What is God Inviting?
Howard Thurman & Answering the Sacred Call
Lerita Coleman Brown, PhD, Ayşe I. Carden Distinguished Professor Emerita of Psychology, Agnes Scott College, is a spiritual director/companion, writer, retreat leader, and speaker. She earned her BA from UC Santa Cruz and PhD from Harvard University. A graduate of the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation, Professor Brown promotes contemplative spirituality, the living wisdom of Howard Thurman, and uncovering the peace and joy in one’s heart on her website, leritacolemanbrown.com and other social media platforms. Professor Brown appears in the documentaries, Back Against the Wall: The Howard Thurman Story, (now streaming on YouTube) and The Black Church. Her book, When the Heart Speaks, Listen—Discovering Inner Wisdom was published in 2019. What Makes You Come Alive—A Spiritual Walk with Howard Thurman, her latest book was published by Broadleaf Press in 2023.
with Lerita Coleman Brown, Ph.D
October 17-18, 2025
As a mystic, theologian, and author of several books, Howard Thurman (1899-1981) believed everyone possessed a call and role in the restoration of God’s beloved creation. Described as the spiritual architect of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. Thurman advised Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and many other sacred activists. He felt called to work that would serve all people and to use the contemplative experience as a path to peace, purpose, empowerment, and oneness. Howard Thurman wrote about this desire in many books, most notably, Jesus and the Disinherited, one that Dr. King carried with him whenever he marched. During this workshop/retreat, we will journey through the life and work of this great sage and look within to learn and reflect on what God is inviting now.
Previous Speakers
Vinita Hampton Wright
The Art of Spiritual writing workshop was offered by Vinita Hampton Wright, the author of several books, including one by the same title. Participants in the March 2025 workshop called it “one of the best writing workshops” and enjoyed both the inspiration and the time to connect with others. If you missed it, check out one or more of Vinita’s books:
Dwelling Places
Days of Deepening Friendship
The Art of Spiritual Writing
Small Simple Ways: An Ignatian Daybook for Healthy Spiritual Living
Set the World on Fire: A 4-Week Personal Retreat with the Female Doctors of the Church
Anne C. Weaver
In February 2025, Anne C. Weaver led a workshop in the fundamentals of handbells for individuals and choirs. Anne started ringing handbells in the Texas panhandle when she was only 11 years old and has been ringing ever since. While she was earning her Bachelor of Arts in Music at Wayland Baptist University, she was the student director of the handbell choir. It was during this time that she began composing for bells as well. Anne holds a Master’s in Music from Texas State University and has been directing a variety of music ensembles in Texas and then Georgia since 2006. She is now the Director of Music Ministries for Trinity United Methodist Church in Little Rock.
Leah Libresco Sargeant
Our inaugural event in October 2024 focused on opportunities for Christians to create authentic communities of prayer, support, and learning.
Leah Libresco Sargeant is the author of Arriving at Amen and Building the Benedict Option. Her next book, The Dignity of Dependence, will come out in the fall of 2025. She runs Other Feminisms, a substack community focused on advocating for women in a world that sometimes treats us as defective men. She works on family policy in Washington D.C.
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