Community Based Practice

Attend our Facilitation Intensive Workshop

SGC has been offering its facilitation intensive workshops since 2017. 

This workshop builds upon your experienced practice within a robust Least Dogma container that supports radical inclusion and interfaith orientation. 

The immersive workshop follows our comprehensive Wheel of Practice as a framework for safe and respectful engagement with the sacraments of our church. This is the first step to becoming an Ordained Sacred Garden Community Facilitator.

Upcoming Intensive Workshops (NOTE: New Dates!) 

• Portland, OR
• Thursday, November 7th - Sunday, November 10th, 2024 

Who is this Intensive Workshop for?

This immersive workshop is suited both for those seeking to learn more about facilitating sacrament-assistant meditation as well as those who wish to pursue ordination with SGC. For those seeking ordination we prioritize applicants who have previous facilitation experience, are members of SGC and are sincere in their religious practice. For a more through description of what we are looking for in our Ordination Process, please view our prerequisites. 

What you will be able to do after...

Completion of this workshop does not qualify you to do anything you weren't already qualified to do. It does however discuss and then bring to life best practices around this work, and creates the container to actually try some of them. It also makes you eligible to apply to SGC's Ordination Process and move towards becoming an SGC ordained facilitator. Our model of community based practice depends on building enduring relationships. We view this workshop as a way of getting to know our potential Ordained Facilitators, and them getting to know SGC. 

In addition, you will:

• Learn to apply SGC's framework of the Wheel of Practice to structuring facilitation
• Learn how SGC systems work to promote care and consistency in ceremony
• Practice skills for ceremonial facilitation
• Have an opportunity to experience a group sacrament-assisted meditation
• Have an opportunity to give, receive and observe a one-to-one sacrament-assisted meditation

Application Process

If you know you want to attend our intensive workshop, either for personal development or as a step toward ordination, please fill out the application by clicking the "APPLY" button below and we will contact you to schedule an interview.

We highly encourage training applicants to get to know SGC and become a member if you are not already before applying. If have questions about SGC membership, you can learn more by attending one of our events or contacting [email protected].  

Reciprocity

SGC recognizes the need for more diversity in this field and endeavors to provide qualified applicants from historically marginalized groups access to this experience regardless of their financial means. 

We also recognize the growing disparity between the cost of living and wages in most areas, and endeavor to strike a balance between compensating our dedicated staff a living wage so that we can continue this work in a good way while providing as many financially accessible registration slots as possible. 

Costs

For this upcoming intensive, in order to keep the standard contribution at $2500-$2800 and be able to offer the most scholarships and work exchange spots, we will also be implementing an application interview fee for those applicants who are selected to engage the next round of the application process. Once you submit your application (for free), you may be contacted to schedule an interview which typically lasts one to two hours (depending on how well we already know you). If you are invited to schedule an interview you will be asked for a contribution of $50-$100 to cover the staff time it takes to conduct your interview and process your application. 

You must create a login before applying

Ordination

Sacred Garden Community Church offers a path to becoming an Ordained Facilitator that begins by joining our community. We maintain our standards of Care, Respect and Trust by staying in touch with our Facilitators wherever they are in the world. If you would like to being in community with us, and are interested in becoming Ordained in our tradition, perhaps this is the path for you. 

We generally recommend that people seeking to become ordained:

• Become active members of our community. 
• Have previous experience with facilitation or a related skill.

For a more thorough explanation of what we are looking for, please check out our perquisites.