John of the Cross: ‘Dark Night of the Soul’

Date: Thursdays, Feb. 2-23, 2012
Time: 6-7:30 p.m.

Location: The Cornerstone Center, 4423 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016

Presenter: Cornerstone Center Executive Director Amanda Petersen, M.Div.

Program: St. John of the Cross was a Carmelite friar and priest; a contemporary of Teresa of Avila and fellow reformer. He is a poet who looks at spiritual growth. “Dark Night of the Soul” is one of his best known poems on how to experience your faith when all seems to be loss. In this series we will also be looking at how this work influenced others through the centuries. You will need to purchase “The Dark Night of the Soul” translation by Mirabel Starr before the class begins.

Cost: $15 per session or $50 for the entire series. Payable with check or cash at the door.

Registration: To register call 602-315-5723 or e-mail info@cornerstone-phx.org.

The Heart of Christian Mysticism

Date: Mondays, Feb. 6-27, 2012
Time: 5:30-8 p.m.

Location: The Cornerstone Center, 4423 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016

Program: This is a series of talks and a communal meal experience for all interested in learning more about our deeply rooted tradition. An ecumenical look at those who have come before us in this spiritual journey and the gift of Change. See series schedule below.  
Cost: $100 for the series or $25 at the door. Includes soup and bread.

Registration: Call Amanda Petersen at 602-315-5723 or e-mail info@cornerstone-phx.org

Feb. 6: Find Your Voice through Experience, Response and Empowerment of the Mystics

Mysticism changes nothing and changes everything. The experiences on the mystical path may make one anxious to declare, to celebrate, or to proclaim their discoveries and joys. One may desire to be fearless in establishing authenticity and their person that comes from the union of God's love and the compassion that is the fruit of that love. These are all the fruits of the Spirit that seem interwoven with embarking on a path of contemplation, and all of these fruits can only be born if the mystic has a voice.
Presenter: Bonnie McCulley, Licensed Professional Counselor, Board Certified Chaplain, Director of Chaplain Services, St. Joseph Hospital, Life Coach has 25 years of pastoral care and counseling, 22 years in Hospital Ministry including hospice care, 15 years in mind/body holistic health. She is a facilitator of personal and spiritual development in health and wellness and life transitions.     

Feb. 13: Mystics, Imagination and Prophetic Communities of Faith

What role does prophetic imagination have in creating alternative communities of faith. This presentation will look at the ancient Hebrew prophets, Jesus and the Reign of God and Paul for an understanding of the dynamics of the prophetic imagination and how that imagination shapes alternative communities of faith.

Presenter: Pastor Vernon Meyer began serving Sun Lakes United Church of Christ in October 2010. He was born and raised in St. Louis, Missouri and went to seminary in southern Indiana. He was ordained a Catholic priest for the Diocese of Phoenix in 1979. He completed his doctoral studies at the University of Dayton in Ohio.  He left the Catholic Church, and in July 2010 he was approved for "privilege of call" with the Southwestern Council of the United Church of Christ and in September approved by the Sun Lakes United Church of Christ to be the Minister. 

Feb. 20: Facing Limits/Dissolving Boundaries: A Mystic Understanding of Change

We all face turning points in our lives, whether large or small, that challenge us to re-evaluate our limitations and courageously move beyond places that hold us secure.  Every moment of every day blesses us with opportunities to change our lives, our perspectives, our relationships, the very way in which we understand reality. How did the Christian mystics understand this kind of change, the invitations that call us to face our limitations and dissolve boundaries that we previously thought immovable? Perhaps the Christian mystics are uniquely positioned to offer us courage, guidance, discernment, and new ways of framing reality, that can inspire and transform us today? Come, explore with us – you will be encouraged.
Presenter: Kathy Maitha, M.Div., Th.M., is originally from West Texas, has lived in Arizona for 11 years. Married, with four adult children, she is active in a church plant in Gilbert, Ariz., has served in several large churches with her husband, a former pastor, and currently works as a paralegal in a Phoenix law firm. Kathy enjoys reading, her husband and family, her friends, her toy fox terrier, and sitting on her back porch. 

Feb. 27: Wounded Healers: The Spirituality of Henri Nouwen and Vincent Van Gough

Presenter: Sister Sarah O’Malley, Benedictine, Pioneer of Ministry of Care in the Diocese, retreat leader, co-author of 12 religious resource book.

Intro to Christian Meditation

Date: Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012
Time: 9 a.m.-12 p.m.

Location: The Cornerstone Center, 4423 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016

Presenters: Amanda Petersen, M.Div., co-director of The Cornerstone Center, spiritual director and life coach and Michelle Jereb, Cornerstone Center Board president and spiritual director.

Program: Contemplative prayer is not the privilege of monks and nuns or special mystical types. It is a dimension of prayer to which we are called. Beginning to meditate is like drilling for oil in the desert. The surface is so dry and dusty, that you have to take on faith the findings of geologists who tell you that, deep within this dry earth, there is a great source of power. If you need time to gain some perspective on your life and want to rest in the goodness of God, then let The Cornerstone Center help with morning meditation and more. The focus will be on Christian Meditation --  why meditate, the history of Christian meditation, how to meditate and deepen your knowledge of Christian meditation. This is an opportunity to be refreshed, renewed and inspired!

Cost: $20, includes all materials

Registration: Call Amanda Petersen at 602-315-5723 or e-mail info@cornerstone-phx.org

Meditation with Children: For Parents, Teachers, Principals and Meditators

Date: Saturday, March 17, 2012

Time: 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Location: The Cornerstone Center, 4423 N. 24th St., Phoenix, AZ 85016

Presenters: Rev. Frank Cassidy, an important and longtime teacher of Christian Meditation, will introduce the importance of the silent prayer as taught by Father John Main, and how crucial it is for children to begin at an early age a way of silence and intimacy with God.

Joanne Rapp, M.Div., Cornerstone Center founder

Program: Teaching Christian Mediation to children: For parents, teachers, principals and interested others. This presentation is an outreach of the World Community for Christian Meditation to address the spiritual, psychological and practical aspects of introducing Christian Meditation to children and teachers.  It may seem a paradox that children can be still and silent and enjoy it. But like many adults, children also yearn for the experience of an interior way of being that helps buffer the hustle and bustle of a harried world.

Cost: Free will donations accepted.

Registration: To register call 602-956-7042 or e-mail info@cornerstone-phx.org.