Editor

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July, 2000 - Vol. XXIX No. 2
Continuing Education: Some Ways and Some Means

Cursorily ... From the Editor's Screen
by The Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori

Some great sage, perhaps George Santayana, once said, "the day we stop learning is the day we begin to die." There’s a lot of truth in that bald statement. The most vital people I know – of whatever age – are the ones with a great curiosity, or a great passion for learning. Something like death and resurrection goes on within us when we learn – we let go of an old way of seeing things and embrace a new and more lively set of possibilities. Our eyes change, and we see the world differently than we did before.

Learning also lets us more deeply appreciate the people around us. I think it was Mark Twain who wrote the waggish remark, "I can’t believe how much my dad learned while I was away at college!" Learning is a way of opening ourselves to the great mysteries of creation. I often think that the years I spent studying the fine points of squid anatomy made me much more willing to see people’s idiosyncrasies as gifts rather than problems!

This issue is about stretching yourself – how to find the resources, gather up the gumption to go, and how to let the gift of learning continue to enrich your home community when you return. There are possibilities for continuing education that take place at home, in a group gathered for that purpose (EFM), and others that mean going away for a few days or a week or even longer. We pray you will be encouraged and motivated to take advantage of new learning opportunities!

et cetera…

The Diocesan Christian Education Department has for many years sponsored a mid-summer Adult Study Weekend. Changes at Triangle Lake Center have prompted us to think about a change in format. Watch for details of a Lenten learning weekend next spring.

Another news flash – gleanings from past issues of The Vineyard will be available before much longer. Mary York, former editor, has been working to gather our best vintages, and we hope to publish The Best of The Vineyard as a silver anniversary CD. Pray for us as we attempt to put old wine in new wineskins!

Katharine