February 14, 2024

Dear friends,

In the Christian liturgical calendar, today is Ash Wednesday — the beginning of the Lenten season. During these six weeks before Easter, we are offered the invitation to quiet ourselves into contemplation, to observe the patterns in ourselves and in our lives which lead us away from flourishing and life. There are many ways to honor this season, some of which hold deep history in Christian practice — fasting, prayer, and renunciation, for instance. We can also look deeply to the commitments we hold to our community of life on earth and, perhaps, make new commitments to work for the common good.

Of course, this Ash Wednesday happens to fall on Valentine's Day (something that will happen only three times in this century!). Although the cultural celebration of a day of love — replete with flowers and chocolate and decadence — may seem incongruous with the start of Lent, Lent itself offers us an opportunity to deepen our practice of love. As we ponder the ashes and our bodies' inevitable return to the earth, we hope to cultivate the love and reverence for all life that allows for the flourishing of all beings. In this contemplative (and hopefully love-filled) season, we have many ways for you to connect with us in whatever way feels most resonant for you.

We still have some space available to join our Chaplaincy Conversation Circles, although space is limited! This offering is open to those engaged in any form of chaplaincy who are seeking support and community. You may also wish to participate in one of our Group Spiritual Direction Circles, as we begin our next cohort in March. Next week brings our winter Lament with Earth in collaboration with The Many and Creation Care Alliance. And in late February, our friends at Lutherans Restoring Creation and One Home One Future are hosting a film discussion in which we are delighted to partner.

This summer, we are offering an exciting opportunity for congregations in Northern New England — our Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World retreat, which will take place at the Schoodic Institute in beautiful Winter Harbor, ME. Applications are now open!

We wish you a peaceful and meaningful start to the Lenten season.

With best wishes,

Join us for these Upcoming Programs:

Conversation Circles: Earth and Climate Chaplaincy

• Four Circles meeting February – August 2024
• Facilitated by Rev. Alison Cornish, Gabrielle Gelderman, Rabbi Ora Nitkin-Kaner, and Rev. Steve Blackmer
• For chaplains seeking to engage with one another around a variety of topics, including climate grief
• Now is the time to register! Space is limited, and circles will begin at the end of the month.

Group Spiritual Direction Circles

• 8-month cohorts starting in March and April
• Several circles to choose from — various days, times, and facilitators
• Gathering monthly in groups of six over Zoom, each two-hour session is centered on a prompt related to climate change, liminality, or uncertainty

Lament with Earth

• Wednesday, February 21 • 7.30 - 8.30pm (Eastern) • Online
• Original music, poetry, rituals, images, and sacred text, offering space for reflection through different seasons of the year
• Co-hosted by Creation Care Alliance

Regenerating Life Film Discussion

• Tuesday, February 27 • 8.00 - 9.00pm (Eastern) • Online
• A discussion with the filmmaker
• Register to receive the link to watch the documentary ahead of time
• Hosted by Lutherans Restoring Creation and One Home One Future

Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World

• A three-day retreat and community of practice for Northern New England congregations
• Thursday, June 20 - Saturday, June 22 • Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, ME
• Participation by application; retreat expenses covered by The BTS Center
• In collaboration with Creation Justice Ministries and the Anabaptist Climate Collaborative

Climate Justice Camp at Pilgrim Lodge

• Sunday to Saturday • July 21 - 27, 2024
• At Pilgrim Lodge, a ministry of the Maine Conference, United Church of Christ, on beautiful Lake Cobbosseecontee in West Gardiner, Maine
• For campers entering grades 9-12 and new high school graduates

We hope you've had a chance to listen to Episode 5 of our second season of our podcast, Climate Changed — a fantastic conversation featuring Margaret Wheatley and Debra Rienstra. If not, now is a great time to listen!

And stay tuned for Episode 6 featuring Shanon Shah, which premieres on February 27!

You'll want to check out the entire second season of Climate Changed, The BTS Center's podcast, for a wealth of thoughtful and thought-provoking conversations with incredible guests. Head over to our Podbean page to listen to all of the episodes currently available, as well as Season One! On our webpage, you'll find links to all the episodes as well as descriptions, full transcriptions, and specially developed discussion guides which you can use in your congregation or community setting.

What We're Reading, Listening To, and Wondering:

• We're reading For the Beauty of the Earth: A Lenten Devotional by Leah Schade

• We're listening to The Green Lectionary Podcast from Creation Justice Ministries

• We're wondering: How are you connecting with your particular land and watershed this Lent?

A final word for your reflection:

"I have to admit that I’ve always loved the Ash Wednesday liturgy. Antiquated, gender-challenged though its language may be, it inevitably and forcibly calls me back, as the ash is smeared on my forehead, to the palpable remembrance that we belong to earth: we are formed of her and will all too swiftly return to her. In a religion that seems to spend so much of its time getting out of the body, this fleeting remembrance of our universal habitat in the biosphere has always struck me as grounding, honest, and strangely comforting."

— Cynthia Bourgeault

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

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