader: Sally Liebermann,
Director of Religious Education.
Day & Time: Every Sunday Morning at 10:30 AM.
Please register by September 18th, Drop-in's are welcome throughout the year
Environmental Covenant Group:
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The earth is
a sanctuary waiting to inspire and lift your spirit with a sense of awe, wonder,
and responsibility. In walking with others you can discover a
simple, but powerful spiritual disciple in the beauty and peace of nature.
Leaders: Denise Johnson, Director of Haverhill’s
Brightside Program and Environmentalist Graham Schwass.
Day & Time:
Call The Church at Monument Square for details.
Drop-ins
Welcome, No registration required
Membership
Exploration Classes:
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If you are
interested in learning more about the congregation and faith that brings you
these programs, you are invited to join our next three-session Exploration Class. Please contact the church office for more information on when we will be holding the next sessions.
Phone
978-372-5173
Community Service & Advocacy
Community
Meals:
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Join with others
who create and serve a nutritious hot meal to our neighbors in need. Begun six
years ago, this community service program is ideal for individuals, families,
and organizations interested in addressing the growing problem of hunger in our
area. Meals are served at the Church at Monument Square on the first, third and
fifth Saturdays of the month. Help is needed between 3 and 5 PM.
Coordinator:
Diane Itasaka.
To volunteer contact
Shannon at 978-372-5173.
The
Cornucopia Project:
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In the late
spring volunteers begin signing up for this project which grows and harvests
15,000 ears of sweet corn for the food pantries and community service programs
in the community. This program is made possible in part by the underwriting of The Church at Monument Square, and grants from the Pentucket Bank and the Haverhill Rotary Club. Individuals, families, and organizations interested in
participating in the August/September 2006 harvest or in recruiting volunteers should
contact
Shannon at 978-372-5173.
Coordinators: Delight Reese and Peter Reinhold.
The Open Hand Pantry of Catholic Charities operates out of The Church at Monument Square. They provide food for residents of the City of Haverhill. They are open on Tuesday and Wednesday from 9:00 am to 11:30 am. Volunteers and other resources are needed to support and sustain these two vital human service programs. Please contact Shannon at 978-372-5173 for a list of
resources and volunteer opportunities
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Drop-in Center of Community Action, Inc. operates out of The Church at Monument Square. They provide meals and a warm (or cool) place to gather for the city's homeless population. Volunteers and other resources are needed to support and sustain these two vital human service programs. Please contact Shannon at 978-372-5173 for a list of
resources and volunteer opportunities
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Special Programs
NEW DATE!!
The Art, Technique, and Spiritual Value of Altered Books - A beginner's class:
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Introduction - What is an altered book?
The latest craze in the art/craft world is altering books. You start with any old used book that has no value and recreate it with the inspirations of your own spirit. Drawing from your own imagination and the inner stirrings of your heart you will create something that both reflects and reveals your true self. In this class you will learn and use many techniques and mediums:
Collage, paint, chalk, pastels, ink, rubber-stamping and embossing, fibers, textiles, transparencies, glues, handmade paper and beautiful wrapping paper, ephemera (interesting images, ticket stubs, cigar bands, vintage handwritten letters, old advertising, old travel paperwork, old photos, maps, whatever interests you!!)
And 3D embellishments! – old costume jewels, eyelets, brads, Milagros, beads, wire, sequins, buttons, small wood shapes, old game pieces, dominoes, scrabble letters, branches, dried flowers, stickers, funky metal pieces you find on the ground – anything goes!
Your book can be a themed book, or a general outpouring of your creativity!
Themes include travel, nature, love, loss, spirituality, faith, hope, anger, loss, fear, poetry, the circus, dreams, relationships – there are literally thousands of themes you can use. You can also derive a theme from the book you use. You use pictures and ephemera to create your theme as personal art.
Workshop
In the workshop, we will use 2 books: one for techniques – I will teach a variety of techniques to get you over the “I can’t destroy a book!” syndrome, and you can use that book to continue to record new techniques. The other book will be your ‘first themed altered book’ which we will start in class, depending on time, and you will continue on your own.
Techniques I’ll be presenting:
· Collage
· Rubber stamping and embossing
· Simple painting, inking and shading techniques
· Incorporating text from the book into your art
· Various ways to alter a book page: folding, cutting, creating a frame, layering, pockets, tabs, inserting pages, removing pages, tearing, finishing covers, etc.
This class, normally offered at $75, is being underwritten by the presenter's generous contribution to the Center for Spiritual Development.
Leader:
Corinne Steele
Day & Time: Saturday, April 26th, from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm.
Cost: $25
Registration required by April 23rd, to receive supply list. NO DROP-INS (Minimum of 6 participants):
Register Online by April 23rd
or
Phone:
978-372-5173
Laughing Circle:
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Laughter is good for the soul and refreshes and relaxes the whole body. So why not laugh? Why not laugh for no reason? This workshop will be based on Hasya Yoga (Laughter Yoga).
No jokes, no humor, just laughter.
Leaders:
Diane Brokvist, Kim Carlson, & Dan Wilson
Day & Time: The 2nd & 4th Mondays of the month starting on March 13th at 7:00 pm
No Registration required, Drop-ins welcome
Reiki: (Ray-Key):
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Reiki is an ancient method of hands on healing and energy
medicine. It is non-invasive, gentle and very effective in reducing stress, relieving pain and
enhancing our general health and well-being.
In Reiki 1 you will learn the history of this remarkable healing art, begin to understand the correlation between relaxation and healing, learn to give Reiki treatments to yourself and others, enjoy yourself, and take the first stems on an infinitely amazing journey. Reiki I Is a fun and experiential day! For your investment of $115* you will receive Reiki Attunements, manual and certificate. *This is a reduced rate made possible through the Center for Spiritual Development.
Leader: Marty Jacobus, RN, Polarity Therapist, Reiki Master Teacher
Day & Time: Saturday, April 22nd, 9:00 am to 5:00 pm
Cost:$115
Registration required by April 20th, Limited to 8 participants:
Register Online by April 20th
or
Phone 978-372-5173
Reiki for Youth:
Is created just for youth ages 12 and up, this special class will include all of the basic teachings and material from a traditional Reiki I class with a special focus on ways to remain positive and achieve and maintain “inner harmony” through the many amazing changes and challenges that take place during this wondrous time of life. Reiki for Youth is a fun and experiential day!!
Your investment of $90* includes REIKI I Attunements, Manual and a Certificate of Completion.
*This reduced rate is made possible through the Center for Spiritual Development. Permission of parent or guardian is required.
Leader: Marty Jacobus, RN, Polarity Therapist, Reiki Master Teacher
Day & Time: Saturday, May 13th, 10:00 am to 4:00 pm
Cost:$90
Registration required by May 6th, Limited to 6 participants:
Register Online by
May 6th
or
Phone 978-372-5173
Investing for Justice::
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The way we use money leaves a mark on our communities and the ecosystem. We may not think about it often, but our financial transactions have an effect on the interdependent web of life of which we are a part. The choices we make and the actions we take about money constitute our economic footprint. This service explores ways we can align our use of money with our values and put our money to work for justice.
The Rev. Dr. Dorothy May Emerson is a UU Community Minister from Medford, Massachusetts. Having previously served as parish minister in several congregations in New England, she now offers workshops and leads Sunday services for UU congregations across the continent. Dorothy founded the UU Women’s Heritage Society and edited the anthology, Standing Before Us: UU Women and Social Reform, 1776-1936. She is the co-author of the adult religious education curriculum, Creating a Just Economic Community, and developed Working but Still Poor for the UU.
Service Committee. She also edited Glorious Women: Award-Winning Sermons about Women and is editor and co-writer of Called to Community: Unitarian Universalism and Community Ministry (to be published 2006). She has written two features for UU World: “The Microcredit Revolution” (March/April 2005) and “Seeds of Opportunity” (Spring 2006). She and her spouse, Donna Clifford, established Rainbow Solutions to help people and organizations live and invest responsibly in order to create a better world for future generations and ourselves.
Day & Time: Sunday, May 7th, 10:30 am Worship
Investing for Justice Workshop
Would you like to make money on investments and work for positive social change at the same time? Learn how to bring your financial choices into alignment with your values by following the practices of socially and environmentally responsible investing. This workshop will explore different aspects of socially responsible investing, including community investing and shareholder activism. If you already have investments, you will learn how to think about your current investments according to socially responsible criteria. If you are not already an investor, you will learn how to start investing in ways that support your values.
Donna E. Clifford is an investment consultant with Progressive Asset Management, specializing in socially responsible investing. Dorothy Emerson is a Unitarian Universalist community minister, serving as a consultant to interfaith justice making organizations. Together they operate Rainbow Solutions Financial Services, in Medford, Massachusetts. Their mission is to help people and organizations live and invest responsibly in order to create a better world for future generations and ourselves.
Day &Time: Sunday, May 7th at 2:00 pm
Registration required for Afternoon Workshop by April 30th:
Register Online by April 30th
or
Phone 978-372-5173
New Moon
Coffee House:
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The New Moon Coffeehouse, a concert series offering a variety of genres of acoustic music, is supported by the Haverhill Universalist Unitarian Church as a means to provide quality music for families and individuals in a safe, smoke and alcohol free environment. Concerts take place from October to May, usually once a month. Hot and cold beverages and a variety of scrumptious deserts are served before the show and during intermission. Past shows have included traditional folksingers, contemporary singer/songwriters, blues artists, Nashville performers and some of the best local talent in the Merrimack Valley and New Hampshire. For more information, leave a message at 978-373-9259 or visit their web site
www.newmooncoffeehouse.org.
Concert Dates: (more may be added later)
Saturday, October 15th, Saturday, November 19th, Saturday, February 4th, Saturday, April 15th, Saturday, May 20th
Tickets are on sale from 6:30 pm the day of the show at the church. Doors open to the public at 7:30 pm and the show starts at 8:00 pm. New Moon concerts offer two full sets by the featured artist, and free parking.
The programs of the Center for Spiritual Development are funded in part by the Fund for Unitarian Universalism, and the contributions of the members and friends of The Church at Monument Square, a Welcoming Unitarian Universalist Congregation.
The Church at Monument Square is handicap accessible on the first floor by using the Ashland Street entrance. Parking is available on Kenoza Avenue or in our lot on Ashland Street.
Unless noted otherwise, all programs will be held at The Church at Monument Square. The entrance on Ashland Street is most convenient to the meeting rooms.
Programs designated as Covenant Groups encourage open sharing in a loving, confidential, and non-judgmental atmosphere. Sessions open with a reading from a variety of sources of inspiration followed by quiet reflection and sharing.
As part of The Church at Monument Square, the Center is welcoming to peoples of all races, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientations and religious faiths.
For more information about the Center or any of it's programs please email Shannon or call her at 978-372-5173.
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