Interfaith Talk at Worthington Library

Andras Arthen of Worthington, along with his family and other members of The EarthSpirit Community, recently returned from Australia where they joined thousands of other international participants attending the Parliament of the World’s Religions in Melbourne.

The Parliament is the oldest and largest interreligious conference in the world, having been held initially in Chicago in 1893. That particular event marked the first time that religious leaders and dignitaries from the mainstream Western faiths met formally with their counterparts from Asian religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism, giving rise in our culture to an interest in such practices as Yoga and Zen which continues to this day.

The Melbourne Parliament, from December 3-9, brought together some 6,500 delegates from most of the many spiritual traditions including Buddhists, Christians, Sikhs, Muslims, American Indians, Zoroastrians, Pagans, Jews, Yorubans, etc. The week-long event featured over 600 workshops, lectures, ceremonies, panel discussions, and artistic presentations which provided insight into the richness and diversity of the world’s religions and addressed the roles that those institutions can play in resolving some of the major problems that we face today.

Andras Arthen, who is a member of the Parliament’s Board of Trustees, will offer a talk about the event (including a slide presentation) at the Worthington Library on Wednesday, March 3 at 7:00 pm. For more information about the Parliament of the World’s Religions, go to http://www.parliamentofreligions.org/ .

~ Leona Arthen,  Director, Worthington Library

Worthington Library receives ALA/Fetzer Institute Award

Good news from the Worthington Library!

"The Worthington Library is one of 50 libraries to be chosen for the ALA/Fetzer Institute “Let’s Talk About It: Love & Forgiveness” grant. The grant awards the library $2500 to cover project director training in Denver, honorarium for the local scholar who will run the book discussion series and any other expenses. Worthington chose the topic: “Love and Forgiveness in the Light of Death” which follows nicely our well-received series last year on spiritual practices in our community. We are partnered in the grant by The Worthington Health Center, the Council on Aging and the Congregational Church. Our local scholar is Walter Wright, Academic Dean of Clark University and a PhD in Philosophy. We are very happy to have received this grant."

~ Leona Arthen, Director, Worthington Library

Worthington Library Poetry Slam a BIG HIT!

"And the winner is---


Congratulations to the winners of Worthington Library's Poetry Slam! First place went to Kate Ewald, second to Vati Srieberg, third to Mary Wheelan and fourth to Darrell Moore! A fantastic collection of poetry was heard and a fun evening was had by all. We'll all be rooting for Kate as she goes on to the Regional Slam to be held at the Eric Carle Museum in Amherst on May 25 between 3 and 5 pm. "

Upcoming Western Massachusetts Library Poetry Slams

This poster includes locations, dates, and times.

The above information is taken directly for the April 12 posting on the Worthington Library Blog

Reading for the Light ~ Worthington Library

Worthington Library recently hosted a very successful program series entitled “Reaching for the Light”. In a town where a quorum for a special town meeting is 21 people, we were thrilled to average 20 at each of the five sessions. For four weeks, a minister or spokesperson for a different spiritual path practiced in Worthington spoke about their spiritual practices. We had a Buddhist, a Sufi, a Christian and a Pagan. The last week, brought all of them together in a panel. The response was extremely favorable. Many folk would have liked for the discussions to continue and all learned a lot about the differences and similarities of these paths. It was a great way to bring people together during the winter months.

~ Leona Arthen, Director, Worthington Library

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