Friends, some of you have been on this journey with me for a looooong time and some may just be joining in the fun. Either way you are meeting this adventure at a pivotal cross roads as this initiative makes ready to step out on its own and live as a unique constituent body of the Swedenborgian Church of North America. The seed planted in 2018 at the Cambridge Swedenborg Chapel has sprouted!
Please note while this new effort is being born out of the Swedenborgian Church of North America all people are welcome to participate! Helen understood the heart of Swedenborgianism to be one with the heart of many of the world’s religious, ethical and spiritual traditions, the promise of a new world, a new way of being at peace within ourselves and with one another. We are committed to carrying forward Helen’s spiritual legacy and faith in the possibility of individual and collective change.
– Helen Keller, Let us have faith. 1946.
Originally conceived as a physical Center, the vision has shifted to a virtual Collaborative. We have not relinquished the intention to one day rehabilitate for accessibility a, or even many, sacred space(s) to house this initiative, but for now we are excited to grow in the fertile soil of the internet where roofs do not leak and anyone can join in from anywhere!
And what does it mean to join in?
Good question! We can’t become a Collaborative without collaborating!
Right now there are a lot of shifting parts as we work to get our feet under us. Our founding board has been assembled (Thank you! Betsy Aldrich, Melissa Donaldson, Beki Greenwood, Rev. Catherine Lauber, Chelsea Odhner & Rev. Shada Sullivan) and Alex Gayheart the HKSLC Executive Assistant and I are working together to move through the incorporation process and secure grant funding for 2025. Pray for us! Sadly it is just true that there are fewer resources available at the beginning of things than within existing ministries. If you have connections to granting bodies or would like to donate to our 2025 operating budget please get in touch! We have received some moneys from the Missions Fund of the Swedenborgian Church of North America but it is not yet enough to fully staff our efforts.
While this infrastructure work is of high priority, we are already embodying the work of the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Collaborative with ongoing gatherings that foster peace within ourselves and with one another in a format we call Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful.
There is an open BE LOVE, BE HONEST, BE USEFUL gathering every Thursday evening at 4 pm Pacific/7 pm Eastern on ZOOM.
In addition I have begun experimenting with the sacraments of Communion and Baptism, as powerful representations of the work of letting go and receiving, so vital to the welcoming in of peace within ourselves and with one another. BE LOVE Holy Supper and BE HONEST Remembering your Baptism ZOOM Gatherings are now being held on the new and full moon respectively (see www.helenkellercollaborative.org or our Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful Facebook Group for dates and times).
I’m very open to invitations to visit with different communities interested in collaborating with the HKSLC, either in-person or virtually. I’ll be on FB Live with the Rainbow Church Sunday, October 27 at 3 p.m. Eastern, speaking November 2 at 10 a.m. ET on ZOOM for Deborah’s Tree and the Home Church in Bryn Athyn’s Saturday Brunch, and then in-person with the Wayfarer’s Community and the Garden Churchon November 17.
Lots of work is already going into an event planned to celebrate Helen’s Spiritual Birthday (when she met her teacher Annie Sullivan) March 3, 2025. Mark your calendars and stay tuned for more information. This event will be fully accessible virtually so we hope many of you will wish to organize satellite watch parties and celebrations!
And I’m so pleased to be bringing Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful to the Michigan Association’s All Adult Retreat at Almont New Church Assembly March 28-30, 2025.
There are a lot of moving parts as we formalize this endeavor. Pray for us! Be patient with us! Get curious about us! And better yet, collaborate with us!
I will begin posting monthly updates here on the website and you can also receive them by email through my substack worshipislife. When you subscribe you can choose to receive all of my posts or just those related to the Helen Keller Collaborative.
With love, gratitude and excitement,
Sage
Rev. Sage Cole
Founding Leader of the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Collaborative
