April 4, 2024

Dear friends,

As an unusual April snowstorm descends on us today in Maine, causing power outages and many closings for the second time in two weeks, we're reminded of the increasing instability that climate change is bringing to our region and across the world. Our reliance on the fossil-fuel based systems around which our lives and work are built is made deeply apparent in these moments, as we seek to imagine a different way forward.

And also, these changing times illuminate other forms of reliance — the reliance on connection, kinship, wisdom, and kindness which undergird our congregations and communities and which help us to navigate chaos. When the world is unpredictable, we open our hearts and our doors to offer one another food, shelter, and companionship. The BTS Center, through our programs and relationships, seeks to foster the kind of resilient communities which can support the common good in a climate-changed world, whatever the circumstances we face.

In that spirit of reliance, we at The BTS Center would love to welcome you into one or more of the programs we're offering, either online or in person. Beginning in May, we'll host a book study on the thoughtful work of T. Wilson Dickinson — Singing the Psalms with My Son: Praying and Parenting for a Healed Planet. And also in May, we'll be offering our first Green Teams Gathering, in person in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. If you're within reach of Southern Maine and are involved (or would like to be) in congregational climate work, this in-person offering might be for you!

If you are in New England and your congregational team would like to be considered for participation in our Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World retreat at the beautiful Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor, Maine in June, the deadline of April 10 is coming up soon! (Decisions will be announced on May 1.) And for the young people in your life, we're thrilled to offer our first Climate Justice Camp for teens in partnership with Pilgrim Lodge in West Gardiner, Maine in July.

We wish you warmth and connection in these early spring days.

With best wishes,

Join us for these Upcoming Online Programs:

Group Spiritual Direction Circles

• 8-month cohorts starting in March and April — a few still have openings
• 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

Preaching in a Climate-Changed World: Engaging Climate Science, the Bible, and Theology

• Tuesday, April 23 • 6.00 - 8.00pm (Eastern) • Online
• An Earth Day webinar from our friends at Lexington Theological Seminary in partnership with The BTS Center and Creation Justice Ministries

Singing the Psalms with My Son: A Book Study

• May - June • 5 weekly sessions • Online
• Two options for days and times each week
• Offered in collaboration with Lutherans Restoring Creation and Moms Clean Air Force

Join Us for these Upcoming In-Person Programs:

Green Teams Gathering

• Sunday, May 19 • 2.00 - 5.00pm (Eastern)
• In person at Cape Elizabeth United Methodist Church in Cape Elizabeth, Maine
• An opportunity for those engaged in congregational climate work to gather, connect, and learn

Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World

• A three-day retreat and community of practice for New England congregations
• Thursday, June 20 – Saturday, June 22 • Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, ME
• Participation by application; retreat expenses covered by The BTS Center
• Application deadline is approaching: April 10. Participating teams will be announced on May 1
• 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

All episodes of Season Two of Climate Changed, The BTS Center's podcast, are now available for listening! Head over to our Podbean page to listen to all of the episodes from both Season One and Season Two! 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.

Season Three will be premiering in September — we are looking forward to bringing you another vibrant season with exceptional conversations and more inspiring content!

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

• We're reading You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited and introduced by Ada Limón

• We're watching some of the beautiful offerings via Films for the Planet

• We're wondering: what are the life-giving pathways of reliance in your life and community?

A final word for your reflection:

“We are all tied to a lineage of love that has existed since time immemorial. Even if we haven't had a direct experience of that love, we know that it exists and has made an indelible imprint on our souls. It's remarkable to think that the entire span of human life exists within each one of us, going all the way back to the hands of the Creator. In our bodies we carry the blood of our ancestors and the seeds of the future generations. We are a living conduit to all life. When we contemplate the vastness of the interwoven network that we are tied to, our individual threads of life seem far less fragile. We are strengthened by who we come from and inspired by the those who will follow."

— Sherri Mitchell / Whe'na Ha'mu' Kwasset, Sacred Instructions: Indigenous Wisdom for Living Spirit-Based Change

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

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