Gathering Leaves 2025: Schedule

Thursday, September 25, 2025:
4pm-6pm: Arrivals, pick-up registration packets, Sister Circles.
6pm-7pm: Dinner
7pm-8:30pm: Welcome and Keynote Speaker
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: DR. SONI WERNER
“Searching for the Courage, the Heart, and the Brains to Handle Conflicts.”
     In the “Wizard of Oz”, Dorothy’s three friends longed for courage, a heart and brains. They started a quest. So who is the Wizard?  What is Dorothy longing for?  How can we all gain more courage, and increase our heart and brains so that we can tackle the hard conflicts in our path?
     I have also been on a quest my entire adult life, searching for tools to help people handle conflicts.  I learned from professional mediators, human resource experts in large companies (who handled labor disputes), psychologists, professors at a college inside a prison, social workers, and my own dad. 
     In this address, I will give examples of how I built up my courage to walk into a conflict (rather than avoid it), strengthened my heart to have more compassion (for all the people involved), and then challenged my brain to learn these conflict resolution tools.  I continue to try to apply them to serious interpersonal problems, when groups invite me to do so. 
     There will be handouts for everyone attending, describing my favorite well-worn tools.  If time permits we will break into small groups to try them out, or consider how they might help you navigate difficult conversations. 

BIO:  Soni Soneson Werner began this quest over 50 years ago: to find communication tools for handling interpersonal conflicts. She has been collecting them ever since, and applying them in various settings: in prisons, in family court houses, in mediations with divorcing couples and in church groups, in multi-generations of families, and as the President of the Swedenborg Foundation Board. Along the way, she got a Masters and a PhD in child psychology and taught at several colleges, including Bryn Athyn College. She trained theological students in these conflict resolution skills so they could use them in their congregations. Soni is now retired and lives (peacefully!) in New Hampshire, with her husband of almost 50 years.

8:30pm-8:45pm: Spiritual Moment

Friday, September 26, 2025
8am-9am: Breakfast
9am-9:15am: Spiritual Moment
9:15am-10:45am: Plenary Session
PLENARY:  REV. SAGE COLE 
“Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful”
    In this session Rev. Sage Cole will share the theological foundations for and her experience with Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful as a useful new frame for nurturing new church life.  Understanding the call of the new church as the experience of stepping into something NEW, Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful offers a space to dwell with each other in the process of change, making room for new ideas and possibilities to emerge.  

BIO: Rev. Sage Cole was ordained into the ministry of the Swedenborgian Church of North America in 2005. She has served virtual, urban and rural congregations and worked as a hospice chaplain.  Sage is now working to build the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Collaborative, an effort to form collaborative community that nurtures new church life through a shared commitment to Be Love, Be Honest, and Be Useful.  Sage lives in Hyde Park, MA with her husband and two sons.

10:45am-11am: Coffee break
11am-1pm: FRIDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 1-A:  GRAY GLENN
“Logopraxis”
Logopraxis is a term coined from the Greek words “Logos” meaning “the Word” and “praxis”, meaning “to practice” and so it simply means “to practice the Word”. It is a process orientated approach for engaging with Sacred Texts in that it is founded on the community’s collective acknowledgement that the Lord continuously reveals Himself through them.
Gray will introduce the practice of Logopraxis, using Swedenborgian teachings as a way to stay balanced, administer self-care, set boundaries, negotiate conflict and stay rooted in faith and trust in God.   

WORKSHOP 1-B:  PASTOR ROBBIN FERRIMAN
"Building Your Spiritual Toolbox."     During this workshop Robbin will be sharing the "tools" that she has learned and that have worked for her in difficult times.  This will include NVC (Non-violent communication), the 12-Step program, as well as many other techniques that the participants may have used themselves.  There will be some journaling exercises to help get participants get them in touch with their needs and feelings, allowing for self-empathy to happen. Sharing is encouraged but not required. NVC is an organization that offers books, classes, and workshops all around the world.

BIO: Robbin was born and raised in and around the St. Louis area in Missouri.  Curiously enough, she grew up very near our Swedenborgian sister church, “The Church of the Open Word” but was completely ignorant of its existence!  Her family migrated to Florida and then she traveled, spending a summer in Naples, Italy with family friends.  Upon coming back to the states, Robbin moved around, eventually settling in Ohio, where she has lived for about 30 years.  She graduated from Ohio University in 2001, with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree.   Robbin was living in Urbana, Ohio when she found the Swedenborgian Church quite by Divine Providence. After having a profound spiritual experience from going on an “Emmaus Walk,” she asked for more responsibility and engagement within the church.  That ultimately lead her to feel a “calling” to go further, and so she enrolled in the Licensed Pastor Program a few years ago, and is now consecrated as a Licensed Pastor.  She is excited and grateful for the opportunity to join the women of the Gathering Leaves and to give this workshop.

​WORKSHOP 1 -C: LORI NELSON
"Find What's Good About It."
Lori shared: “This was something my dearest friend in Hawaii said to me the day after my husband died.  I was outraged, but she was right.”  During this workshop Lori will present a brief summary of how she came to realize that her friend was right. Participants will engage in activities to consider conditions (personal, public, political) that are generally viewed as negative, and discuss and share what positives may come from those conditions.  Discussion will be informed by insights from the work, Divine Providence. 

BIO: Lori has lived in a variety of settings, including Florida, Maine, Hawai’i, and Kwajalein Island.  Some of her schooling occurred in the Bryn Athyn Church system, where she also later taught students with exceptionalities, and pre-service teachers at Bryn Athyn College.  She has four adult children.  She and her husband, Michael Vincent David, spent 18 years teaching in Hawai’i, and after his death, she returned to their home in Bryn Athyn, where she now spends her retirement spinning cotton, weaving cloth, gardening, and helping out with Deborah’s Tree and Gathering Leaves in support of the idea that if God has called a person to ministry, that person ought be able to minister.  In addition to her long career as a teacher, Lori has worked as a receptionist/typist for a small defense research firm, and as a nurses’ aide including in the delivery room, where she was constantly awestruck by the ongoing arrivals of brand new human beings.

WORKSHOP 1-D: Yung Me Morris
"Reading the Bible Through the Lens of Trauma"
Rev. Yung Me Morris reads the Word using the interpretive lens of Trauma Theory.  As a former chaplain, she can understand it as a book written by a people who have endured unspeakable trauma, to provide a record of thanksgiving for their survival and a poetic dream for the future. 

BIO: Yung Me Morris is the interim Pastor at the Temenos Retreat Center and Nature Sanctuary.

1pm-2pm: Lunch

2pm-4pm: FRIDAY AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 2-A
REV. ROSLYN TAYLOR
"Feminine Tools for Healing the Pain of Polarization"
     Most people would agree that we are living in very divisive times, around the world. Many of us are suffering from personal losses due to polarization and from the pain that can result from an "us versus them" mentality. Using insights from Swedenborgian theology, this workshop lifts up two aspects of feminine spirituality that we can use to bridge divides, restore relationships, and begin to heal the pain of polarization.

BIO:  Rev. Roslyn Taylor is a minister with the Swedenborgian Church of North America. She has been the spiritual leader of the Home Church in Bryn Athyn since 2003. She founded the Deborah’s Tree ministry in 2021, which promotes the work of female Swedenborgian scholars, writers, clergy and artists. Rev. Taylor has been active in the Gathering Leaves retreats for Swedenborgian/New Church women since 2004. A mother of four adult children and grandmother of five, she divides her time between her families in Bryn Athyn, PA, USA and Woonona, NSW, Australia.

WORKSHOP 2-B
DR. JOY T. BARNITZ, M.DIV., PH.D.   
“Women of Spirit and Power:
Lessons from the Early Christian Church”
     Women’s leadership in the Swedenborgian churches can trace its roots to the early Christian church. Women’s roles in the Western Christian Church differed by region and across time. There is evidence of a Christian tradition, called Celtic, in the British Isles and in Brittany that differs from the Roman tradition that dominated continental Europe. Using a fictional character, I examine the historical evidence for women in religious leadership in the Celtic church to explore the differences in women’s roles in the Celtic and Roman traditions in the British Isles in the fourth to seventh centuries. Discussion will include how these roles may persist and inform women’s choices in the church today.

BIO: Joy is a life-long Swedenborgian who recently joined the Board of Deborah’s Tree: https://www.deborahstree.org/about-us. Her current focus is a “No One Dies Alone” program that she has established at a local California hospital where she serves as a chaplain. Joy calls it an “intrapreneurial ministry” as she led the effort within an established organization, doing something new that brings spiritual care and “regular” volunteers together.  Her workshop is based in a talk she gave in 2018 at a symposium at the Graduate Theological Union, the home of the Center for Swedenborgian Studies which serves as the SCNA seminary. She enjoys supporting patients, families, staff and mentoring other volunteers in her chaplaincy work.  A certified labyrinth walk facilitator, she enjoys creating rituals for people to explore their spiritual side in natural settings.  She also enjoys teaching and preaching; selected sermons are available on the Our Daily Bread website:  https://www.spiritualquesters.org/?s=barnitz

WORKSHOP 2- C: GAIL SIMONS
“Prayer Bead Workshop”
     The Middle English word for beads was “bede”, which meant “prayer”. As seen in rosaries and malas, beads are used for counting and remembering prayers. In this workshop, after a presentation about the history and lore of prayer beads, we will make a personal “rosary” by selecting beads and totems based on their symbolism, color and spiritual/personal connections. We will also explore the meditative process that stringing beads can have.

BIO:  For as long as she can remember, Gail was drawn to beads, and the stories they have to tell.  She began designing jewelry, mostly with upcycled beads, many years ago.  She has given several prayer bead workshops through the years, and for the past 5 years has held bead classes in her home.  Along with making jewelry in the classes, Gail and her students study the history and symbolism of beads and the art of design.  As a retired teachers of 30 years in New Church education, Gail is able to bring her love of teaching to these classes. 
Fee: Beads and materials will be included with a $10 materials fee.  (Please note that this is a different prayer bead process than the one Gail presented in Bryn Athyn.)

4pm-5pm: Free time, Sister Circles or Choir practice
5pm-6pm:  Activity
AMANDA ROGERS
“Dances of Universal Peace”
     The Dances of Universal Peace and Walking Concentrations are spiritual practices in motion. Drawing on the sacred phrases, scripture, and poetry of the many spiritual traditions of the earth, the Dances blend chant, live music, and evocative movement into a living experience of unity, peace, and integration. This taste of our true nature - as Universal Peace - opens the possibility of a profound spiritual revolution within the person.
From the beginning of time, sacred movement, song, and story have brought people together - at times of seasonal ceremony and celebration, as part of everyday life and life passages, in daily renewal and meditation. The Dances of Universal Peace are part of this timeless tradition of Sacred Dance.

BIO:  Amanda (Mandy) Rogers is happy to lead us in Dances for Universal Peace. She attends the Lord's New Church and attended GL23. She leads Dances for Universal Peace in the Bryn Athyn area and elsewhere.

6pm-7pm: Dinner
7pm-8pm: Worship Communion Service
8pm-9pm: Campfire/Hootenanny! by TRYN ROSE SELEY

Saturday, September 27, 2025
8am-9am: Breakfast
9am-9:15am: Spiritual Moment
9:15am-11:15am: SATURDAY MORNING WORKSHOPS
WORKSHOP 3-A : LORI ODHNER
“ The Ordinary Miracle of Listening”
     It is freely available, and yet often we forget, or don't know how to be curious enough to listen well. This session will offer three kinds of avenues for changing up the pattern of exchange, kind of like verbal yoga. We can stretch ourselves in ways we have neglected, and may be surprised by what happens. As dessert, we will finish with a playful exercise that asks us to speak clearly and listen closely.

BIO: Lori has been blessed to attend Gathering Leaves retreats at The Lord's New Church, Temenos, Purley Chase, and Fryberg. Connecting with other women there has deeply impacted her spiritual path, most recently by inspiring her to pursue training as a chaplain.  Lori and her husband have raised nine children, and have a shared ministry of music. She was part of the Bryn Athyn Church staff as Director of Marriage Programs from 2007 to 2025, which included organizing Marriage Conferences, leading small groups, pairing younger couples with older ones as mentors, and writing a daily blog.  She also has a passion for creating beautiful quilts. 

WORKSHOP 3-B: SUE DITMIRE
"Reimagining Your life, and Taking Action Toward It"
     As we age, we often find ourselves with less responsibility to others. Children are grown and on their own. Perhaps we are even widowed. What dreams for yourself did you set aside while raising your children and other priorities.  Even if you are a widow, life goes on!  What would you really like to do? What can you do even on a small basis to reclaim those dreams.  Let’s talk about it and what you might do in small or even big ways!

BIO:  Sue became a Swedenborgian in the 1970’s when she was looking for a Church experience for her young children. At Kemper Road Center (now New Church of Montgomery), she found a match for her own beliefs.  In 1983, she moved to NJ.  She stayed active in General Convention as Secretary for the Board of Education.  She joined the closest Society in Wilmington DE Society (1 ½ hrs. away). After she was widowed and later retired, she moved to Urbana, OH (2022), where it was wonderful to have a close and loving Society.  She worked with those reopening the Johnny Appleseed Museum.
In June 2025, she returned to Cincinnati Ohio, where her priority is researching and writing.  She is also continuing as the Chair of the Library and Documents Committee and still has a priority of saving the Swedenborgian Heritage and Archives.

WORKSHOP 3 -C: MARET TAYLOR GENZLINGER
 “Change vs Acceptance: Navigating with DBT."
     This workshop will focus on the many skills for spiritual growth as detailed in Dialectical Behavior Training, the "dialectic" being the reconciliation of two opposing forces, Change and Acceptance, into a synthesis. Learning skills for acceptance and skills to bring about change are at the heart of this training and echo the Serenity Prayer of 12-Step groups.
 
BIO: Maret (Taylor) Genzlinger, originally from Australia, is a mother and grandmother. She has taught all grade-levels from preschool through college over the last forty-six years, currently teaching Math part-time at the Bryn Athyn College, accompanying choirs and worship services at Bryn Athyn's elementary school, and playing piano every Sunday at the Lord's New Church.
​
11:15am-12:30pm: Free time
12:30pm-1:30pm: Lunch

1:30pm-6pm: Outing
ROSLYN TAYLOR
"Brandywine River Museum"
   Discover a distinguished collection of nineteenth- and twentieth-century American art, housed in a renovated nineteenth-century mill with a dramatic steel and glass addition that overlooks the bucolic Brandywine River. The extraordinary site—the intersection of art and nature—emphasizes the Brandywine Conservancy’s commitment to the preservation of the natural, cultural and scenic resources of the region. 

6pm-7pm: Dinner
7pm-8:00pm: Activity
LIZ KUFS
"Gong Sound Bath"
     Bring your yoga mat, small blanket and/or pillow to lie down and experience a restorative gong bath from a certified Sound Healer. Rest and relax while the healing vibrational energy of the gongs and other tonal instruments sweeps over you for a whole rejuvenating hour.  (Gong baths are considered safe for most people, but those who are pregnant, are experiencing hearing loss or have a seizure disorder triggered by auditory stimuli may wish to consult their doctors prior to attending a gong bath, as a gong bath may not be right for you.)
Note: Extra yoga mats, pillows and blankets will be available.

BIO: Liz is a graduate of the Academy of the New Church and Bryn Athyn College in Bryn Athyn, Pennsylvania.  She works for Deborah's Tree doing web design and video production, as well as creative and logistical support for events.  She also has a Master's in Sociology from Temple University and is a Level 1 certified sound healer through Life Changing Energy.

8:30pm-8:45pm: Spiritual Moment

Sunday, September 28, 2025
8am-9am: Breakfast
9am-10am: Closing and event evaluation survey
10am-11am: Worship
11am: Farewells and departures.