June
A three-part webinar series exploring the rich tapestry of music for the church.
Dates and time: Thursday Nights | 7:00pm | Beginning June 4
Register in advance for this webinar: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BLyr6Bg-SSSoRQSnS__7Xw
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
June 4 - 7:00pm
A conversation with composer Nancy Galbraith
Nancy Galbraith resides in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, where she is Chair of Composition at the Carnegie Mellon University School of Music, and holds the Vira I Heinz Professorship of Music endowed chair. In a career that spans four decades, her music has earned praise for its rich harmonic texture, rhythmic vitality, emotional and spiritual depth, and wide range of expression. Her works have been directed by some of the world's finest conductors, including Gennady Rozhdestvensky, Mariss Jansons, Keith Lockhart, Donald Runnicles and Robert Page.
Join Minister of Music (and Nancy’s former composition student) Adam Waite for this webinar based conversation and musical retrospective, as we explore, listen and talk about Nancy Galbraith’s beautiful music, including a chance for all participants to engage in a Q&A with the composer. www.nancygalbraith.com
June 11 - 7:00pm
Discover the organs of Montview
Have you ever wondered how Montview’s grand loft organ works? Did you know that there are three organs all within Montview’s sanctuary and chapel? Associate Minister of Music and Organist Barbara Hulac, alongside Minister of Music Adam Waite, lead you on a virtual tour, during which you’ll see the inner workings of these magnificent instruments up close and personal. Also participating will be the organ’s builder, Rick Morel, to answer your questions about what it takes to create and maintain such a complicated piece of musical machinery. http://morelpipeorgans.com/morelpipeorgans.com/Montview_Presbyterian.html
June 18 - 7:00pm
A conversation with composer and jazz ministries leader Ike Sturm
Bassist and composer Ike Sturm is the Music Director for Jazz at Saint Peter’s Church in Manhattan. He is responsible for the church’s many jazz programs, including an educational ensemble called Jazz 4 All. Ike designed the church’s current jazz residency program and is heard at Jazz Vespers, leading his own original liturgical compositions and improvisations every Sunday night at 6pm. Ike has performed with many gifted musicians including Bobby McFerrin,
Gene Bertoncini, Theo Bleckmann, Ingrid Jensen, Donny McCaslin, Ben Monder, Maria Schneider and Kenny Wheeler. He has played on four Downbeat award-winning recordings, as well as several Steve Reich releases on Canteloupe and Nonesuch Records.
Minister of Music Adam Waite leads this webinar conversation with Ike, including a review of his Jazz Mass, a work for voices, strings and soloists that merges diverse musical languages into a powerfully unified aesthetic. The piece was released to critical acclaim, named one of Downbeat’s “Best Albums of the Year” and has been performed across the U.S., Scandinavia and Europe. www.ikesturm.com
Title: “God is at home, we are in the far country”: A Discussion of Lamentations Through Poetry
Facilitators: Adrian & Natalie Palacios
Dates/time: Saturdays @ 7:30 (June 13th, 20th and 27th)
Book: Holy the Firm by Annie Dillard
Platform: Zoom
Register with: adrianepalacios@gmail.com
Max: 10
In the short book Holy the Firm, Annie Dillard gives a reflective description of nature, violence, sorrow and joy that connects humanity. Similarly, Lamentations is a book where God is silent and the human experience feels the abandonment of God's voice. This feeling is echoed in Annie Dilliard writing that "we need reminding not of what God can do but of what he cannot do or will not" and Meister Eckhart's quote that "God is at home, we are in a far country". As people experience grief and the power of tears we may find a comforting and healing God.
Natalie and Adrian have been attending Montview for two years. We live in Northeast Park Hill, and when we aren't running around chasing our two young children we love spending our time reading, gardening, taking random math courses and playing "Dust in the Wind" on our acoustic guitar.
Bibles and Bagels with the Beals
Title: Revelation and Apocalypticism: A User’s Guide to the End of the World
Facilitators: The Beals
Sessions: Sundays at 10:00am, June 14, 21, 28
Platform: FB Live
Register with: Bibles and Bagels with the Beals Group on FB
The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd
Facilitator: Linda Rumbarger
Dates & Time: Six Wednesday Evenings - June 10, 17, 24, July 1, July 8, July 15
Platform: Zoom
Max: 20
Register with: Linda Rumbarger, lrumbarg@hotmail.com
The book will be divided into six reading segments for discussion each week. It can be ordered from Amazon where it is described as follows:
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything.
Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history.
Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.
Becoming Antiracist: Our Calling as People of Faith
Our class is at capacity at this time. Please RSVP to Rebecca (becca.soprano@gmail.com) to be added to our waiting list and to be notified if we offer this class again to accommodate more people. Note: The class is geared toward Montview members and active participants.
Description: We will discuss what is our role as people of faith in transforming systems of injustice and creating an antiracist society. Participation in all 3 classes is strongly encouraged.
Facilitators: Rebecca Gale and Marilynn Ackermann
Dates/time: Tuesdays, June 30, July 7, July 14, 7 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: 30
Register with: becca.soprano@gmail.com (Rebecca) by 6/29.
July
Title: Art: Process as Prayer
Topic: Visual Art – Masterworks, Faith and Creativity
We will focus on an element of art; look at masterwork examples; and do for-your-eyes-only art tasks each session. We’ll experience art and the creative process as a spiritual practice. Drawn prayers and reflections may become part of a journal for these coronavirus days.
Facilitator: Sandy Prouty
Dates/time: Mondays, July 13, 20, 27 at 7:00pm
Platform: Zoom
Register: prouty@montview.org
Title: A Pandemic Film Series for the Family
Facilitator: Jeffrey Mahan, PhD, Iliff School of Theology
Dates/Times: Wednesdays, July 8, 15, 22 at 4:00pm
Platform: Zoom
Max: 15 screens (If we get more registrations we will schedule a second discussion)
Register: jmahan@iliff.edu
Join us for any or all of three late afternoon discussions of family appropriate films with themes relevant to our quarantined lives. If you would like to participate, email jmahan@ilff.edu and I will send you two things. First a few simple questions to think about as you watch the movie on your own and then a Zoom invitation for a conversation about the film with Montview friends. We will plan to talk for about 30-to-45 minutes and will start with questions for younger kids who may want to drop out before we are finished.
July 8, 4PM Christopher Robin, PG, 2018
In the heart warming live action adventure Christopher Robin, Pooh’s friend has grown up and lost his way. Now his childhood friends help Christopher Robin remember the loving and playful boy who is still inside.
Available on Netflix, for rent Fandango, VUDU, Apple TV, etc.
Theme for today? Christopher Robin is film families might watch together about our desire to return to an idealized past.
July 15, 4PM Wall-E, G 2008
WALL-E (short for Waste Allocation Load Lifter Earth-Class) discovers a new purpose in life (besides collecting knick-knacks) when he meets search robot EVE. Joining WALL-E on his fantastic journey across a universe of never-before-imagined visions of the future, is a hilarious cast of characters including a pet cockroach, and a heroic team of malfunctioning misfit robots.
Available on Fandango, VUDU, Apple TV, etc.
Theme for today? WALL-E is a sweet and playful exploration of both loneliness in isolation and the relationship between humans and machines.
July 22, 4PM The Martian, 2015, PG-13
Astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is presumed dead and left behind on Mars by his crew. Stranded and alone on the hostile plane the must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and signal to Earth that he is alive. Millions of miles away, NASA and a team of international scientists work tirelessly to bring "the Martian" home, while his crewmates concurrently plot a daring, if not impossible rescue mission.
Available for rent Fandango, VUDU, Apple TV, Amazon Prime, etc.
Theme for today? The Martian is a PG-13 film about heroism when cut off from other people and at the same time about the power of human community.
Title: Montview - 20 Years in Nepal
Facilitator: Sheila Duffy and Marshall Essig
Dates/Times: Thursdays, July 16, 23, 30 at 7:00pm
Platform: Zoom
Register with: sheduf@gmail.com. Please provide: Full name, Email, Phone
Montview members have been making mission trips to Nepal for the last 20 years! Through these many years of working with the Nepali people, the Montview community, facilitated by dedicated and caring mission leaders, has developed deep and meaningful relationships with vital partners in Nepal. This three-part series will explore three of these invaluable partnerships: (1) Medical Mission (Patan Hospital Cardiology and NICU); (2) Nepal Youth Foundation (Meet Olga! And receive a complimentary copy of the book, Olga's Promise*, when you attend.); and (3) iDE.
Come enjoy a virtual trip through the twenty years of Montview mission work trips to Nepal and experience the uplifting collaboration with our friends there to provide otherwise unattainable opportunity for the beautiful and kind-hearted people of this country.
You will hear from speakers based here the US and our partners in Nepal - all live! We will all present together from around the globe to bring this global experience and the joy of engagement and service to your home. We hope this may inspire you to make a trip to Nepal with a future mission work trip.
Pre-course videos: Watch these videos before the sessions and then join the live discussion and celebration of twenty years of building friendship through service and engagement!
Medical Mission/Patan Hospital: [Video to come]
Nepal Youth Foundation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0KWEsCM9UE
* Olga's Promise: One Woman's Commitment to the Children of Nepal by Olga Murray, Mary Sutro Callender
iDE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jwsv3F_e7yY&list=UUaktRW7TpcFJVXt9TE2QcYA
The Book of Longings: A Novel by Sue Monk Kidd
Facilitator: Linda Rumbarger
Dates & Time: Six Wednesday Evenings - June 10, 17, 24, July 1, July 8, July 15
Platform: Zoom
Max: 20
Register with: Linda Rumbarger, lrumbarg@hotmail.com
The book will be divided into six reading segments for discussion each week. It can be ordered from Amazon where it is described as follows:
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything.
Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history.
Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.
Becoming Antiracist: Our Calling as People of Faith
Our class is at capacity at this time. Please RSVP to Rebecca (becca.soprano@gmail.com) to be added to our waiting list and to be notified if we offer this class again to accommodate more people. Note: The class is geared toward Montview members and active participants.
Description: We will discuss what is our role as people of faith in transforming systems of injustice and creating an antiracist society. Participation in all 3 classes is strongly encouraged.
Facilitators: Rebecca Gale and Marilynn Ackermann
Dates/time: Tuesdays, June 30, July 7, July 14, 7 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: 30
Register with: becca.soprano@gmail.com (Rebecca) by 6/29.
August
Title: Brief-form Poetry Workshop: Haiku Mind-Mind of Christ
This is your invitation to explore and write Japanese brief-form poetry—haiku, senryu, tanka, haibun— as grounding, orienting, clarifying spiritual practice. We’ll delve into the history and masters and forms of this genre and make direct connections to our faith tradition and our times. Most of all, we’ll practice between sessions. We’ll also explore integrating smart-phone photography into the practice.
Facilitator: Steve Kennedy
Dates/time: Tuesdays | August 11, 18, 25 at 10:00am (AND repeated at 7:00 pm)
Group size limit: 20 per AM/PM session
Platform: Zoom
Register: stevenlkennedy@mac.com
Title: The Power of Disruption
Topic: Exploring the intersection of innovation and church-life
Dates/time: THREE 90min evening sessions, 6:00pm: Monday, August 3, Tuesday August 4 AND Thursday, August 6. There is no group meeting on Wednesday so participants have time to work on their individual projects.
We are currently in what will be known as the most creative time in a generation. The current disruption in our lives has made our heads and hearts fertile ground for creativity and new ideas. Professional Question-Asker, Linda Orosz, will offer a few creative-thinking tools to play with and the group will provide the big what-if’s. So roll-up your mental pant legs and come romp around in the rich muck of possibility.
Platform: Zoom
Register: linda@acecomedy.com
(No limit on participants)
September
Title: Becoming Antiracist: Our Calling as People of Faith
A three-part series on our role as people of faith in transforming systems of injustice and creating an antiracist society. This class is intended for Montview members and active participants. Participation in all 3 classes is required.
Description: Presentations and guided discussions on our role as people of faith in transforming systems of injustice and creating an antiracist society. Participation in all 3 classes is required.
Facilitators: Rebecca Gale, Marilynn Ackermann, and Together Colorado staff
Dates/time: Wednesdays 9/16, 9/23, and 9/30, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: 22
Register with: becca.soprano@gmail.com (Rebecca) by 9/13.
Fall
Title: Kerygma Bible Study - The Acts of the Apostles
Description: If you’ve been wanting to devote some time to Bible study, consider signing up for a small group designed to take a more in-depth look at Scripture. The Kerygma Bible Study is devised to offer deeper Biblical engagement in a stimulating and nurturing small-group community setting. Sign-up deadline, 9/25.
Facilitators: Vivian Showalter
Materials: Student Resource book, $20, which will be ordered for you, and a Bible.Dates/time: Sundays, 10/4 - 12/6, 9:30 a.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: 20
Register with: viviansho@aol.com (Vivian Showalter) by 9/25
Title: Earth, Our Original Monastery
Description: During the pandemic, many of us have turned to nature to find solace and a greater sense of well-being. In this class, we will read Earth, Our Original Monastery by Christine Valtners Paintner as a way to deepen our relationship to nature and to become more aware of the presence of God. Paintner suggests earth is our original monastery, the place where we learn our most fundamental prayers, participate in each day’s liturgy of praise, and experience the wisdom of the seasons. She presents examples from the lives of monks, mystics and saints who have experienced the Divine in nature and invites us to follow in their footsteps.
More than a book study, the class will be experiential as well. Each chapter of the book includes recommendations on how to deepen our understanding of the themes, such as invitations for meditation, contemplative walks, visual art or writing. Each week in class, we will discuss and share our experiences.
Facilitators: Erika Walker, M.S. is an educator, author, forest therapy guide and long-time Montview member.
Dates/time: Tuesdays, 10/6 - 11/10, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.Platform: Zoom
Max participants: 12
Register with: ewalker8070@gmail.com (Erika Walker)
Title: Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson
Description: The Pulitzer Prize–winning, bestselling author of The Warmth of Other Suns examines the unspoken caste system that has shaped America and shows how our lives today are still defined by a hierarchy of human divisions.
Wilkerson explores eight pillars that underlie caste systems across civilizations, including divine will, bloodlines, stigma, and more. Using riveting stories about people—including Martin Luther King, Jr., baseball’s Satchel Paige, a single father and his toddler son, Wilkerson herself, and many others—she shows the ways that the insidious undertow of caste is experienced every day.
Facilitators: Linda Rumbarger Dates/time: Wednesdays, 10/7 - 11/11, 7:00 p.m. Platform: Zoom Register with: lrumbarg@hotmail.com (Linda Rumbarger)
Title: Black Gang History and Culture in Denver; Why It Attracts People, How It’s Destructive, and Where It Fits in Thinking about the Current Focus on Racial Justice
Description: Pernell Hines, Associate Director at Impact Empowerment Group (IEG), will discuss black gang history and culture in Denver and where it fits in thinking about the continuing struggle for racial justice. IEG, based in north Park Hill, is a mission partner of Montview focused on gang intervention and diversion work and creating economic opportunity for people in the community impacted by gangs. Pernell grew up in Park Hill, where he joined the Bloods and rose to be a senior leader of the gang. That life led to his arrest and incarceration in the Colorado prison system. After leaving prison, Pernell was determined to have a positive impact on his community by actively working to reduce gang violence and by diverting youth and existing gang members into more productive and sustainable economic roles in the community. Pernell will speak from his powerful personal history with gangs, violence, incarceration and community work to alleviate the impacts of these realities. There will be ample time for questions and conversation with Pernell at the end of his presentation.
Facilitators: Craig Maginness (IEG Advisory Board Member) and Pernell Hines Dates/time: Thursday, 10/15, 7:00-8:30 p.m. Platform: Zoom Register with: cmaginness@msn.com (Craig)
December
Title: Transforming Lives: Update on Seeds of South Sudan
Description: Learn how Montview mission partner Seeds of South Sudan has rescued more than 100 refugee orphans from Kakuma and how 18 Seeds high school graduates spent time in South Sudan teaching in schools. Also, some of our K-12 students taught each other during the COVID lockdown.
Seeds of South Sudan was founded by a former “Lost Boy of Sudan”, Arok Garang. He was rescued from a refugee camp and brought to the United States in 2001. He wanted to help other refugee orphans, like himself, to receive an education. The mission of the organization is “to educate refugee children to become the ‘seeds of change’ for the country of South Sudan.”
Facilitators: Peggy and John Gonder
Peggy Gonder has been a member of Montview Presbyterian Church for 39 years. She has worked for many years as a public relations professional.
John Gonder has also been a member of Montview for 39 years. He is retired from working in city planning, economic development and commercial real estate.
John serves as a volunteer board member of Seeds of South Sudan, and Peggy writes and edits a quarterly newsletter for Seeds.
Dates/time: Tuesday, 12/1, 7:00 p.m.
Platform: Zoom; Co-host to monitor questions in chat
Max participants: No maximum
Register with: John Gonder, john.gonder@gonderpr.com
Lent
Title: QAnon Conspiracies, Religion, and Politics: How do we make sense of it?
Description: QAnon conspiracies and right wing, extremist movements are on the rise. Why? What are their beliefs? What role can the study of new religious movements play in helping us understand and deal with QAnon conspiracies and those who believe them?
Facilitators:
Allan Georgia, Ph.D., Director of Religious Education, Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Cleveland
Dr. Timothy Beal, Professor and Chair, Case Western Reserve University Department of Religious Studies, Montview member
Dates/time: Sunday, 2/7, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: No maximum
Title: The Art of Prayer
Description: Utilizing biblical texts, poetry and music, we will explore how the language of prayer is found in a variety of artistic forms.
Facilitators: Sophie, Tim and Clover Beal
Dates/time: Sundays, 2/21 - 3/7, 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: No maximum
Title: JUBILEE! Reflections on The Fisk Singers and Spirituals with singer JoFoKe (Joslyn Ford Keel) and conductor Dr. Vicki Burrichter
Description: Known to many of us for her contributions to Montview@Home and her brilliant soloist turn for our 50th Anniversary Duke Ellington Sacred Concert performance, JoFoKe (Joslyn Ford Keel) is a graduate of Fisk University, where she was a member of the world-famous Fisk Jubilee Singers. She, along with Boulder Chorale Artistic Director Dr. Vicki Burrichter, will lead this special webinar discussing her time with the chorus, playing some of their music and examining the spiritual tradition. Hosted by Minister of Music Adam Waite.
Facilitators: JoFoKe (Joslyn Ford Keel) and Dr. Vicki Burrichter
Dates/time: Thursday, 2/11, 8:00 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
Max participants: No maximum
Title: Crushed in Spirit: An Exploration of Grief
Description: This three part series examines the nature of grief; an especially poignant topic in today’s world of heightened levels of anxiety and depression.
Dr. David Johns takes us through this series, calling upon professional and personal experience to shepherd the journey through the mechanics of the grieving process; ideas for developing healthy practices that can help us navigate our own grief; and finally some advice on ways to be present for others who are experiencing grief.
Dr. Johns holds a PhD in Counseling and Education, and is a licensed professional counselor, a licensed addiction counselor, and an adjunct faculty member at Regis University. David’s specialty areas include grief, resilience, and religious and spiritual concerns. He is connected with Montview Church, including being active with the steering committee of The Resilience Effort, a group committed to the mission of growing the movement of suicide prevention by raising awareness, connecting people to support and professional resources, and championing resilience.
Facilitators: Dr. David Johns
Dates/time: Wednesdays, 2/24, 3/3, 3/10, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
Title: Book Study: The Return of the Prodigal Son
Description: Join Pastor Ian Cummins for a three-week book study of the spiritual classic, The Return of the Prodigal Son, by Henri Nouwen. In this short, accessible book, Nouwen uses Rembrandt’s famous painting of one of Jesus’ best-known parables to reflect on themes of homecoming, reconciliation and knowing that we are God’s beloved.
Participants are asked to purchase their own book and to read Part
One before the first class. The book is widely available, including at The Tattered Cover and Amazon.
Dates/Times: Wednesdays, 3/17, 3/24, 3/31, 7:30-8:30 p.m.
Max participants: No maximum
