Creating Community - Using The Insights of Henri Nouwen

On Saturday, January 18, 4 pm, St. Paul United Church of Christ, Barrington, IL, will host an afternoon lecture about the life and work of Henri J. M. Nouwen, one of the most prophetic theologians of the 20th century. All are invited to attend this free event.

Henri J. M. Nouwen is credited with more than fifty books on the spiritual life. Along the way, he helped create community wherever he served: Notre Dame, Yale, and Harvard, attending the Selma march led by Rev. Martin Luther King, living among the poor in Latin America, a prophetic tour discussing U.S. involvement in Central America, prolonged stays in a Trappist monastery, even on sabbaticals. Finally, Nouwen spent the last ten years of his life as part of L’Arche, an ecumenical international community centered around adults with disabilities.

Our speaker, Chris Glaser, was a student of Nouwen’s at Yale Divinity School in the late 1970s. They became friends, and Glaser considered Nouwen his spiritual mentor. Upon Nouwen’s death in 1996, Glaser began leading workshops and retreats on his life and writings, culminating with his book, Henri’s Mantle: 100 Meditations on Nouwen’s Legacy. 

Glaser is the author of a dozen books on the spiritual life, most recently, The Final Deadline: What Death Has Taught Me about Life. He has contributed to more than twenty other books, including several on Nouwen. He blogs weekly Progressive Christian Reflections at http://chrisglaser.blogspot.com/. For more information, go to http://chrisglaser.com/. 

Glaser will be the guest speaker the following day during the morning worship service at 9:30 am. All are welcome.