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By Rev. David Hett
In order to both honor our tradition and to recognize the new, fully inclusive ministry that has been the vision of our retreat groups and planning committees over the years, the center’s steering committee has chosen to call this vision The Burkhart Center.
In choosing this name we recognize our indebtedness to our revered forefather at First Community Church, Dr. Roy Burkhart, who was a champion of our church’s mission to offer vibrant and varied paths for life-long human development. We also recognize that in our era many are looking outside the church and spiritual life for meaning, and The Burkhart Center is a place where people of any faith tradition, or of no tradition, can enter into innovative programs, practices, and conversations in safe, sacred spaces for reflection, connection and growth.
As early as the 1940s, Dr. Burkhart opened up the American Protestant Church to incorporating modern depth psychology into spiritual practice and theological understanding and began the practice of inviting “Spiritual Searchers” from all traditions to assist our growth – people like the Jewish psychotherapist Victor Frankl. “Burkie’s” successor as senior minister, Otis Maxfield, attended continuing education at the C.G. Jung Center in Zurich, Switzerland, and he brought to the church James Hillman, the famous psychologist out of the tradition of Carl Jung. Roy Burkhart made possible the practical pursuit of the “infinite quest” that is the motto of our faith community.
The Burkhart Center continues this tradition of supporting psychological-spiritual development through a variety of processes, practices, and presentations. You’ll see programs on meditation, behavioral change, yoga, mindfulness and more; book studies and small group experiences, spiritual practices, and retreats, as well as online opportunities for growth. And, of course, you’ll experience the value of special Spiritual Searcher weekends and events like last year’s programs with Terry Hershey on “creating sanctuary,” Nancy Ellen Abrams, author of A God That Could Be Real, speaking on science and spirituality, and Piper Kerman, author of Orange is the New Black and prison reform advocate. Our usual range of Adult Learning opportunities with varieties of study and discussion groups take place both within and outside the walls of the various campuses of First Community and The Burkhart Center.
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