Dates: Thursday, March 11, 2021, 7:00 - 8:00 pm ET
Available by: Join by Videoconference Only (learn more about videoconference)
Suggested Love Offering: $ 10.00
Hosted by Rev. Diane Berke and Ilene Sameth
One year ago, on March 12, 2020, our One Spirit community came together for our first weekly community Gathering, to offer companionship, encouragement, support and care to one another as COVID-19 began to take root and reshape all of our lives in profound and unanticipated ways. We have cried together, inspired each other, practiced together in community, learned and grew, and celebrated and affirmed life together even in the face of uncertainty and loss.
Please join us on March 11, 2021, as we mark one year of the Gathering and the life-giving blessing of spiritual community by remembering and honoring our losses, harvesting our learnings, and celebrating the gifts that have emerged from this time.
Rev. Diane Berke is the Founder and Spiritual Director of One Spirit Learning Alliance. Ordained as an interfaith minister in 1988, she is a respected pioneer in the field of interfaith/interspiritual education; this past June (2020) she stepped down after 18 years as Director of the One Spirit Seminary Training. Diane has worked closely with Andrew Harvey in his Institute for Sacred Activism, is a founding member of the Contemplative Alliance of the Global Peace Initiative of Women, and is a co-founder of Transformation 365, an online platform to introduce people to a broad range of contemplative practices. She is also a certified facilitator of the Circle of Trust® work of the Center for Courage and Renewal. Diane maintains a private practice in spiritual counseling/companionship and supervision of spiritual counseling students and practitioners. In addition, she is a licensed mental health counselor in New York State. A student and teacher of A Course in Miracles for over 30 years, Diane has led retreats and workshops on spiritual development throughout the United States and internationally. She is the author of several books and educational manuals, including Love Always Answers, The Gentle Smile, Developing and Deepening Your Spiritual Practice, and Forgiveness as a Path of Awakening. Diane is known for the clarity and wisdom of her teaching, the sincerity and depth of her compassion, and her ability to create exceptionally safe and nourishing learning and companioning spaces in which people can heal and blossom. She continues to actively serve One Spirit as a "spiritual grandmother" and guide.
Ilene Sameth became the Chief Executive Officer of One Spirit Learning Alliance in 2016 and brought many structural changes to the organization that resulted in increased programming, fundraising and community connections. She has an extensive background in strategic planning, fundraising, capital campaign management, financial oversight, event management, staff and community development and IT. Prior to her position here, she had a 20-year career leading synagogues throughout New York City. including at Romemu, a ground-breaking community that experienced historic growth during her time there. From 2003 to 2012, Ilene served as Executive Director at Congregation Beit Simchat Torah (CBST) in Greenwich Village, a dynamic organization in both the Jewish and LBGTQ worlds. Ilene is drawn to organizations, both professionally and personally, that challenge participants to deepen their connection to spirituality and community and that stress education as a path to both. Before beginning her career in the religious non-profit world, Ilene was an opera singer for 15 years, performing at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center and throughout the country. In her spare time, Ilene enjoys hiking, cooking and “House Hunters.”
If you have questions about registering for this course, please contact One Spirit Learning Alliance by email to info@1spirit.org or call 212-931-6840.