Advent Spirituality Center

Events

Christian Harmony Sing
February 28, 2009
10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Center Community Center, Marshall, N.C.

Join us as we praise God using shape-note singing in the tradition of William Walker’s Christian Harmony. We will begin the day with a brief “singing school” where shape-note singing will be introduced and reviewed — depending on your experience. Then, in four-part harmony, which is surprisingly easy to follow, we will fill the day with beautiful hymns of devotion, praise, lamentation and hope. Participants are invited to bring a covered dish for the mid-day meal and to make a financial contribution to cover expenses.

Program Leader
Dan Huger of Asheville, N.C., who has been immersed in shape-note singing and leading for 20 years, will teach the singing school and facilitate the singing that follows. Dan was one of a group of committed shape-note singers who cooperated to make the 1994 edition of Christian Harmony, originally published in 1873, available to a new generation of singers.

Contemplative Day Apart
April 17, 2009, 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Myers Park Baptist Church, Charlotte, N.C.

Spend a day of reflection prior to the Alliance Convocation at Myers Park Baptist Church in Charlotte, N.C. Drawing upon his experiences, Stephen Shoemaker will guide participants in examining the patterns of spiritual practice in their daily living that nurture spiritual well-being. "We all need days apart where we honor the body, mind and spirit and their need for rest," Shoemaker recently told the Myers Park Congregation.

Registration fee: $50 due April 10 (includes lunch)


The Gathering
 June 3-6, 2009
Laurel Ridge Moravian Conference and Retreat Center, Laurel Springs, N.C.

Come tell your story! Or, at least do some serious reflecting on it.

The importance of story in the spiritual journey will be the focus of the Advent Center's annual gathering of spiritual seekers in 2009. Stephanie Ford, assistant professor of Christian spirituality at Earlham School of Religion in Richmond, Ind., will set the framework for participants to reflect on their journeys and to tell these stories of God at work in our lives during the annual Wednesday through Saturday retreat.

The setting: Laurel Ridge Moravian Conference and Retreat Center in Laurel Springs, N.C., in the Blue Ridge mountains near the Tennessee and Virginia borders. Its 688 acres of woods, hiking trails, waterfalls and spectacular mountain views will provide peaceful surroundings for the silence that is an integral part of The Gathering as well as the joyful reunions with long-time attendees and warm fellowship with newcomers that are staples of this event.

Registration fee: $155, due April 15, 2009
Housing and Meals fee: $190, due May 15, 2009.



Dealing With Loss:
When the Journey Takes Us Through the Dark Forest
Date for fall 2009 -- To Be Announced
High Pastures Retreat Center, Burnsville, N.C.

The messengers of loss include death, illness, divorce and unemployment. The experience of loss can be profoundly disorienting, for it challenges our idea aobut what we think our lives can and should be. This retreat will support particpants to move through the spiritual, emotinal and psychological impact of their shattered expectations. Through the use of practices including guided meditation, movement and art, retreatants will be guided to deepen their capacity to hear the voice of Spirit so they may better align themselves to the new reality that is God's loving plan for their lives. Personal time will be allotted, with opportunity for quiet reflection, walking in nature, and safe and confidential discussion.

Program Leader
Irene J. Libretto, LCSW, is a psychotherapist and ordained Interfaith minister. For the past 20 years she has helped others discover and more fully use their gifts in the service of love. She maintains a private practice in Mars Hill, N.C.

Registration fee: To be announced
Housing and meals fee: To be announced


Centering Prayer Retreat
2009 date will be scheduled soon!