Regional Meeting: Tues, Sept 14, 7-9 p.m.
	An invitation to members living just west of Toronto who would like to be involved on a more regular basis in discussions of the topic Spirituality at work.
	Since February 1999 a regional group of professionals and business leaders has been meeting in the Waterloo and Guelph area. As a group, we meet 3 times a year - February, May and September. People attend this group from Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Cambridge, Burlington and the surrounding areas.
	Below is the e-mail that has been sent out to current participants. Please feel free to join us - let us know in advance if you are coming, so we can have enough tea and cookies on hand!
	Dear Friends:
	Just a note to remind you of our next regional meeting of the Spirituality at Work Group. As decided at the May meeting, we will meet next on Tuesday evening September 14 from 7:00-9:00 p.m.
	Location: Blackbridge Mill Retreat Centre, 4860 Townline Road, Cambridge, Ontario.
	This is the retreat centre newly renovated by Les Holdway. It is located just minutes north of hwy 401 on several beautiful acres, complete with walking trails. If you need more details re: how to find Townline Road please either call Les Holdway at 519-220-0213 or e-mail me.
	Please e-mail me or call me (519-669-4991) by Friday, Sept. 10 to let me know if you are coming and to ensure you know how to find the place. Feel free to bring other interested persons - just let me know ahead of time.
	Agenda:
	An opening and closing ceremony by Leslie Gabriel Mezei
	Leslie is from Willowdale and has been quite involved in the last two conferences organized by the Centre for Spirituality at Work, held in Toronto.
	Brian Skerrett will lead us in a discussion based on the workshop he led at the last Toronto conference on practical applications of spirituality at work. Brian was our host for our May meeting in Guelph.
	At the May meeting, we discussed what we mean by"Spirituality" and "Spirituality at Work". The following are what we came up with:
	1. "Spirituality"
	a sense of being beyond our physical selves
	our relationship with God, people, and the creation (We found that some people were uncomfortable with this language: an interesting and unresolvable discussion ensued.)
	participation in deeper meaning and in the essence of Divinity
	the core or centre of life, which sets the framework for all else
	mystery
	justice, equality, respect
	questions
	compassion
	gratitude
	awareness
	wisdom
	2. "Spirituality at Work"
	a yearning to find meaning in work in a technological age
	overcoming our alientation to our self in the workplace, i.e. seeking
	integration
	creativity
	celebration
	We decided it is more helpful to define Spiritualty at work by what it is, rather than by what it is not.
	Some wondered what our theologies have to do with getting us to a point where we could define this? In other words, how do our world views, the various ways we speak of Spirituality - in some cases using particular words like God and even Spirit - influence what we mean?
	While we found that our exact articulation of definitions differed in many cases, and that our comfort levels with various words were not always the same, it was a good opportunity to engage in a dialogue on words we sometimes assume mean the same to all.
	In addition to this discussion, we also confirmed that as a group we want to meet 3 times a year: February, May, and September. We also confirmed that we welcome new people--to all and everyone interested in soul and spirituality in the workplace--to join us anytime.
	I encourage each of you to check out the web-site of the Toronto Centre for Spirituality at Work. There are up-coming workshops and other announcements listed, as well as links to sites of related topics. The address is:
	www.spiritualityatwork.org
	Also note that you can sign up to be on their e-mailing list at the site. That way you will be kept informed regarding up-coming events.
	I look forward to seeing each of you on September 14.
	Wishing you well,
	Cheryl Nafziger-Leis, Ph.D. 16 Meadowlark Rd. Elmira, ON., N3B 1T6 Canada tel. 519-669-4991 fax. 519-669-5641