Greetings Imaginauts

MOI will gather anew at Good Shepherd Church (960 Monacan Trail Rd.)on Monday Nov 11. A month ago we set a topic for this meeting: "What's Next?" We knew that would be a relevant inquiry regardless of the election outcome. Now, with some knowledge of that, we will join hearts and minds to begin imagining a path forward. Pizza will be served at 6:15 pm. Or just come at 7 for conversation and some singing! Let us know if you plan to join us for the meal. That'll help us know how many pizzas to get! 

Also, mark your calendar: on Monday November 18th 8 pm, we will help convene an eco-spirituality service at UVA Chapel. More details soon. 

Singcerely,
Craig

“Your imagination is the conduit across which the world’s soul is conveyed." - Toko-pa Turner

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

Election Night Song Circle
Tuesday, November 5th, 7:00-9:00 pm 
Good Shepherd Church, (960 Monacan Trail Rd.) Charlottesville VA.

Join MOI on Election Night to weave a web of resilient camaraderie. We're passing together through the threshold into a new world, soon to be born in this year's election results. Let's fortify our spirits for this turbulent passage! This gathering will provide a contemplayful oasis of media-free conviviality. We'll generate soulful solidarity in song and movement, voting with our voices to evoke a more free and harmonious world. 

We invite all participants to come prepared to cast a personal vote for the coming 4 years. What vote/devotion/leap of faith do you elect to enact day after day in the coming 4 years? We'll share a ritual of each of us writing our vote/devotion down concisely on a 3x5 and placing it in a ballot box. Results from this election will be shared at the end of the evening!

Set your phone aside as you enter our wonderground. Partake of the cascading returns if you wish once you've departed our wonderground. Cleo and I plan to practice mental/emotional hygiene by abstaining from election returns until 8 AM Weds Nov 6th. Light refreshments will be provided. Bring a comforting snack to share if you can. After our 9 pm closing we welcome folks to stay on for informal song and conversation.

While it's fine to just show up for this gathering, please RSVP if you plan to join us, seedsofharmony@gmail.com. This helps with planning.

Here is a video of our Wonderground theme song for the night: "One By One." Join us in healing the world one vote at a time.

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

On Sunday, November 3 we will observe the Feast of All Saints by naming and remembering those who have died. Please send me the names of those who you would like to remember, neal@gracechurchredhill.org. We will also be lighting candles in their memory. We will also create an ofrenda at GC|RH as another way to honor our ancestors. In Mexican tradition an ofrenda is an altar to honor the deceased during the Day of the Dead, Oct 31st/Nov 1st. The altar will be set up on the side of the sanctuary draped in cloth with candles, images of calaveras (skulls), and marigolds, on which everyone can place personal photos and items. Women at the Women's Retreat on Saturday, Nov 2nd will add items to the ofrenda. Then on Sunday, Nov 3rd, folks can add photographs and other items to the ofrenda before the service begins. Following the service those who wish can gather from 11:30-12:30, to share stories, songs, and memories of those beloveds who have passed on.

Saturday, November 2nd, Sanctuary of Women, Grace Church | Red Hill's women's group, will host a short retreat from 10-3 at church. More details forthcoming, but this will be a time of rest and reflection through conversation, song and movement. This group organizes gatherings intermittently throughout the year, including a weekend retreat January 17-19, 2025 (mark your calendars!). Questions and rsvps can go to Kate Lichti (kjlichti@gmail.com).  *This gathering is offered to women, women-identifying individuals, non-binary and gender non-conforming people who are comfortable in a space that centers the experiences of women in fellowship and prayer. 

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

Hey folks,

The Ministry of Imagination is taking a week off to attend the IMPACT meeting on Monday, October 28th. See you there!

Singcerely,

Craig

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

The Red Hill Book Club will continue its focus on James Baldwin and racism on Sunday, October 27 at Potter’s Craft Cider. We'll discuss the film, I Am Not Your Negro, which was our September resource. And we'll add to the discussion Baldwin's book, The Fire Next Time. We ask that those who join the discussion have seen/read some part of either resource. Contact Bekah  Menning (rimenning@gmail.com) or Eli Hiton (EliHiton@gmail.com) with any questions.

On Sunday, October 27 GC|RH will gather in the fellowship hall at 10:30 am to eat a Wholy Meal together. The Wholy Meal, a potluck, is a special event that makes a connection between the land, our bodies, the food we eat, and the spiritual experience of nourishment. In the Celtic tradition, this time of year is called Samhain (SAH-win), the halfway point between the autumn equinox and the winter solstice. It is considered a time when the veil between life and death is thin. The Wholy Meal this Sunday will be an Ancestors' Feast. You are encouraged to bring a dish you associate with a deceased loved one in their honor. 

Also on Saturday, October 26  at 5:00 pm, you are invited to Church With the Forest. We will meet at the front steps of Good Shepherd Church | Hickory Hill and participate in a meditative walk into the forest where we will worship together. 

On Saturday, October 26, GC|RH will offer a somatic spirituality workshop led by Emily Wright and Anne Cummins. All ages and abilities are welcome!

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

With the evenings growing colder and darker, we've decided to end our gatherings on UVA grounds. This coming Monday, Oct 21 we'll meet at Good Shepherd Church at 7 pm. We'll incubate some soulful visioning, planning and singing in preparation for our upcoming Election Night Oasis on Tues Nov 5th.  

Hope to see you then!

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

Monday, Oct 14, we'll gather anew at UVa to further develop our wonderground vision and praxis. We'll meet on the north side (the statue side) of the Rotunda at 5:45 pm, near the park benches at the west end. From there we'll process to several spots in the Rotunda vicinity for musical mushrooming and wonderground recruitment. If you arrive a little late and can't find us, text Cleo at 434.361.0154. We'll conclude ~ 7:30 pm. In the latter part of the evening we'll hold council to clarify our vision and praxis around an Election Night Wonderground at Good Shepherd Church, 7 to 9 pm. Tues Nov 5 (3 weeks from now).  Here's the basic concept:

We aim to provide a wonderground oasis of media-free conviviality thru the evening. Songs, hopes, longings and aspirations will circulate freely. Folks can come and go as they need to. We welcome participants to stay later beyond our 9 pm closing for intentional conversation and attunion. Light refreshments will be provided. Please RSVP if you plan to attend that night. 

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

GC|RH will hold a Men’s Retreat on Saturday, October 12 from 9:00 am to 2:00 pm. Scripture speaks of metanoia—the heart's transformation—as a new orientation for our lives. How does that happen? What does it mean? In this half-day retreat we will explore some ancient practices that reshape our interior landscape and expand our souls. There will be plenty of time for silence and time outdoors, weather permitting. Our retreat leader, Mark Wastler, is a friend of GC|RH. He is a farmer, priest, conservationist, and spiritual director. He is the executive director of Chesapeake Watershed Ministries, a non-profit helping reconnect spirituality with ecology. You can find out more at chesapeakewatershedministries.org.

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

Every Monday at 6pm, Ministry of Imagination gathers for an optional potluck meal and a discussion from 7-8:30. Reach out to Craig for this week’s location and more information (seedsofharmony@gmail.com ).

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

Every Monday at 6pm, Ministry of Imagination gathers for an optional potluck meal and a discussion from 7-8:30. Reach out to Craig for this week’s location and more information (seedsofharmony@gmail.com ).

Songtuary, led by Cleo Keller and Craig Green, is a welcoming weekly gathering of contemplayful singers. We meet at Good Shepherd Church on Sundays from 4:00-5:30 pm. Our musical repertoire draws on diverse forms and cultures. We sing deep and simple rounds, chants, and seasonal songs.  All songs are taught by ear, without sheet music or printed lyrics. All voices are welcome. It's fine to just show up for Songtuary, but please arrive in a timely fashion. We ask folks who can't make it by 4:15 to come another week. If you've questions about Songtuary contact Craig or Cleo by email: seedsofharmony@gmail.com.

Also, visit our website!

Every Wednesday at 9:00 am, GC|RH offers a time of contemplation at Good Shepherd Church, 960 Monacan Trail Road. Those who are new to contemplation and those who have a seasoned practice are welcome. For more information, contact Neal (neal@gracechurchredhill.org).

The Middlemarch reading group will gather on Tuesday, September 24 at 7:00 pm to discuss the book and our collective impressions. Please let Emma Johnson know by email (emmaderryj@gmail.com)  if you are able to participate. Join the fun!

George Eliot's 1871 novel, Middlemarch, A Study of Provincial Life, is a classic work of English literature for a reason, but it can be a lot to take on alone. The book, known for its hugeness, centers on a cast of characters in the fictional Midlands town, and surrounding estates, of Middlemarch. It combines the fabulous fun of a Victorian novel, with marriage plots galore, but also deep philosophical reflection and instruction on what it means to live a moral life. Some of you may already know and love Middlemarch, and perhaps it's time for a re-read. For others, it may be entirely new. We welcome all who are interested to give Middlemarch a go as your summer reading this season!

Every Monday at 6pm, Ministry of Imagination gathers for an optional potluck meal and a discussion from 7-8:30. Reach out to Craig for this week’s location and more information (seedsofharmony@gmail.com ).