Sunday, August 10, 2008

West Coast Academy for Spiritual Formation

THE UPPER ROOM® ANNOUNCES
THE ACADEMY FOR
SPIRITUAL FORMATION®
TWO-YEAR / FORTY-DAY MODEL

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS
ACADEMY # 29
AT MERCY CENTER
BURLINGAME, CA (NEAR SAN FRANCISCO)

“I found the two-year Academy at Mercy Center to be one of the most profound experiences of my life. It was a means of growth, healing, transformation and grace.
The relationships formed and the lessons learned will last a lifetime.”
––Sue Magrath, Academy #24 participant

The Academy for Spiritual Formation® is a two-year journey into the heart, mind, soul and will of Christ. Participants meet in residence for five days each calendar quarter– a total of 40 days in retreat. Recognizing the power of the Holy Spirit to shape our lives, the daily schedule provides a balanced approach to spiritual formation with worship including Morning Prayer and Night Prayer, and Eucharistic celebrations, thoughtful faculty presentations, silence, spiritual community, small covenant groups, and a balanced approach for head and heart.

Participation is open to laypersons and clergy from all denominations;
racial-ethnic persons are encouraged to apply.

RETREAT SCHEDULE

Session 1 February 16-21, 2009
(Monday-Saturday)

Session 2 April 28-May 3, 2009
(Tuesday-Sunday)

Session 3 August 10-15, 2009
(Monday-Saturday)

Session 4 October 13-18, 2009
(Tuesday-Sunday)

Session 5 January 11-16, 2010
(Monday-Saturday)

Session 6 April 13-18, 2010
(Tuesday-Sunday)


Session 7 August 9-14, 2010
(Monday-Saturday)

Session 8 November 1-7, 2010
(Monday-Saturday)




Faculty for Academy #29 includes some of the best voices in the spiritual journey today: Elizabeth Canham, Loyd Allen, David Horowitz, Jane Vennard, Bruce Rigdon, Kathryn Damiano, Bishop Hee-soo Jung and others.

An outstanding leadership team of Suzanne Seaton, Bob Mitchell, Jan Sechrist, Jim Seaton and Ginger Howl are ready to welcome you.

All sessions are held at the Mercy Center (www.mercy-center.org) in Burlingame, California, just minutes from the San Francisco airport. Room, board, and tuition are $5,500, payable over the two years. Partial scholarships are available. For more information and a twenty-page prospectus, visit www.upperroom.org/academy, email academy@upperroom.org, or call the Academy office toll-free at 1-877-899-2781, ext. 7233.



“Without Christian formation in spirituality, there can be no Christianity at all… The Academy offers a structured, supportive community in which Christians can learn Christian history and resource their own growth in the love of God and neighbor, take risks spiritually, and find courage to submit to God for healing the very parts of themselves they most would reject. I am committed to support it.”
––Roberta Bondi, author and Academy teacher


“The Academy fulfills a unique place in the lives of Christians reaching for deeper spiritual growth…I have never known a spiritual frontier which combines such a wide spectrum of Christian experience…Yes, it changes lives, including mine.”
––Flora Slosson Wuellner, author and retired Academy teacher