October 13, 2023


Dear friends,


As the days continue to grow shorter in the northern hemisphere, the animals and plants here in Maine are preparing for the colder months to come, gathering food stores and dropping leaves to conserve energy. Autumn brings a quiet after the bustle of summer, even as our programming schedule remains robust. And as we notice the changes in this particular part of the world, our hearts are aching for the victims of violence all over the world, especially in Israel and Palestine. We pray for all those beings caught in the conflict born of decades of trauma.


As our attention is pulled in so many directions — our own lives, our commitments, climate chaos and conflicts — slowing down is not always present or possible for us. Yet inviting in moments of lingering — under a particular tree, with a friend over tea, or even alone with all the multitude of feelings within our own hearts — offers us moments for grounding and metabolizing all the many experiences of our day-to-day lives.


We hope that the programs we are offering this fall will offer you inspiration and space for lingering within supportive community. We'll be hosting a very special evening with Margaret Wheatley on Tuesday, October 24 centered on Complicated Hope. We hope you'll join us for an evening of conversation, music, and connection.


For those of you in Maine, The BTS Center is delighted to be co-sponsoring a Spiritual Care Summit on Monday, October 23, in collaboration with Spiritual Care Services of Maine. We'll also gather on October 27 for the final session of our Wonder and Wander at Tir na nOg Farm — there are still a few spaces available! And Lament with Earth, our time of ritual and lamentation created with The Many, will return for another cycle starting November 1.


We look forward to seeing you at one or more of these offerings in the coming months!


With best wishes,

The BTS Center Team

Join Us for these Upcoming Events:


Spiritual Care Summit

  • Monday, October 23 • 9.30am - 4.15pm
  • In person at St. Joseph's College, Portland, Maine
  • Presented by Spiritual Care Services of Maine


Complicated Hope: An Evening with Margaret Wheatley

  • Tuesday, October 24 • 7.00 – 8.30pm (Eastern) • Online
  • Featuring a conversation with esteemed author and organizational consultant Margaret Wheatley, a panel of conversationalists, and musical guest Thew Elliott


Wonder and Wander at Tir na nOg Farm

  • Friday, October 27 • 9.00am – 4pm
  • In person at Tir na nOg Farm in Pownal, ME
  • Hosted by Rev. Holly Morrison and Madeline Bugeau-Heartt


Lament with Earth

  • Wednesday, November 1 • 7:30 - 8.30pm (Eastern) • Online
  • The first of five seasonal offerings of ritual, poetry, music, and lamentation

Celebrating Convocation 2023

We are so grateful for all of you who came together — in person and online — to make this year's Convocation such a success. Your presence, insights, and feedback will continue to shape our programming going forward, and the community you have helped us to co-create continues to grow and deepen.


We hope you'll enjoy some of these resources from Convocation:


Video recordings:



You can also find a gallery of images from Convocation at the link below!

Convocation Photo Gallery

What participants are saying about Convocation 2023:


"Just a wonderful heart-opening experience that I also heard reflected in folks that shared with me about their own Convocation experience. Something happened to me, and I heard for so many, that was a gift to spirit and soul. Great leadership from all on The BTS Center staff. Strong, clear, engaged leadership for the whole Convocation."


"So grateful that The BTS Center is doing this work. It has reinvigorated my spiritual life in ways I did not expect."


"I came away so energized about this spiritual community and how this approach may revitalize my own spiritual journey and my faith community."


"Your design of the online experience gave it a feeling of inclusion in the greater Convocation, as well as a small community of its own. I feel like I took away the intellectual and spiritual benefits of attending. The flexibility was wonderful, too. It was very rich and remains with me!"

Season 2 of Climate Changed is here!


We are thrilled to be bringing you another season of our podcast, co-hosted by Nicole Diroff and Ben Yosua-Davis and produced by Peterson Toscano. Each episode features thoughtful and thought-provoking interviews and reflections, this season centering on the theme of collective honesty and complicated hope.


Featuring conversations with Rob Shetterly, Susi Moser, Eileen Flanagan, Keisha McKenzie, Rob Buckley, Margaret Wheatley, Debra Rienstra, and Shanon Shah, Season 2 is sure to spark your imagination and curiosity.


Episode 1 is live, and Episode 2 will be coming your way on October 31. You can find Climate Changed at www.ClimateChangedPodcast.org or on your favorite podcast listening platform.


Listen to the first episode of Season 2 here!

The BTS Center | 207.774.5212 | info@thebtscenter.org | www.thebtscenter.org

 Our mission is to catalyze spiritual imagination with enduring wisdom for transformative faith leadership. We offer theologically grounded programs of continuing education and spiritual formation, including workshops and retreats, learning cohorts, public conversations, and projects of applied research.
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