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Have you ever been curious about where animals live and build their homes? Join us as we hike around the Zoo looking for their construction zones! We’ll explore how native wildlife thrive by observing structures such as nests, ant colonies, and spider webs and discover how Zoo architects create special habitats for each of our animals. Use these ideas to create your own animal architecture or bio-inspired designs!
Evening snack, a light breakfast, and next-day admission are included. We will be camping indoors in our Brown Education Center!
Escape from the frenzy of the start of the “Christmas shopping season†on an intimate, 24-hour retreat in the beauty of God’s good creation at the Cramer Retreat Center in Spring. This retreat invites you to get ready for the coming of Christ by exploring familiar Advent themes: hope, preparation, joy and peace, with the reconciliation of heaven and earth in mind. Consider how all creation longs for the coming of Christ, and how we are called to witness the Incarnation in our care of all God’s created world and all God’s creatures. Enjoy a time of renewal, reflection, recreation, and restoration on this retreat. The retreat is open to adults, and to youth 10+, when accompanied by an adult. For more information, contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com.

Experience forest bathing, led by a certified guide, followed by practice of the Christian spiritual discipline of the Earth Examen. Forest bathing, a practice that originated in Japan, involves taking in, in all of one’s senses, the forest atmosphere. Not simply a walk in the woods, it is the conscious and contemplative practice of being immersed in the sights, sounds and smells of the forest. Forest bathing has been shown to reduce stress, improve mood and focus, enhance creativity, and lead to an increased sense of calm and altruistic behavior, in addition to other benefits such as boosting the immune system and lowering blood pressure. As Christians, we understand that God is present in God’s creation, and after our guided forest bath, we’ll spend some time considering the Earth Examen as we reflect both on our time spent forest bathing and on our relationship with all creation. This activity is for a small group and space is limited. Please register at www.eventbrite.com at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/forest-bathing-earth-examen-tickets-291848535827. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.
Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why?Â
Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.
Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.
The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.
Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.
Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why?Â
Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.
Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.
The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.
Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.
Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why?Â
Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.
Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.
The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.
Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.
Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why?Â
Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.
Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.
The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.
Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.
Do you love the Second Ward? Do you have some time next week to come and talk to us about why?Â
Join Kam Franklin and Citizens’ Environmental Coalition (CEC) for a week of music, fashion, connection, healing, and environmental education.
Second Ward Healing Hours are part of the Houston Inspira public health storytelling campaign.
The week-long event will feature local DJ’s, a food and arts market, and an open recording studio for community members to tell their stories. In 2023, Kam will release several new songs and a visual EP about Second Ward and environmental public health, incorporating stories and testimonials captured during the event.
Sequin Sanctuary will be selling vintage pieces from Kam’s own closet to further promote sustainable fashion, and all money made from the closet during the week will be donated to support CEC.

Whether celebrating in your home or your house of worship, people of all faith/spiritual traditions would like their occasions to be sustainable. Sustainability is frequently defined as fulfilling the needs of current generations without compromising the needs of future generations. This is a simple definition, but putting it into practice for holidays and holy days may require some thought and planning. Lisa Brenskelle will draw from her decades of work in earthkeeping ministry in both Christian and interfaith settings to explain the key aspects to consider to make your celebration sustainable. Time for interactive discussion with the speaker will be provided. Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/sustainable-celebrations-tickets-430614338077. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.

As John Muir famously wrote in 1911: “When we try to pick out anything by itself, we find it hitched to everything else in the Universe.†This expression of oneness, which Muir observed from his time in the Sierras, has both a scientific and a spiritual basis. Muir was prescient, as the known science in 1911 had only a rudimentary understanding, by our modern standards, or how all things connect. And, although Muir was raised in very devout Christian home and considered himself a Christian, he may never have connected the spiritual aspect of this oneness with the Christian faith. Join Lisa Brenskelle, who holds a doctoral degree in engineering and has spent decades working in earthkeeping ministry in both Christian and interfaith settings, as she highlights the oneness of all things as understood by modern science and as expressed in Christian scriptures. Attendees will gain a deeper appreciation of how everything connects to everything else, including how humanity is woven into the fabric of the universe. Time for interactive discussion with the speaker will be provided. Please register for this talk on www.eventbrite.com at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oneness-scripture-science-tickets-430609794487. Contact Lisa Brenskelle at gcs.lrc@gmail.com with any questions.