Conference Announcement
Spiritual Views of Death and the Afterlife
Sponsored by:
Where? Berkshire South Regional Community Center, 15 Crissey Street, Great Barrington
When? Sunday, February 3, 2013
1:30 – 4:30 p.m.
How Much? A $10 contribution to cover basic costs.
For more information contact: Rabbi Stern-Kaufman or Deborah Alecson
The Rimon (Resource Center for Jewish Spirituality) is presenting an interfaith forum on the spiritual beliefs and rituals related to the process of dying, death, and the afterlife as understood by many of our world religions.
The Forum will take place at Berkshire South Regional Community Center in Great Barrington on Sunday, February 3, 2013, 1:30 – 4 pm. Topics to be explored will include: customs surrounding care for the deceased; the journey of the soul after death; the relationship between the living and the dead; and what these traditions teach regarding preparation for this ultimate transition.
The presenters and their respective traditions or congregations are as follows:
The Rev. Mr. Charles Van Ausdall (Congregational Church)
Ann-Elizabeth Barnes (Sacred Undertaking)
Iman Salim Chishti (Islam)
Sharon Coleman, Ph.D. (Buddhism)
Sister Colette Hanlon (Catholicism
The Rev. Liza Marcato (Christian Community Church, Movement for Religious Renewal)
Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman (Judaism).
The moderator for the forum is Deborah Golden Alecson, M.S., adjunct faculty for the School of Health Sciences, Excelsior College, where she teaches, among other courses, “Death, Dying and Bereavement” and “Spirituality in Life Transitions.”
This conference is an opportunity to address one of the greatest existential concerns for each of us; and to learn more about our own faith tradition and those of others to help us find meaning in our mortality. Our distinguished panel of presenters will first talk about their spiritual views and rituals as understood by their specific faith tradition, to then be followed by questions from the audience.
This event is co-sponsored by First Congregational UCC, Great Barrington, Hevreh of Southern Berkshires, HospiceCare in the Berkshires, Sacred Undertaking, Women’s Interfaith Institute, and the Christian Community Church Movement for Religious Renewal. The fee for this program is $10.Please contact either Rabbi Kaya Stern-Kaufman, (413) 274-1034, [email protected] or Deborah Golden Alecson, (413) 881-4065, [email protected].
Reservations are not necessary. We look forward to what we will learn from our presenters and from the attendees.