Sundays, March 7 and 14
in Reidy Friendship Hall

In Parables—The Teachings of Jesus
with David Robb

Rev. Robb continues the series begun last month that examines Jesus’ teachings and his particular style of teaching that relied significantly on the use of brief stories or parables. As we have become familiar with many of these stories, (e,g. “The Prodigal Son,” “The Good Samaritan,” and others) they have come to resemble moral fables—simple tales with simple messages. But seen within their own context and with an open mind, they retain a freshness that is still able to startle and provoke us to spiritual awareness. In this series Rev. Robb will explore the parabolic method Jesus used and the often surprising messages it can uncover.

David Robb, a member of the ministerial staff, is the Director of Adult Education Programs and Scholar-In-Residence at All Souls, who formerly taught in the Religious Studies Departments at Georgetown University and Connecticut College. He is also a psychotherapist and pastoral counselor with a practice in New York City and an Associate of Kenwood Psychological Services.

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Sundays, March 21 and 28
at 10 a.m. in Reidy Friendship Hall

Milton's Paradise Lost:
Justifying the Ways of God
to Humankind
with Donald McDonough

John Milton’s epic poem Paradise Lost is a classic of both English poetry and Reformed theology. A graduate of Cambridge University, Milton was a fierce advocate of civil and religious liberty, and supported the Puritan cause during England’s mid-century civil war. He served as Oliver Cromwell’s Latin secretary during the Puritan Commonwealth, and later wrote his epic poem stressing the Protestant themes of moral choice and salvation through faith. In this series, Professor McDonough will give an overview of the entire work, introduce some of its major themes, and lead an exploration of selected passages.

Donald McDonough is Professor Emeritus of English at Central Connecticut State University, where he taught classical literature. He has been a visiting professor at Bradford and Ilkley College in England, and at Eastern Mediterranean College in the Turkish Republic of Cyprus. A frequent lecturer about classical texts, he has previously conducted Adult Education series at All Souls on Milton’s Paradise Lost, and Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.

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Communication Skills Workshop
with Jeff Levy-Lyons

Join Jeff Levy-Lyons for a two-part workshop to explore and practice core communications skills. Intentional, skilled communication can improve our relationships, strengthen our community, and help us all move more fully into the role of ministering to each other. This is a hands-on, interactive, practice-driven training experience that will focus on deep listening skills and appropriate candor. All are welcome, but attendance at the first session on March 21 is required if you plan to also attend on March 28.

Jeff Levy-Lyons has been teaching communication skills for over 17 years in corporations, schools, and Unitarian Universalist churches. His practice areas include presentation skills, couples coaching, management communication, team facilitation, and selling skills. His wife, Ana Levy-Lyons, is All Souls’ Acting Associate Minister.

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Book Launch Party
to Honor the Publication of

All Eyes: A Mother's Struggle
to Save Her Schizonphrenic Son

by Long-time All Souls Member
Phoebe Hoss

Join us to celebrate the publication of Phoebe Hoss’s account of coping with the difficulty and tragedy of raising a son who began showing signs of schizophrenia at age nine, and her more than sixteen-year effort to find appropriate help for him in the mental health system. The book is also about her own quest for faith that eventually led her to All Souls. Phoebe will read excerpts from her new publication and answer questions.

Phoebe Hoss spent her career as an editor of scholarly books, including the works of psychotherapist Irving Yalom, and is the author of two books for children: Noses Are For Roses (1961), and Better late Than Never (1971). She was also the co-translator of Claude Levi- Strauss’s The View From Afar (1985). A long-time member of All Souls, she is now retired but still writes poetry and freelance prose.

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Special Event with Ralph Nader:

Peace and Justice Strategies:
Can Some Super-Rich Save Us?

Ralph Nader, the world’s most famous consumer advocate, will talk about current events and his provocative new book Only the Super-Rich Can Save Us! Called political science fiction and “As inspired a work of the political imagination as Tom Paine’s Common Sense...” by Lewis Lapham, Nader himself says it’s “a practical utopia.” Activist and author, political dissident par excellence, Ralph Nader has never indulged in mere social criticism. His accomplishments have spanned four decades. The Atlantic magazine named him as one of the hundred most influential figures in American history, and Time and Life magazines one of the hundred most influential Americans in the twentieth century.

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