TOWARDS A MORE INTEGRAL CHRISTIANITY
By John Dupuy (http://integralrecovery.com/about/)
Participant at  Integral Christianity  Experience Seminar at BCIL
April 16 - 20, 2008
See pictures here
 
About three weeks ago, I attended a workshop on Integral Christianity at the Boulder Center for Integral Living in Boulder, Colorado. This center is housed in a former church building (with a storied past), and is the brain child of Jeff Salzman, who is an extraordinary Integral teacher in his own right.


I attended the five-day workshop with no real expectations, but with a definite agenda of sorts. As my practice has deepened over the past few years, and as I have relaxed and looked into the vastness of my interiors, that Jesus fellow has come up as a presence, as a strange attractor. And I DO have a history. 

Let me speak to that to set the stage. At the age of twelve I had my first mind-blowing, life-changing spiritual experience. I was raised Catholic, attended church with my family, went to Sunday school, and had been confirmed in the Church. In short, my parents felt that I should have a religious grounding, so I went.

In the summer of ‘68 in my bedroom I picked up a Gideon’s New Testament that someone had given me at school. As I started reading Matthew Chapter V, the Sermon on the Mount, I was blasted by a powerful “awakening state” experience. First of all, Jesus’ words deeply penetrated me, and I felt a tangible sense of being loved by God, loving God, and loving everyone and everything else.  I began praying a lot, reading the Bible, and trying to share what I was experiencing with my friends and parents. For the most part, I think I just weirded them out. Ironically, I never even thought about speaking to a priest about what was going on. I guess I figured that since I had been going to church all my life and never sensed or experienced this God or Jesus in church, the priests must not know. Living in Houston Texas at the time there was no shortage of churches. So I did the rounds and was left frustrated. I do remember listening to Billy Graham on my radio at night and feeling some nourishment from his preaching. (Recently I read, “How can you tell an Evangelical from a Fundamentalist?”  The answer was, “The Evangelicals actually like Billy Graham.”) Anyway, thank you, Billy.

To make a long, long story very short, I ended up joining a radical dropped-out Christian group two years later, and spent the next nine years of my young life in that milieu. As often happens, my group transformed into a very toxic cult in the space of those nine years. I left in a wave of anger and disgust (some of it self-directed, wondering why I had stayed around so long). I thought, “Way to go guys. We reached a level of decadence in a decade that it took the early Christians 400 hundred years to achieve!” I felt that much of my experience had been legitimate, but much had been crap, and as I wasn’t prepared to sort it all out just then, I put the whole God/Jesus/Spiritual thing on hold and went about trying to figure out what to do with my life.

Fast forward to 3 weeks ago…
I went to the Integral Christianity workshop thinking it was time to look at this stuff anew. I had known Brother David Stendl-Rast back in the early nineties when I had worked with Fritjof Capra and the Elmwood Institute in Berkeley. I sensed it was important for me to reconnect with him, and he was one of the presenters. Both intuitions proved dead on, and I was highly impacted by the event, and, as with all Integral Workshops that I have attended, with the quality of the people who were present. So let me share a few of the insights that came to me while I was attending:

•    Firstly, Christianity, or the worldwide body of believers, could greatly be aided by the adoption the AQAL map as a guide to healing the fractures and gaping wounds found in the church (or as Brother David says “catholic” with a small “c”). To put as a starting point that the goal of an Integral Christianity is to express God’s love in all four Quadrants; this would be a hugely clarifying and healing vision. Again, as with most things non-Integral, the Church (and by Church I mean all followers of the Jesus tradition) has erred largely in what it has neglected, the body, nature, interiors, the shadow etc. For Christianity to become a channel for healthy translation and transformation to the whole of Creation, all these essential dimensions must become the field of labor for the redemptive work of Christ: exteriors and interiors, individual and collective. The redemptive symbol of the Cross takes on added depth and meaning in light of the Four Quadrants.

•    Inclusion of the knowledge of lines could aid in the cultivation of compassion and greater skillfulness in creating healthier organizational structures that include all the necessary gifts to make the church healthy and relevant in meeting the challenges the human family faces in the 21st Century. Acceptance of an Integral life practice that encompasses the essential lines as the sacred duty of all believers in the goal of becoming more “Christ like,” would be of inestimable value in reintroducing a vital healthy and balanced contemplative path at the core of the Christian faith. It almost goes without saying, in the light of recent events and history, that techniques and technologies for dealing with the individual and collective shadow could heal and bring new meaning to Jesus’ admonition, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God.” Not that we are ever done with shadow work, because if you ever get done with your own, there is always everyone else’s to work on!

•    The inclusion of developmental stages and the wisdom that it brings could revolutionize Christian theology, practice, and charity. Rollie Stanich’s observation that, “We all see God through colored glasses,” could begin to soften the often bitter animosity of Christians at one level of development for those at others. I know this is a tall order but I feel as this understanding is spread, the rigidity of the different levels could begin to loosen with a greater understanding of the perspectives that different altitudes afford. We are looking at the same Lord through different lenses.

•    The understanding of states is a must for any skillful and accurate understanding of the contemplative terrain. Adding the Integral understanding of states vs. stages and how they complement one another, could usher in a new era of depth Christianity, and once again, or maybe for the first time, the mystical power of the Jesus transmission could become the birth right of all Christians, and not just the purview of other-worldly saints. As Bernard Shaw once quipped, “There is nothing wrong with Christianity, it’s just that so few have ever tried it.”  Wilber wrote in Sex, Ecology, and Spirituality, that no other religion had done as much to keep its adherents from obtaining the consciousness of its founder, and I mean Jesus, not Paul. Christianity, at least the organized institutional variety, has been comfortable with the 3rd and 2nd person approaches to God, but when one approaches the 1st person, “I and the Father are one” experience, one is on dangerous ground indeed. When the 1,2,3 of God is understood as the territory we all travel in our contemplative journey (often in one sitting!), the tradition is gloriously enriched and many of the early sayings and teachings are revealed as powerful and as fresh as the day they were uttered. 

•    There is so much to be said about types, but there is much good already written on Enneagram types from such writer Christian writers as Rohr and Rizo. One useful understanding of types on the individual soul level could be in the feminine and masculine aspects of the souls; the feminine part of the soul being the part that longs for union with the Divine, and the masculine that which wants to be about his Father’s business, finding, doing, and accomplishing the Will of God. The individual and the Church need both: transformative mysticism in action.

•    The next essential aspect that came up for me in an Integral Christianity, or at least an Integral Christology, is to look at the figure of Christ through three essential lenses, namely,

1.    The Mythic Christ: This is the Jesus of the stories, miracles and legends. Of course these are seen as salvation-necessary dogmas to those at the mythic Amber/Blue developmental level. They include the Virgin birth, raising from the dead, descending into hell for three days, ascending into Heaven, sitting at the right hand of the Father on a throne, riding back on horse with a bunch of Angels to kick literal bad guy butt at the end of days, and setting up a last judgment to separate the sheep from the goats, etc., etc. These can be viewed not as literal articles of faith, but as powerful symbolic, archetypal stories that point the way to deeper spiritual truths that inform and illuminate the soul’s journey. While the traditionalist fundamentalists will reject this approach, it will be in place when those who are ready make the leap from Amber to Orange and above. These are actually some of the archetypal stories that helped me reconnect with Christianity when I started finding and processing these archetypes in my own inward journey. In the Christian mystery I was lead into and through the darkness and suffering. When my own darkness and the World darkness became too great it was the figure of Christ dying on the Cross that somehow imparted to me the Grace to stay with it until the Darkness too became the light. I see it as essential for the tradition that these central archetypes be preserved and illuminated all the way up the developmental spiral, and not discarded with the move from Amber.

2.    The Historical Jesus: The man, the actual human being, that we can perceive through the historical record, scant and often contradictory as the accounts may be. It is very valuable, and I believe edifying, to dig into this historical soil: the Gospels, the Jesus Seminar, the Book of Acts, Josephus, the writings of the Early Church fathers, the Epistles, the archeological record, the Dead Sea Scrolls, The Naghamadi Texts, Roman Historical texts, Tibetan texts that shed light, other apocryphal writings and so forth. There is so much to be gained from this form of inquiry and search. For me the preponderance of evidence suggests that there was a Yeshua walking on the Earth in First Century Palestine, and that through the force of his character and personal power he got this whole thing rolling. It is a fascinating study that can be both iconoclastic and revelatory on many different levels, and needs to be a part of our Integral Christianity. To be included in this is pre-Jesus history, the life and time of Jesus, and all that has unfolded from this tradition/transmission subsequently.

3.    The Kosmic Christ: The third essential lens would be the Kosmic Christ, the living water, the great presence that is Love and at the same time our most fundamental nature and consciousness, the realization of and identification with which is the goal and Grail of the Christian and ultimately all contemplative paths.

Another intuitive hit that I came to in the wake of the workshop was an understanding of the relationship between Tradition and Transmission.

Tradition consists of the historical accumulation of cultural artifacts that has become the historical/cultural/social inheritance of the Church. This consists of artwork, sacraments and ceremony, organizational structures, the literature and liturgy, the dogma and theology, the architecture and language, the history, the legends, the saints, the heroes and villains. I’m sure each one of you could add categories that would also be part of the incredibly rich and complex meshwork that makes up the Tradition.

The Transmission, on the other hand, makes up the inner living light that is the realization of Christ consciousness. To put it simply, I see the Tradition as good and healthy insomuch as it supports the Transmission, or the awakening to and realization of our Christ Nature, and of course the translation of that awakening into the service and healing of the World (in all four quadrants). Tradition on the other hand is negative and even idolatrous when it hinders this Transmission and its translation.

Lastly, but not least, came something of a personal revelation that could obviously have broader implications and meaning beyond my own personal struggles with Christianity. We were doing a 3,2,1 shadow work process and the following emerged in my work. I was working with what I had brought to the party, which was my wounded but ongoing relationship with Christianity and the Christian Mystery, for lack of a better word. I’m not claiming that this is the orthodox way to work with the 3,2,1 process, but this thing took on a life of its own.

In the 3rd person, I saw a very outraged, angry version of myself. I was pissed! I was delivering my own personal jeremiad at the last two thousand years of Church history. I was cursing and going by the numbers from the Inquisition, the self-righteous colonization and destruction of Native cultures, the pedophilia and cover-ups of recent memory, the killing and persecution of Jews and other Christians and so forth; I was experiencing total outrage. When I shifted to the 2nd person, I had a vision in my mind’s eye of myself, standing before an empty tomb (Jesus’ tomb) and I say, “What have they done with my Lord?” And I begin to sob great bursts of utter grief. What did they do with Jesus, this light to the world? How did it become so twisted, lost, and perverted? It takes huge effort to control this as I’m doing the work surrounded by the rest of our workshop group. (The manly thing being not to utterly lose one’s stuff in public–thanks, super-ego.) I then shift to the 1st person perspective, and I become Christ! I become a being of immense wisdom, compassion and love. I look around and see this same consciousness and light radiating from everyone else in the room! Everyone and everything is radiant. This is the answer I sought. Christ the living water, the heaven on Earth within and without is the Grail and the goal and the resolution of the Christian mystery. Same as it ever was.

A woman who has been going through some rough stuff gets a hug from Brother David, and I think just as one bad priest can do so much harm, one loving man of God can do so much good. I approach Brother David and ask for a hug. The love in that hug burns me with its power. I say, “Where were you forty years ago?” Brother David says, “This hug goes back forty years.” I am healed.

One last note, we performed two ceremonies while at the workshop: a communion and an anointing ritual. What happened was something that I was in no way prepared for; a profound experience of gathered group presence, love and holiness. Tradition shining forth the Transmission: The Jesus of History, myth, and the Kosmic Christ, all present, all one, all Love. Yes. Thank You. Amen.

BCIL Community Night  

• Thursday, March 20
• 7 - 9 pm

Our old church is coming back to her glory, and we're ready to open the doors and begin our first round of on-going practice opportunities.  Come and hear what we're up to, and how you might want to join in. 

At BCIL, we are looking to work and play with committed integral practitioners who want to enact their highest selves into the world.  And who want to be a part of a community committed to the same path.

So if that rings your chimes, do come!

We'll have some snacks and an open house starting at 7, and a short program around 8.   If you are moved to bring something to eat or drink, please do!  This event is free. 

An open discussion on Integral Philosophy, with Steve McIntosh

This interactive discussion will focus on the practice of integral philosophy, together with its applications to politics, spirituality, and society.  Please note: The Friday night event is a prelude to Steve’s full day Saturday workshop on the practice of integral philosophy (see a description below).   

Friday Evening Introduction

• March 21, 7 - 9 pm
• Suggested Donation $10 - $20 (checks and cash only)
• Open House starts at 6 pm - join us for tea and snacks

Saturday Workshop

• March 22, 9:30 am - 4:30 pm
• Suggested Donation $50 - $100 (checks and cash only)
• Lunch will be on your own. There are lots of places to eat across the street.

This full day workshop will focus on the state of the art of integral philosophy and its power to produce integral consciousness.  The workshop is designed to help participants directly experience the emerging epistemological capacity of the integral worldview. The day will include presentations and discussion on the founders of integral philosophy, integral politics, and the practice of the integral worldview, as well as experimental exercises. 

About Steve McIntosh 

Steve McIntosh is the author of Integral Consciousness and the Future of Evolution (Paragon House, 2007).  Steve is a member of BCIL’s board of directors, and What Is Enlightenment? Magazine recently referred to him as “integral thinker par excellence.” For more information on the work of Steve McIntosh, visit: www.stevemcintosh.com  

Hi Friends,

We wanted to take this opportunity to thank Steve McIntosh for a wonderful presentation named "The Natural Theology of Beauty, Truth, and Goodness" on 6th of November at BCIL.  About 60 people showed up and we learnt very quickly that BCIL needs more chairs!  Please see below for a few pictures from the event.  We look forward to Steve's next visit. 

To give you an idea, the presentation by Steve McIntosh described how the values known as the beautiful, the true, and the good play a central role in the evolution of the universe, serving as attractors of evolutionary development that pull evolution forward from the inside through their influence on consciousness.  

As Steve says, "this ancient and venerable triad of values can be expansively understood as descriptions of the actual directions of evolution in nature, self, and culture.  Understanding where evolution is headed is, of course, a central inquiry for a philosophy that defines itself in evolutionary terms.  But questions about of the directions of evolution’s unfolding are not just relevant to integral philosophers; properly understood, these questions relate to every situation in which the need for improvement can be recognized.  And as it now becomes increasingly necessary for humanity to participate in guiding cultural evolution toward a more positive future, knowledge of evolution’s essential methods, techniques, and directions is of critical importance." The event was wonderful! Steve, thank you so much! And thanks to everybody who showed up for this event. We aplogize for our shortage on chairs and all the remodeling that is going on inside the building.

  

 



   

All of us at BCIL would like to thank psychotherapist, spiritual teacher and author Robert Augustus Masters, Ph.D. and his lovely wife, Diane Bardwell for their teachings on October 19th at an event we called "Transformation Through Intimacy."  We were treated to 3 hours of deep learning, lots of Q&A and a gorgeous ending with Diane's singing. Thank you so much to all of you who came and gave kind donations to Robert and Diane.  If you would like to buy any of Robert's Books or Diane's music CD, "O Breath us Deep," at a reduced rate please contact deborahknox@gmail.com.  Robert and Diane maybe returning to BCIL sometimes in the spring of 2008.

PICTURES FROM EVENT WITH ROBERT AUGUSTUS MASTERS AND DIANE BARDWELL ON 10/19/07 

 
 

 

 

Hi Friends,
Yes, it is true. BCIL now has its own space! Friends, we are so happy and excited and nervous and everything you can imagine. Developing communities, let alone 'integral' communities is certainly not an easy thing.  But we are on board and committed to the integral vision and we want to give this mission our all. And we need the help of anyone interested in anyway they can.  Mostly, we really hope that you will come and visit us and spend a little time in practice with us.

I think that, maybe 5 or 6 years ago, when I first read Excerpt B (Ken Wilber) on the Shambhala website, the last few paragraphs made my eyes a tad moist (just like many other of Ken's writings have done).  The reason why I am reminded of that reading today is because I feel that BCIL, like many other organizations, has potential to do that - we too can become one of those "pockets of care and consciousness where individuals exercise second-tier potentials in an ongoing effort to embrace as gracefully as possible all dimensions of the radiant Kosmos." I will copy and paste those last few paragraphs from Excerpt B below.

We want to bring so much love and attention to this home. I can never quite thank Ken Wilber enough for the education and wisdom that he has given us. I think we'll just try to do it and live it the best we can.

We so want your blessings, guys, and when are you going to come, visit your new home??? Seriously, if you are in the Boulder/Denver area, you gotta drop by!

All Love
Nomali

[An excerpt from] Excerpt B: The Many Ways We Touch
-Ken Wilber ( www.kenwilber.com)
...by whatever name and in whatever context, integral salons are in fact already forming around the world, pockets of care and consciousness where individuals exercise second-tier potentials in an ongoing effort to embrace as gracefully as possible all dimensions of the radiant Kosmos. The more one actually practices an integral meta-paradigm (in personal life, in business, in education, in politics, in medicine, in spirituality), the more Eros is set rumbling through the system, agitating and pulling toward a second-tier transformation that explodes the legitimacy crisis inherent in all first-tier waves and throws them open to an enrichment beyond their first-tier imprisonment, an enrichment that is their own inherent potential and divine birthright set free in the deeper and wider spaces enacted by integral practices.

     How to extend this compassion and clarity to all sentient beings is a fiery concern that blazes forth in these salons and circles of unfolding and enfolding care, circles that you are almost certainly involved in or you would not have read this far; circles that call out to you to give the best that you can, and then more; circles that call forth from you the best that you can be, and then more; and circles that are beginning to deposit the Kosmic habits of a tomorrow dedicated to compassion, a horizon luminous with intimacy, a future hopelessly fallen in love with love, circles drenched in the tears of a beauty descending on all beings, accepting each as they are, insisting each be more, assisting them to be so, catching them if not.

     It is to those salons that I respectfully submit a consideration of three helpful guidelines for integrally informed practice--nonexclusion, enfoldment, and enactment--with the hope that they will help make room for whatever is arising, moment to moment to radiant moment, while causing the least amount of pain and extending the most amount of compassion to all our brothers and sisters manifesting with us.

     We must forgive each other our arising, for our existence always torments others. The golden rule in the midst of this mutual misery has always been, not to do no harm, but as little as possible; and not to love one another, but as much as you can. Therefore, let a calculus of torment as well as one of compassion guide the maps with which we navigate samsara.

     In the end, yes, that which is samsara is not other than nirvana, and that which is nirvana is not other than samsara: the world of finite, manifest, temporal things crashing into each other, torturing each other, loving each other for a moment or two, every now and then, turns out to be the domain of the very and only Divine, with each and every thing, just as it is, a shimmering gesture, a luminous glance, a sparkling jewel, spontaneously arising in the sea of the Great Perfection, the entire show nothing but the radiant smile of your own Original Face.

     But in the meantime, there is this manifest mess. As long as the world is arising around you, then this is samsara, and therefore calculate your actions on the least harm and the most care. When the very same world is arising within you, then this is nirvana, and all your actions will take care of themselves, while the calculus of pain and compassion will unfold of its own accord, treating every sentient being with the utmost concern, vowing to liberate each and every one of them, knowing full well that in reality there are no others to liberate--because in the entire Kosmos there are no others at all, no inside and no outside anywhere, but merely and only This. Greet the day within you as the unfolding of your kin, watch the sun arise without opening your eyes, feel the distant galaxies rising and falling with each and every heartbeat of the only heart there is--you can feel it beating right now--and bless the entire universe arising within by consenting to feel it again, now and now and now. In the great unfoldment that enfolds all, bow to the suchness of all beings, in the only place that is ever real, and the only time that is only now.

Note from Ross Hostetter -

    On July 15th, members of the BCIL Community gathered together for an exploration of  Lectio Divina,  a jewel of the Western contemplative tradition.  We began the morning with 45 minutes of deep and beautiful silent meditation lead by Verona Rylander, followed by two hours of facilitated practice led by myself, Ross Hostetter. The community had an opportunity to try on the “I Am” statements of Christ as revealed in the Gospel of John, and to work from this narrative towards an opening of the heart.  One astonishing revelation came when the group was asked whether any had experienced a direct revelation of the Christ consciousness.  Over half raised their hands!  We had time to hear only a few of these powerful stories - but they once again revealed the depth of our group and the incredible opportunity that exists when we come together.

    Some believed that deep monastic practices like Lectio have been awaiting integral consciousness to blossom outside of their traditional settings.  This possibility was validated by the ease with which our integral community could hold the multiple perspectives required by the second stage of the Lectio process, and move beyond language into the deeper contemplative space where the lover and beloved find union.  We also had small group practice and Q&A.  Thanks so much for all who attended. 

Note from Mary Hostetter -

BCIL hosted a program on Integral Parenting this past Saturday at the Watershed School.  Ross Hostetter facilitated the adult program by using the quadrant map to address some of the current practices and issues of the individuals in attendance. We then had a discussion of what a quadrant map for our kids might look like.  Many good insights were shared by participants and will definitely be taken into consideration when we start designing the fall programs.  We concluded with a discussion of how BCIL can support kids and parents including venue-requirements and programming for kids.  There was a consensus that we don’t want to provide just babysitting for kids, but a program that addresses body, mind, and spirit.  Based on this input, the coordinating circle is evaluating the ways to embrace the potential and challenge of integral life for children in our community.

Ryan Parks and Emily Levang graciously helped play with the kids while the adults met.  The kids played hide and seek, colored and went to Eben B. Fine park by Boulder Creek.  They all had a lot of fun.  Thank you to all who attended and we continue to welcome feedback and suggestions on the topic of integral parenting.

 

July 8th @ BCIL

Five Training Elements of Integral Zen Practice with Zen Master JunPo Denis Kelly Roshi, Abbot of the Hollow Bones Order

Hello Friends,

We had an incredible day of 3-body  workout today at BCIL with JunPo Denis Kelly Roshi, a powerful and provocative Zen Teacher with an Integral perspective.  Junpo Roshi is a true innovator, integrating traditional Zen practice with the gifts of western psychology and science.  His Five Training Elements represent a full mind/body/emotion/spirit practice developed for the Western mind and life. (Scroll down to read Roshi's bio.)

We started at 9am with a room full of about 50+ people, sitting in deep listening and looking within to Roshi's ringing of the gong. The morning progressed into a 4 hour  session that included teachings, more meditations, qigong, more qigong, and an inter-subjective koan-inquiry session in which he worked with three volunteers from the audiance.   He invited everyone to sit around him and the volunteers in a cozy huddle and skillfully guided everyone through a powerful process of  digging deep inside to experience how our philosophical, rational and egoic minds have to give up their dramas in order to land in our true "home." 

Thank you, Roshi, for your deep insights, compassion and wild sense of humor that kept us all "awake." Your gift will stay with us for a long time to come and we await another session with you soon!

Thanks also to all of you joined us today at BCIL. It is our greatest joy to see this community becoming a true "We."

On June 28th, BCIL co-sponsored a 4 hour presentation in Holacracy for a group of highly perceptive people, all interested in this radically new approach to organizational governance and management that, we think, represents the very leading edge of conscious business, cultural and personal evolution. The  presentation was taught by Brian Robertson and Tom Thomison, CEO's of HolacracyOne, who gave a brilliant demonstration of why Holacracy is sweeping across the organizational world. See pictures from the event here. Brain and Tom were treated to many questions  from the audience - a very energetic group of people who were also furious note-takers!

What we especially love about Holacracy is that it can achieve transpersonal states within a group that not only access each participant's higher view and wisdom, but also, create a new, palpable, emergent entity: a "group mind," not herd mentality, that metabolizes multiple perspectives into clarity and cohesion.   

Perhaps you'll also like what the Wall Street Journal had to say about Holacracy. To read the WSJ article and to learn more about the event, please click here. Feel free to forward this to whoever you think might be interested. And if BrIan and/or Tom are in your neighborhood, don't forget to particiapte in a Holacracy event.

Hello Friends,

Last Sunday, June 17th, many of us from BCIL went to St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Denver where Rollie Stanich presented on the many possibilities that are there, in our time, for a profound meeting of the great religious traditions with the currents of modern, postmodern and integral thought, if we are open to it, and can listen for it amidst the din. 

Rollie's teaching was titled, "The Great Confluence," which we explored as having considerable implications for the way we dialogue and the way we practice, for our realization and our service in the world.  Thank you, Rollie, for such a wonderful afternoon session that included meditation, music, altar offerings (most of them to Dads, since it was Father's Day) and, Q&A. And thank you also to all of you who came to this event.  We much appreciate your presence. See pictures here.

This event was co-sponsored by the Buddhist/Christian Interfaith Community of Denver, founded by Rev. Dr. Toni L. Cook, Pastor of St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Denver.  We take this opportunity to thank Rev. Dr. Toni for giving us this opportunity to visit her church and get to know some of the great work done by her and her community. 

~BCIL