The categories into which we group our classes help us to further define and express our mission. If you click on the links below you will be taken to a full description of the course
The Apocalyptic Dimension of the Bible. How do we interpret pronouncements about the end of the world, and what does ancient scripture tell us? Led by Incarnate Word University Professor Emerita.
“Sixgun” Saviors and the Invasion of Iraq. A thought-provoking examination of the role played by the American myth of the Frontier Hero in the motivations and hopes of those who decide to go to war in Iraq and the results of mixing that myth with ancient Christian tradition. Led by Southwestern University Professor Emeritus of English.
Reclaiming Civility in the Public Square. Practice the best strategy for civil communication in public discourse. Lively interactive sessions with a dynamic pair of ministers.
The Creative Spirit
The Soul at Work: Living Our Faith in the Workplace. Reflect on ways of living our vision of love, generosity, and compassion in our working lives. Led by a lively, intelligent minister with an advanced degree in religion and politics.
Faith and Art, Science, History, Politics, Film...
Write Your Life Story. Gather weekly to write, reflect on, and perhaps publish your stories. Led by gifted facilitator of storytelling.
Five Films on Faith. Examine five contemporary films to discern underlying themes. Led by popular teacher, local writer, and avid student of contemporary film.
Dimensions of Family Life
Intimate Partners: Happiness in Committed Relationships—for All Ages and Orientations. Enhance fulfillment in relationships through dialogue in “conscious partnership.” Led by highly trained, respected, and experienced relationship counselor who is also an ordained minister.
The Four Non-Negotiables of the “Dream” Marriage/Relationship. Enjoy this one-night opportunity to hear Harville Hendrix, an internationally renowned Couples’ Clinical Pastoral Counselor and best-selling author on relationships. Learn what research and experience reveal for successful relationships.
Immigration through the Lens of Faith. During this three-part series, get an “up-close-and personal” look at immigration issues. Features an immigration attorney with the Presbyterian Church USA, a local minister whose church serves an area densely populated by immigrants, and a global scholar/researcher.
Faith and the Death Penalty. What does the ongoing use of the death penalty mean for people of faith who live in Texas? Taught by a professor of sociology and criminal justice who is also an activist in the cause of the death penalty.
Walk on the Wild Side II. Enjoy the sacredness of nature in local ecosystems and identify wildlife in field trips with local botanists.
Religious/Spiritual Practice and Ritual
T’ai Yoga. Gentle, powerful Yoga using breath for connecting with the heart and Tai Chi as a meditation in motion. Taught by Esther Vexler, Yoga pioneer teacher and practitioner.
Yogaia Peace Yoga. Gentle, powerful healing Yoga, for all levels. Taught by founder of Yogaia Peace, emphasizing connecting to the natural world and embracing the sacred.
Co-Sponsored Courses....Please contact the host for reservations!
People of Pilgrimage: Journeying into Silence
First Annual Ecumenical Contemplative Retreat
Hosted by Oblate School of Theology and local partners
Retreat Leaders: Rev. Mary Earle, Rosalyn Falcon Collier, and Sylvia Maddox
Details: Sunday, February 28; 2:30 p.m. through Thursday, March 4, 12 p.m.
Tuition: $345 by January 10 to Oblate School of Theology
Retreat Information: Do you long for a holy experience of pilgrimage in your daily life? Are you open to a sacred encounter with other pilgrims? This retreat experience offers you an opportunity to deepen and expand a contemplative stance in your life. The retreat will begin with talks and reflections. There will be space and time for encountering Great Silence. The retreat time will assist participants in bringing a contemplative attitude and presence to your home life and work place in ways that enhance your life environment.
Special Presentation: Enjoy a presentation on Encountering God in the Depths of Silence by Ronald Rolheiser, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. Rolheiser is president of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, a community-builder, and a world-renowned lecturer and writer. His books are popular throughout the English-speaking world and his weekly column is carried by more than 90 newspapers worldwide. Two Rolheiser best-sellers are The Holy Longingand The Shattered Lantern.
About the Retreat Leaders: Rosalyn Falcon Collier is co-founder of the San Antonio peaceCENTER and teaches continuing education courses at Oblate School of Theology. Rev. Mary Earle is an Episcopal priest, retreat leader, spiritual director, Author-in-Residence at The Work-Shop, and is a member of the adjunct faculty of the Episcopal Seminary in Austin. Sylvia Maddox teaches religious studies at the University of the Incarnate Word. Rev. Earle and Maddox co-authored Holy Companions: Spiritual Practices from the Celtic Saints. Mary Earle’s most recent work is Days of Grace: Meditation and Practices for Living with Illness.
Water Symposium: New Perspectives on Water Details: Sunday through Tuesday, February 14 through 16
Tuition: Free and open to public
An interdisciplinary symposium featuring36 Sessions on science, politics, law, history, poetry, music, art, spirituality, architecture, fashion, use, misuse, past, present, future, here, there and everywhere of water.
Featured Speaker: Sunday, February 14; 6:30 p.m.
RUNNING DRY!Book signing and talk by Char Miller, long-time chair of the history and urban studies program at Trinity University, is now the director of the environmental analysis program and the W. M. Keck Professor of Environmental Analysis at Pomona College, Claremont, California. As the WATER Symposium’s featured speaker, Char will set contemporary San Antonio and Water in a wider context along with select readings from his just-released 2 companion volume books, Water in the 21st-Century West and River Basins of the American West published by Oregon State U Press.
Location: Holt Conference Center, Trinity University106 Oakmont Ct., with extra parking provided at University Presbyterian Church, at Shook and Bushnell
Contact: www.salsa.net/peace/water or210-224-HOPE
Scripture and Discernment:
A Workshop on Using the Bible to Discern God’s Will
Guest Lecturer: Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson
Details: Friday, January 8:
Reception: 6 p.m., Lecture 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, January 9:
Lecture and discussion, 9 - noon;
Lunch (provided), noon - 1 p.m.
Experiential Session, 1 - 3 p.m.
Location: St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 315 Pecan St.
Tuition: Sponsored by The Work+Shop, this program was generously underwritten by an anonymous grant.
Reservations: To reserve a space and lunch, contact Katherine Buzzini, 210-599-4224 or kbuzzini@theworkshop-sa.org.
Description: Lectures and experiential presentations on using the Bible in small groups to discern God’s will in daily life situations, and in leadership groups to discern God’s will for the congregation. The weekend will include a demonstration of how the weekly Work+Shop groups integrate scripture into the discernment of faithful discipleship in all the contexts of
daily life.
About the Presenter: Dr. Luke Timothy Johnson, a world-renowned scholar of the New Testament, is the R.W. Woodruff Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins, Candler School of Theology, Emory University. He is the author of Scripture & Discernment: Decision-Making in the Church. The moral dimension of the New Testament and how ordinary Christians may use the New Testament responsibly in their own decision-making today is one of Dr. Johnson’s areas of interest and scholarship.
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University Presbyterian Church
300 Bushnell Ave | San Antonio, Texas 78212-5334 | PH: 210-732-9927 FAX: 210-734-6354
