Tag: Sacred Paths Center

Sacred Spaces Part 4: Birth of a Community Center

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Many Pagan groups share the dream of building some type of sacred space.  A temple, a community center, a permanent altar.  It remains a dream because they lack the information, skills, and experience to bring it into reality.  Yet other groups have accomplished what can seem, at times, impossible.  They learned how to raise funds, deal with city inspectors, and overcome challenges that have stymied the rest of us.  We can learn from them and they are eager to share their successes and mistakes so that more Pagans can have their very own Sacred Space.

In Part 4 of Sacred Spaces we talk with the founder and a board member of a Pagan community center in St Paul and learn how they were able to get this project off the ground.  They also offer advice on how your community can start a community center of your own.

In Part 5 of Sacred Spaces, we talk with Teisha and CJ about surviving Sacred Path Center’s first financial crisis and how they developed a financially sustainable model that other communities can emulate.

Previous segments of this series can be seen here:
Part 1 – Temple of the River: Getting started
Part 2 – Temple of the River:  Challenges and Construction
Part 3 – Temple of the River:  Funding

Sacred Paths Center Reopens Today

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Just two days after having their front door smashed and boarded up due to a break in, Sacred Paths Center reopened today at 11am.  The community center was closed on Monday and Tuesday to replace the front door, repair the damage caused during the break in, and to clean up the fingerprinting dust used by police.

Sacred Paths Center issued this statement Tuesday evening, “We believe that one of the people who broke into the SPC last night may have been injured in doing so. We would like to ask anyone doing healing circles to please include this person in your prayers and thoughts. We sincerely hope that they find a more peaceful and healthy path.”

 

UMPA Celebrates 4 Years of Social Activism

The Upper Midwest Pagan Alliance (UMPA) reached its fourth anniversary and invites the community to help celebrate it.  The event takes place at Sacred Paths Center on Saturday starting at 4pm.   Organizers of the celebration say all community members are welcome for this free evening of fun activities.

From the March 3rd issues of the Minneapolis Star Tribune

UMPA is not only celebrating an anniversary milestone, the group is celebrating the accomplishments of the past four years.  Started during what has become known in the Pagan community as “The Quest,” the struggle to gain approval for a Wiccan symbol to be placed on fallen Wiccan military members headstones, UMPA hosted the Veteran’s Pentacle Rights Ritual. This ritual took place on the state capitol grounds and garnered national news coverage for the issue.

(See Pagan+politics coverage of UMPA formation and project, the Pentacle quest, and links to national press coverage, here)

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SPC Annual Meeting – Elections and Bread and Brew

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New SPC Board Members - photos by Jenna Touchette

The first Sacred Path Center (SPC)  board of director’s election took place Sat, Feb. 12th.
The SPC board had four open positions  up for election. The five candidates were Ci Benson, Jim Mosser, Mary Oczak, John Stitely and CJ Stone.

The newly elected board members are: Ci Benson, Jim Mosser, Mary Oczak, and CJ Stone.

SPC Board of Directors for 2011

Board of Directors for 2011: Keith Vorderbruggen, Mark Digatano, Cindy Miller, George Edgar, Carol Haselmann, Mary Oczak, Jim Mosser, CJ Stone, Ci Benso, and Teisha Magee

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Pagan Coming Out Day Set for May 2nd – Editorial

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International Pagan Coming Out Day (IPCOD), a not-for-profit organization, has named May 2nd as Pagan Coming Out Day. The group is organized by an eight person Executive Committee, of which two members are Minnesotans – Old Frisian and archaic Anglo-Saxon language specialist Nick Ritter and PNC’s Cara Schulz. Other committee members include licensed clinical psychologist and a faculty member of The Chicago School of Professional Psychology Drake Spaeth, PsyD, The Wild Hunt’s Jason Pitzl-Waters, editor of SageWoman, Witches&Pagans, and Crone magazines Anne Newkirk Niven, writer and blogger Laura M. LaVoie, webmaster David Dashifen Kees, and CUUPS Board Member Emeritus Dave Burwasser.

As Chair of the Executive Committee for IPCOD, I am proud and excited to be part of this project, which I first proposed on the blog Pagan+politics back in June of last year. The goal of Pagan Coming Out Day is to achieve acceptance and equity for Pagans at home, at work, and in every community. We’ll do this by being more visible and standing together. As more of us come out, the less discrimination we all face. May 2nd, is when individuals, deciding on their own terms, take a step that helps foster a society that truly does tolerate all religions. It’s also a day when our religious community comes together to support those Pagans coming out to a person or group and celebrates the more public emergence of their Pagan identity.

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