new church life: september/october 2014
Ohio. It is hosted by the New Church of Montgomery in Cincinnati.
Gathering Leaves was formed in 2002 when women from the General
Convention approached women in the General Church, the Lord’s New
Church, and the General Conference to join together. That brought about the
first meeting at the Temenos Retreat Center in West Chester, Pennsylvania,
under the theme of “Unity.”
The 2015 session is “From Root to Fruit,” based on Secrets of Heaven 348:
“Deeds inspired by charity are alive. They are said to send roots below and
yield fruit above.”
The notice for this gathering rea ds: “We are gathering again to promote
harmony among women who are associated with the various Swedenborgian
organizations around the world. We acknowledge our common beliefs,
explore our differences, develop respect for one another’s contributions, create
a healing atmosphere and celebrate our spiritual sisterhood. We promote
charity and goodwill so we might say, ‘No matter what form her doctrine and
external form of worship take, this is my sister; I observe that she worships the
Lord and is a good woman.’”
The Steering Committee for the event is: Sue Ditmire and Gloria Toot,
co-chairs; Susannah Currie, Roslyn Taylor, Jane Siebert, Julie Conaron and
Joanna Hill. For more information and to register please visit the website:
http://gatheringleaves.weebly.com/
O U R N E W C H U RC H V O C A B U L A R Y
Part of a continuing series developed by the Rev. W. Cairns Henderson, 1961-1966.
CHURCH
As used by itself in the Writings, this term refers to a spiritual organization, the unit of
which is the individual human mind. The man who has the Word and understands it rightly,
acknowledges the Divine of the Lord, learns truths out of the Word from Him, and lives a life
of love and charity according to them, is a particular church; and the spiritual society formed
by all such men is the church specific – a term not actually found in the Writings, but used
with good authority.
Those who do not have the Word, but worship one God, obey His revealed will as they
understand it, and live together in simple charity constitute the church universal; and these,
together with the former, make up the church of the Lord or the universal church of the Lord.
It is our belief that the church specific is not formed apart from the Writings. (See Arcana
Coelestia 8152, 10,761; Apocalypse Explained 20; Heaven and Hell 328)
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