Events and Studies

Our speaker, David LaMotte, is a resident of Black Mountain, NC which was decimated by Hurricane Helene. David and his family are safe but this online event is now postponed while David and his community begin to assess the damage and assist neighbors. If you’d like to contribute to the relief efforts happening in this area, we suggest donating to Black Mountain Presbyterian Church, BeLoved Asheville, Bounty and Soul, World Central Kitchen, or the American Red Cross who are all on the ground there. The first three are local organizations providing immediate basic needs now and who will be serving the area for years to come. If you’ve purchased a ticket already, we’ll be in touch about refunds. Join in us holding Western North Carolina in prayer as the long road toward recovery begins.

Join singer, songwriter, speaker, author and leader on peace David LaMotte, for Inner Peace/Outer Peace, a virtual conversation offered by the NC Institute for Spiritual Direction and Formation. In this chaotic season, it is easy to go about our days with a warring heart. But, in order to build up the beloved community, we are challenged to approach the world with a heart of peace. This one hour session will leave you with not only a sense of inner peace, but a deep desire to work for peace in the world, creating harmony among the variety of notes we all play in our shared song. 

David LaMotte has performed over 3500 concerts and released 13 albums. His dense speaking and workshop calendar has included presenting at the PC(USA) Mission to the United Nations, keynoting peace conferences in India, Australia, Germany and at the Scottish Parliament, as well as offering the baccalaureate for 2016 graduates of Columbia Seminary. LaMotte suspended his music career for two years, beginning in 2008, to pursue his other primary vocation by accepting a Rotary World Peace Fellowship to study International Relations, Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. As part of that study, he also spent time in rural Andhra Pradesh, India working with a Gandhian development organization. David’s second TEDx talk (2024), Why Heroes Don’t Change the World, was chosen as a TED Editor’s Pick. Learn more about David at https://www.davidlamotte.com
Tuesday, October 15th, 2024, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. via zoom
Cost: $40/person
REGISTER HERE (click the drop down menu at the top of the registration page and look for Inner Peace/Outer Peace)

Lectio Poetica is a spiritual practice that invites the words of a poem to be our teacher, opening us to know ourselves and God more fully.   In this new Advent series, participants will be guided in a process of regarding the words of a poem as sacred reading, allowing the words and, perhaps, the images described to touch our soul. Meg McBride will be our guide, selecting poetry with some theme of the advent season, and walking us through this beautiful process of allowing a poem to unfold within us.   No experience necessary – just an openness to wonder.
Dates: Tuesdays: November 26, December 3, 10, and 17 at 7pm-8pm via zoom.
Cost: $70 per person for all four sessions.
REGISTER HERE (click the drop down menu at the top of the registration page and look for Lectio Poetica)

A wisdom circle is a safe space for a small group to exchange ideas in an open, trusting, authentic, and caring environment. Participants will read the book, “Wisdom of our Elders: Living in Spirit, Wisdom, Deep Mercy, and Truth” (Wipf & Stock, 2024) and reflect deeply on the readings and spiritual practices contained within it. 

A spiritual director will then guide each small group to listen intently to others’ wisdom, honor their collective experience and intelligence, and meet individual and collective needs. Individuals can form their own small group (4 to 6 people) or be assigned to one. This will expand our understanding of interfaith relations and intergenerational connections. 

We invite you to participate in these wisdom circles and explore what it means to become more fully aware of human needs and differences, how we can better connect, be open and communicate, while becoming more fully aware of the movements of the Divine.

Participants will meet 9 times, including 3 whole group meetings, led by the editor and contributors to the book, and 6 small group meetings, from January 28-March 25, 2025. Small group meetings will meet within that time frame as decided by each small group.  Large group meetings will take place on 1/28, 2/25, 3/25. Small group meetings will take place the weeks of 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 3/4, 3/11, 3/18.
Cost: $125/person
REGISTER HERE (click the drop down menu at the top of the registration page and look for Wisdom Circles) To arrange for partial payment information, please contact info@awisdomofoureldersbook.com