FORGIVENESS:
HOW DOES IT HAPPEN? WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO US?
The Center at West Park, an independent, non-profit organization, dedicated to the challenging and essential work of personal and social transformation through the pathways of culture and the arts, social activism, intergenerational education, and the cultivation of wonder and the human spirit, engages the complex subject of forgiveness through a two-part film screening and three-session discussion group series.
In Forgiveness: A Time to Love & A Time To Hate, award-winning film maker Helen Whitney elegantly and fearlessly tackles these issues in her two part documentary, offering a compelling range of intimate and powerful stories: from personal betrayal to reconciliation—global and local—in the wake of tragedy.
The Center will show part one of Whitney’s film on Tuesday, October 4 and part two on Tuesday, October 11th, both at 7:30PM. Helen Whitney will be present for Q&A at the October 11th showing.
An opportunity to address the multi-faceted topic of forgiveness in the context of community will take place on three subsequent Tuesday evenings—October 18th, 25th, and November 1st, from 7:30 to 9PM. Chaplain and spiritual retreat leader Eleanor Harrison Bregman will facilitate three small group discussions based on the film. Session one focuses on formulating our own working definitions and varied meanings of forgiveness. The “mechanics” and process of forgiveness are the themes for the second session. The final session considers the experience of seeking forgiveness, granted or withheld, including self-forgiveness.
Film showings: No advance registration or ticketing required.
Film admission: Suggested donation $10 at the door (more if you can, less if you can’t).
Discussion groups: Space is limited. Registration either at the door or in advance (preferred): $10 for one group; $25 for all three. To register, go to: thecenteratwestpark.com
Venue for film and discussion groups:
The Center at West Park
West Park Church, 165 West 86th Street, NYC 10024
At the corner of Amsterdam Avenue at 86th Street
212.362.4890
www.thecenteratwestpark.com