August 24, 2022

Francisco Burgos, Executive Director

The Beloved Community is a practical aspiration to which I feel deeply committed. Community is an essential space in which we learn and exercise how to love, how to be members to one another, how to practice solidarity as we strive to make the world a better place. This sense of community is rooted in a deep faith that is nurtured by personal and communal spiritual practices that aim to discover and honor “that of God” within people and within nature.

My experience of faith, community, and the natural world have moved and supported me in expanding my views on the complex realities that we face today, inspiring optimism despite the many challenges in front of us. I have found in community a faith that is open to “continuing revelation” as we dance with the Spirit despite how hard the floor can be. I have learned in solitude and in community how to savor the natural world as I savor my relationship with the Divine, both in support of personal and communal transformation. In service of these efforts, I often walk with queries such as: How do I steward my active presence in community? How do I care for my relationship with nature? How do I support healing, justice, and peace in myself, my community, and the world? How do I continue opening myself for the “eternal light” to search and transform me?

For me, Pendle Hill is a holy exploration of faith, community, and stewardship informed by a sacred and thriving ecology of land, plants, and animals. Within this living community, I have found companionship, love, and Friendship as I face transitions in my life. I know that this support has been possible thanks to the trust and commitment expressed by you, the extended Pendle Hill community. It was thanks to you that we were able to welcome back a new residential program and resumed our in-person learning opportunities for Spirit-led growth, discernment, and action. Thanks to you, we re-introduced honeybees on campus and expanded our organic garden production, benefiting our hospitality services and the local food bank. And thanks to you we will soon be expanding our holy experiment through “The Seed,” an upcoming podcast of engaging conversations for radical hope.

I celebrate with gratitude your Friendship as we close this fiscal year and invite you to keep walking with us on this evolving journey in faith, community, and stewardship.

Pax et bonum,

Francisco

Francisco Burgos
Executive Director