By Susan Spicer
St. John’s Ida invites members of the community to a very special day on Sunday April 19th, entitled: Earth: Finding life in the empty tomb. In the shadow of Easter and in the sight of Earth Day, this afternoon retreat will give participants time and space to cherish their love for this beautiful and suffering world.
This event is part of St. John’s Ida 2026 lecture series, seeking to address the most troubling issues of our times with honesty and hope. As we face human-caused climate change, there is a need for us to know, love and serve our island home, this beautiful blue-green planet.
It has been said that we won’t save what we don’t love, we can’t love what we don’t know, and we can’t know what we haven’t learned. As a congregation, we hope this day will inspire our community to come together to do what we canto know, love and serve creation, as we encounter here, in the place where we live.
The lecture leader, Greg Kennedy, is an engaging and down-to-earth speaker, spiritual director, gardener, writer and eco-theologian who is currently the director of Spirituality programming at the Sisters of St. John the Divine in Toronto. Greghas worked in ecology and spirituality in Canada, USA, Jamaica, and Colombia. He holds a doctorate in philosophy, plus master’s degrees in philosophy, theology, and divinity. His most recent books are Reupholstered Psalms and Amazing Friendships between Animals and Saints (both published by Novalis). It is an honour to welcome him to our community.
Everyone is welcome to attend all or part of this day. Greg will preach at the 10 am worship service on Sunday April 19th. Following lunch, he will lead the mini retreat. There is no cost for the event though donations are welcome.
Please register for the lunch and/or retreat if you would like to attend these portions of the day. Write to stjohnsida@nexicom.net.