Welcome to our new newsletter!

Welcome to the first edition of the e-newsletter of the Center for Courage & Renewal. We’ve called this newsletter Words of EnCOURAGEment for good reason, as that is exactly what we hope it will be for you—encouraging!. The definition of the word encourage speaks to our hopes for this newsletter.

• We look forward to sharing our stories and the fruits of our work with you;
• We hope this will be a place where you can share your stories with us and each other;
• We trust this will be a source of connection and inspiration for alums of Courage to Teach, Courage to Lead, and circle of trust retreats;
• We want to support a larger conversation about how and where people, whose vocation is serving others, can find the courage needed to persevere and be “whole-hearted” in the often overwhelming circumstances in which they are trying to make a difference—whether that be in the life of child, patient, congregation or community; and
• We seek to stimulate in our readers the movement from reflection to action, from ideas to embodied and emboldened ways of living and working.

A virtual “circle of trust”

In our work with teachers, leaders, clergy, physicians, nurses, lawyers, counselors, and community leaders we frequently meet in a retreat setting, using an approach we call “creating a circle of trust.” Parker Palmer speaks about circles of trust in this way:

…if we are willing to embrace the challenge of becoming whole…we cannot embrace that challenge all alone, at least, not for long: we need trustworthy relationships to sustain us, tenacious communities of support, if we are to sustain the journey toward an undivided life.

…taking an inner journey toward rejoining soul and role requires authentic relationships, a rare but real form of community that I call a “circle of trust.”

—Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness

These retreats focus on inner work and the intersection of our lives as persons and professionals. This kind of inner work is helped along by the creation of a quiet, focused, and disciplined space in which the noise within us and around us can subside and the voice of the inner teacher can be heard. But as we do “inner work,” we are not simply focusing inwardly on ourselves. Rather, we become more aware of the fabric of our connectedness with others in our families, workplaces, and communities and of our ongoing sense of responsibility and stewardship of the people and concerns that are at the heart of our lives and work.

Extend and receive welcome!

Of course, a “circle of trust” doesn’t just magically appear because we happen to call it that! There are conditions and practices that serve and support the creation of a trustworthy space within which people can feel safe to explore the issues that most matter to them. We have developed a set of guidelines for how we work together in these circles that we call “Touchstones.”

The first of these— Extend and receive welcome—might seem like a “no brainer,” but it sets an important tone for the kind of generous space we are trying to create together. People learn best in hospitable spaces, spaces in which they can bring their joys and successes as well as their fears and their failings. One of the gifts we can give each other is to extend welcome. Sometimes that comes through words and conversation, sometimes through a glance or a smile, and sometimes through a hospitable presence. I am reminded of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s wonderful definition of hospitality, which can be taken both literally and metaphorically:

“Hospitality: a little fire, a little food, and an immense quiet.”

While it is challenging to translate creating hospitality into a two-dimensional format like this, it is not impossible. And we are up for the challenge! Here, too, we believe that the creation of an hospitable space will enhance the ways in which this medium helps us to feel connected through our words and stories. Even in this format, we can create a context for thoughtful speaking and deep listening. So again, Welcome!

Invitation to Contribute

Besides extending welcome to you as a reader of this newsletter we also want to extend an invitation to you to be a contributor. As you’ll see, this newsletter is organized into various segments, many of which we plan to continue in future editions. There is a piece by Parker Palmer that celebrates the origins and history of our work. Parker will have a short piece in future newsletters as well. You’ll also notice profiles of past participants in Courage to Teach and other programs, as well as features about our work in various serving professions, a poetry selection, and links to upcoming events.

If you’ve participated in our programs, we hope that in a small way, this newsletter will reconnect you with that experience. If you’re new to our work, we hope to stimulate your interest in thinking about ways to reconnect who you are with what you do.


1. Parker J. Palmer, A Hidden Wholeness, 2005.
2. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882). In "Speakers Sourcebook I," by Eleanor Doan, 1960.