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March 21, 2024
Dear friends,
This morning, we woke up to a fresh coating of snow and some very chilly temperatures here in Portland. After a spate of mild weather, we are reminded that this time of year can bring volatile weather — even more so with climate change bringing new levels of unpredictability to our world. We know the truth of constant change — hard though it is, riding the waves of change offers us so much more spaciousness than trying to fight it.
This is not to say, of course, that we should not be active and vocal in living lives that are aligned ethically and morally with our values. In these times of uncertainty, though, we can cultivate practices that allow us to greet the changing tides (both literal and figurative) with grace, courage, and a commitment to companion one another in the work of justice.
As we move into spring and even look toward summer, we at The BTS Center invite you to join us for one or more of our upcoming offerings. We're looking forward to a book study on the thoughtful work of T. Wilson Dickinson — Singing the Psalms with My Son: Praying and Parenting for a Healed Planet, starting in May. And also in May, we'll be hosting 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!
Summer brings an opportunity for congregations to join us for our Claiming Your Call for a Climate-Changed World retreat at the beautiful Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor, Maine. We hope your congregational team will consider applying! (Applications are due by April 10, and decisions will be announced on May 1.) 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 gentleness and companionship as you ride your own waves this season.
With best wishes,
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