Member Support & Education Update

By Rev. Judy Morley, Ph.D., Director

Ministerial Education Subcommittee of the Education Committee is moving toward a proposal for the field to review that takes into consideration our history and the call to provide ministerial education for now and the future. We are looking to bring forward a program that addresses the real life world of today.

Meanwhile, our current School of Spiritual Leadership continues to grow and attract new students.  

Opening the Masters in Consciousness Studies to our practitioners and anyone with an accredited bachelor’s degree has resulted in 11 new students entering Holmes Institute for the Master’s Degree, with more applicants in the process.

Honorary Doctorates Awarded at Spiritual Living Convention

The following recipients were awarded Honorary Doctorate of Divinity degrees:

• Dr. David Alexander            
• Dr. Robert A. Deen III           
• Dr. Joe Hooper                     
• Dr. Georgia Prescott                        
• Dr. Robert A. Smith
• Dr. David Leonard

The Honorary Doctor of Religious Science, which is conferred upon a Religious Science Minister who has exceeded expectations of the Doctor of Divinity Degree, was conferred this year upon Dr. Marcia Sutton.

Spiritual Living Education News

Centers for Spiritual Living now has student batch registration online — no more filling out paperwork and waiting weeks for the certificates. Currently, this is available to centers that pay in US funds. If your center is interested in using the online registration system, please contact Dianna Ferguson at dferguson@csl.org.

Online certificated classes are also available through Centers for Spiritual Living. Students may use these classes as practitioner prerequisites if they are unable to participate at a local center. Please see www.csl.org/onlineclasses  for more details.

The education portion of the CSL Strategic Plan is being implemented. Currently, there are more than 10 subcommittees working and/or forming to move forward different aspects of the plan. Currently, the Education Committee is looking for people, including a leader, to serve on the Youth Education team. If you are interested in serving on the Youth Education team in any capacity or learning about the other subcommittees, please contact Nicole Merges at nmerges@csl.org

The Education Committee set up a Survey Monkey to gather ideas for moving forward in the development of CSL Education — and received more than 200 responses. Thank you so much for sharing your ideas! This data is being compiled and given to the appropriate working groups for direction. Presently, the Education Committee is working on defining the fundamental principles and practices of the Science of Mind that will be included in CSL Education. The councils (Leadership, Ministerial, Practitioner and Member) have been engaged in this process. In the near future, there will also be opportunity for the field to participate. Please stay tuned.

Licensing & Credentialing

We happily announce our new 2015 calendar, which lists licensing and renewal fee schedules and reporting dates, Ordination Panels with locations, and the new webinar trainings for new Ministers. These webinars are designed to address the needs of newer ministers, but others will be able to access the recordings. Download the calendar at www.csl.org. We will update it, so always check for the most recent revision.

New Ethics brochures designed and edited by Rev. Mary Mitchell are now posted and available for download along with the recently approved revisions of the Ethics Dept. Policies and Procedures at www.csl.org. Please take some time to read and review all these materials.

The Phoenix Bridge Committee is very excited to announce its new website and blog with a password-protected chat room for current Phoenix Bridge participants. Its creation inspires self-contemplation towards one’s right and perfect expression of Ministry, while also supporting those who have left a Letter of Call with accurate materials and resources during their time of reassessment and transition. Please check out the committee’s website for details at http://www.phoenixbridge.org/.  

More L&C News…

Our very own Meritorious Practitioner of the Year, Annie Glasgow, now busily processing the 871 Practitioner renewals in this odd-year cycle. She will retire on September 9, 2015, and Mike Hiraoka will succeed her, so he is training with her in this “light cycle” year. Be nice to both of them.

Now please help us celebrate the 19 Ministers who recently passed their Ordination Panels held at North Hollywood and Las Vegas in January and February:

Rev. Robert Ahrienkiel, CSL Fremont, California	Rev. Melody Bailey, CSL Kelowna, Canada
Rev. Patricia Brideaux, CSL Edmonton-Metro	Rev. Barbara Caldwell, CSL Fremont, California
Rev. Debbie Chutuk, Formerly CSL Woodland Hills, California	Rev. Lynn Galli, Hilltop CSL, Fallbrook, California
Rev. Angela Hill-Harmon, CSL Midtown, Atlanta	Rev. Diane Hockey, CSL Kelowna, Canada
Rev. Kandace Krapu, CSL Inglewood, California	Rev. Julie Lobato, CSL Castle Rock, Colorado
Rev. Collette Mercier, Amazing Grace CSL, Seattle	Rev. Kathleen Miller, CSL Edmonton-Metro
Rev. Eric O’Del, Amazing Grace CSL, Seattle	Rev. Aren Raynes, Circles Edge CSL, Reno, Nevada
Rev. Barbara Samuel, CSL Kelowna, Canada	Rev. Andrea Scheib, CSL Fremont, California
Rev. Harriet Topczewski, CSL Fremont, California	Rev. Karin Wilson, CSL Yaletown, Vancouver
Rev. Jonathan Zenz, CSL Toronto, Canada
Three new centers have completed phase 2 of their affiliation process:
Center for Spiritual Living Metro – Arlington, Virginia – Rev. Trish Hall Foothills Center for Spiritual Living – Evergreen, Colorado – Rev. Judy Morley Center for Spiritual Living Leesburg, Virginia – Rev. Sunday Cote
Two centers have Phase 1 approval:
Scottsdale Center for Spiritual Living – Arizona - Rev. Jill Clements Inner Light Center for Spiritual Living – Long Island, New York - Rev. William Marcus

Love and blessings,
Judy