Refugia Faith: A Calling for Our Times
Info Session & Three-Session Series on Nurturing Spiritual Resilience
“Refugia are places of shelter where life endures in times of crisis—so that new life may one day flourish again.”
—Debra Rienstra, Refugia Faith
How do we become people of refuge—sheltering life, hope, and renewal in a time of overlapping ecological, political, and social crises?
Join EcoFaith Recovery for two opportunities inspired by Debra Rienstra’s book Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth. Together we’ll explore how faith communities, small-group leaders, and all who seek spiritual resilience can nurture “refugia”—places where life endures and new life begins.
This experience welcomes people from many faith traditions and those who describe themselves as spiritual but not religious. While the series coincides with the Advent season, the themes of Refugia Faith reach far beyond it—offering practical and imaginative ways to sustain hope and healing in our shared world.
Opportunity #1:
Online Information Session To Prepare You To Lead Your Own Small Group or Advent Gatherings for Your Community
Wednesday, November 12
5 pm PDT / 6 pm MDT / 7 pm CDT / 8 pm EDT — on Zoom
EcoFaith leader Rev. Dr. Janet Parker, with support from Rev. Robyn Hartwig, will introduce the concept of Refugia Faith and guide participants through materials designed to help you lead or adapt this process for your own small group.
During this one hour long session you will receive:
- An outline of the upcoming three-session series (including short worship and discussion components).
- A set of reflection and discussion questions ready for use in your own context.
- Guidance on using three brief excerpts (17–24 pages each) from Refugia Faith to focus your group’s reflections and receiving permission from the author.
- A complimentary copy of the book for the first 12 registrants who attend the gathering and indicate they plan to lead a group on its theme. (Books should arrive to you by November 15.)
Register Here
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Opportunity #2:
Three-Session Advent Series — Refugia Faith: A Calling for Our Times
Wednesdays, December 4, 11, and 18
7:00–8:15 p.m. PST / 9:00–10:15 p.m. CST
on Zoom and in person in Beaverton, Oregon
Join EcoFaith Recovery and Spirit of Grace (Beaverton, Oregon) for a 25–30-minute worship experience followed by a 45-minute conversation on selected excerpts from Refugia Faith. Participants and other congregations are welcome to bring their own small groups to join the gathering and request to be in a small group with one another.
Register Here
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Who Should Participate
This series is for individuals, faith communities, small-group leaders, and all who seek to cultivate spaces of renewal and resilience in a changing world. Whether you are rooted in a congregation, another spiritual tradition, or simply drawn to the idea of nurturing hope and life amid crisis—you are warmly invited.
About the Book (Click here to purchase book)
Refugia Faith explores how Christian spirituality and practice can adapt to life on a climate-altered planet. Debra Rienstra draws from ecology, theology, and ordinary wonder to ask:
- How can we find and nurture refugia in our spiritual lives and communities?
- How can we connect small acts of renewal into a larger web of healing?