Sheryl A Kujawa-Holbrook – författare

Contrary to the oft-repeated truism, there are churches in America where Sunday is not the "most segregated day of the week," as Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook convincingly demonstrates in her compelling exploration of congregations tackling racial justice issues. Yet the truism continues to haunt many congregations, and Kujawa-Holbrook reveals, through story and thoughtful analysis, what it means to create and live out multiracial community. Focusing on six congregations from different denominations, geographical regions, and settings, the author shows us the joys and struggles in their intentional pursuits of a more diverse and just community. The stories in A House of Prayer for All Peoples will inspire leaders to explore their congregation''s history, study their community''s demographics, and, most of all, search their souls for ways they can develop and celebrate the diversity in their midst. The book is capped by an extensive annotated resource list for readers who want to explore the topic further.

What does the church look like if we take the ministry of the baptized the priesthood of all believers seriously? How are congregations transformed when the church supports and affirms the ministry of all the baptized, particularly in small congregations without the means to hire a seminary-trained pastor? And what ecclesial structures and educational models need to emerge in the next decades to assist these small congregations in the recovery of baptismal living and their own vitality? Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook and Fredrica Harris Thompsett explore these questons as well as the variety of ways people in small congregations many with no more than fifty members are living out their baptism and the impact their actions are having on their congregations, judicatories, and communities, and the institutions that educate clergy. The authors argue that just because a community cannot pay a seminary-trained minister, a growing problem in remote regions, it does not mean that there is no ministry there. It does mean that we need to look at ministry and the church in a more expansive way. The stories of the congregations revealed in this book serve to inspire us about what is possible when we live intentionally as the reconciling presence of the body of Christ in the world. They also educate us about what will be needed in the years to come to lift up still more small congregations for their work in the larger community.

Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice of nearly every major religion of the world. If you are a Christian you may travel to sites associated with the life of Jesus; Jews might visit the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem and other sacred places in the Holy Land of Israel; Muslims participate in the Hajj, the journey to Mecca; Buddhists visit the sacred sites related to the life of Buddha. Even if you practise no religion at all you will still find that you most likely participate in this practice-the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC and Lenin's tomb in Moscow are considered national pilgrimage sites. As a spiritual practice, pilgrimage transcends religious, national, cultural and linguistic boundaries.This fascinating look at the sacred art of pilgrimage integrates spirituality, practice, spiritual formation, psychology, world religions and historical resources. It examines how the world's religious pilgrimages evolved as central spiritual practices and the relationship between pilgrimage and transformation. It explains what makes a place holy and why and how some sites are so compelling that they attract thousands, even millions of pilgrims each year.

Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was a Christian mystic, visionary, abbess, composer, dramatist, poet and healer. The brilliance and passion of her writings - including inscriptions of her visions, letters, liturgical antiphons, hymns, a morality play and medical and scientific works - speak to readers within the church as well as those who are not formally religious but have an interest in mysticism, the spiritual life, the relationship between spirituality and creativity, feminist and eco-spiritualities and the arts. Though considered a controversial figure in her day, she was recently canonised and proclaimed a doctor of the church, an honour extended to only three other women saints in Christian history.This groundbreaking introduction to her rich and varied writings presents a wide range of Hildegard's works grouped by theme, providing a deeper understanding of this influential spiritual figure than single-themed collections can. Insightful and instructive annotations provide the reader with suggestions for how to read or "listen" to mediaeval mystical texts as well as how to engage fully with Latin chants, allowing readers to effectually begin a dialogue between the world of this twelfth-century mystic and our own.

Based on ten years of research, God Beyond Borders is a comprehensive study of interreligious learning in faith communities. The United States is one of the most religiously diverse countries of the world. Kujawa-Holbrook details the many practices of interreligious learning in faith communities; through interreligious encounters, religious education, shared sacred space, shared prayer, and compassionate action. The book also surveys the field of interreligious learning and investigates some of the more common intentionally interreligious communities--families, clergy groups, chaplaincies, and community organizations. Kujawa-Holbrook combines theory and praxis to make a case for the importance of interreligious learning in all religious organizations.

Explore the many dimensions of the pilgrimage experience and change your orientation to the world."Pilgrimage is an opportunity for pilgrims to cultivate their inner life (or inner voice) in a way that leads to a greater sense of peace and compassion—a sense that pervades all of life."—from Chapter 6, "Preparing to Practice"Pilgrimage is a spiritual practice of nearly every major religion of the world. If you are a Christian you may travel to sites associated with the life of Jesus; Jews might visit the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem and other sacred places in the Holy Land of Israel; Muslims participate in the Hajj, the journey to Mecca; Buddhists visit the sacred sites related to the life of Buddha. Even if you practice no religion at all you will still find that you most likely participate in this practice—the Jefferson Memorial in Washington, DC, and Lenin's tomb in Moscow are considered national pilgrimage sites. As a spiritual practice, pilgrimage transcends religious, national, cultural and linguistic boundaries.This fascinating look at the sacred art of pilgrimage integrates spirituality, practice, spiritual formation, psychology, world religions and historical resources. It examines how the world's religious pilgrimages evolved as central spiritual practices and the relationship between pilgrimage and transformation. It explains what makes a place holy, and why and how some sites are so compelling that they attract thousands, even millions of pilgrims each year.