By Tryn Rose Seley

Walking into the Lord’s New Church in mid-May in Huntingdon Valley, Pennsylvania, we were immersed in burgeoning springtime flowers, gentle breezes, and birdsong. The camaraderie was apparent with warm welcomes for new and old friends gathering from as far away as Boston, Phoenix, and Pittsburgh. The synergy and value of showing up together from all branches of the New Church in the form of a vibrant, thriving tree was felt, and all leaders and participants brought their God-given light to share with each other at this weekend event. 

Sponsored by Deborah’s Tree and presented by the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Collaborative (HKSLC), this special retreat weekend on the campus of the Lord’s New Church was all about light: the light we carry, the light we kindle in each other, and the light we shine into the world to illuminate the path for God to travel among us and through us. “Kindling Our Light” is an image of supporting each other along the path of life. 

Helen Keller noticed something about sin: it is something one often wants to hide from in shame, keeping it in darkness. She proposed a different response: to rejoice that we noticed the sin, to shine a light on it, to observe our mistakes, and be free to make those mistakes so we can notice, reach for growth and understanding, and make a change with God’s help. No one can address a problem unless it is brought into the light. In Rev. Sage Cole’s words: 

We are here to face challenges; there’s no way around it. We can embrace it. Change is beautiful, essential to cultivating acceptance and even eagerness to learn and change if it leads to happy, healthy living, welcoming each other into deeper relationships. Regeneration, after all, is a set of steps our Swedenborgian Christian faith shares to assist in our spiritual development–consisting of three steps: repentance, reformation, and regeneration; and if we need to repent and reform ourselves, that’s changing, and the process is designed that way. 

Helen saw the sin of the world regarding human rights: for women, minorities, and those with disabilities, and spent her life advocating for policy changes and equality for all. In her physical darkness, her spiritual eyes were opened by reading Emanuel Swedenborg’s teachings, and she became a world traveler and advocate at the governmental level.

On Friday evening, Rev. Sage led a lecture and slide show for a well-attended hall called “Becoming the Holy City Inside and Out.” She shared about the early influences on Helen’s life, including pastor Phillips Brooks, Helen’s first minister and the one who wrote the beloved song, “O Little Town of Bethlehem,” whose primary message was about love. She also shared details about pastor John Hitz, Helen’s second pastoral influence, and a friend of Alexander Graham Bell.

Saturday was, as described in Rev. Sage’s invitation:

…a day to reflect, share, and kindle our light in the darkness, through a threefold journey that I call Be Love, Be Honest, Be Useful. I trust that by the end of the day you will feel encouraged, refreshed, and more and more in love with the light that you are and the light you experience in others! Blind and deaf, Helen Keller inspired the world with her ability to reach out, create, and flourish in a way that most believed impossible.

Rev. Sage has a way of speaking with a calm energy, full of empowerment and confidence in us as she shares how Helen lived a thoughtful spiritual life on earth, and how much she did with it, especially her willingness to embrace growth and change.

Rev. Sage reminded us that “The Holy City” is now; it’s alive in each of us, new right now; the New Church is instantly new, so we gather to kindle each other’s light.” Through the HKSLC organization, Sage is dedicated to the commitment to the emergence of a new church, meaning the church within each of us as we care about and cultivate an evolving path toward God, and an outward church in which to express these approaches for a thoughtful and inspiring spiritual life. 

In the introduction time, Rev. Kent Rogers, one of the ministers from the Lord’s New Church, sang a stirring original song with his sister Amanda Rogers and friend Tryn Rose Seley called “The Roll Call of Love.” Each minister on site had written original music, which was celebrated and performed across the weekend. Rev. Sage encouraged us to work toward “transparency now to create a new church now, experiencing heaven here today, with both the ugly and the beautiful revealed and transformed.”

The “Be Love” session:
We answered the question, “What is something (person, place, story, image, special object, poem, song, activity, practice, etc.) that helps you feel the presence of love?”

Participants sang songs, played the flute, thanked mentors in the room and in the spiritual world, spoke of remembrances, and of family members living with dementia who may not remember the details of a visit, but will remember the warmth and presence of family. 

The “Be Honest” session: 
It was not about candor, but about looking at and asking for support from God to remove the blocks to growth so we may become servants of God here and now.
Four collaborators gave their time, talents and kindness in the “Be Honest” segment. Rev. Alan Cowley
(amcowley@gmail.com), associate pastor at New Church Live and Labyrinth Designer at Golden-Thread Labyrinths, led a group on three separate types of labyrinth walks to invite an honest path with several helpful exercises that led us to peaceful states. “Labyrinth turns in the path are re-directions, not wrong turns.” 

Katie Hammond (katiehsky@gmail.com), therapist and meditation expert, led a quiet, re-centering experience. She leads regular monthly online and in-person retreats.

Rev. Kent Rogers (krogers@thelordsnewchurch.org), Lord’s New Church minister, led a spiritual walk for which he created quotes on the natural grounds at this church’s campus. 

Rachel Sagerman (hot4humanity@gmail.com), spiritual leader, led a meditative art-creating experience. Rachel provides regular online group experiences and in-person one-on-one sessions. 

The “Be Useful” session:
As our day came to a close, we spoke of the ways our lives are strengthened by our time together, and ways we can bring the light we’re given out into the world. Usefulness comes naturally, like a flower blooming, a mother hen with her growing chicks who turn and have their own broods: the fruit of our spiritual labor shows in each of our lives. 

Sunday morning’s worship service included retreat members and regular congregants from our hosts at the Lord’s New Church, with a blessed message of welcoming us to our current spiritual lives, sharing Helen’s modeling of embracing spiritual growth. There was a flourishing music team led by Tryn Rose Seley and our blessed minister staff, Rev. Solomon Keal on piano and Rev. Alan Cowley on guitar and vocals, and faithful musicians Liam Taylor and Amanda Rogers. Playing “Give Me Love” by George Harrison together was a highlight to close out the service!

Helen’s whole life changed from darkness to light by reading Emanuel Swedenborg’s writings. Any of us can access the light that helps each of us become our unique self, find our purpose, be open to changing, learning, expanding our knowledge, and be open to its evolution in our lives. 

Thank you, Rev. Sage Cole, founder of the Helen Keller Spiritual Life Collaborative, for bringing this enriching experience that gathered us together to share truth for balm.

Thank you to Roslyn Taylor, founder of Deborah’s Tree, for sponsoring and hosting this soon-to-be annual event. We will be gathering again on Saturday, March 6, 2027 at the Lord’s New Church for the next Be Love retreat. Please join us! Information will be posted on the HKSLC website: helenkellercollaborative.org.

Thank you to the Lord’s New Church manager, Leonard Rose, and head pastor Rev. Tom Rose; to Stan and Liz Rose; to Rev. Solomon Keal, who agreed to welcome this event and who played the piano on many vibrant occasions; to Lisa Kufs on technology, who also created the resplendent “kindling our light” backdrop; to the food providers; and to those who attended and brought their light to share and to keep the inspiration going. 

Read the full October 2026 issue.