Search for great things to do

Browse through hundreds of events in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, and the rest of Eastern Iowa

• Dream Group at Prairiewoods

  <p>“Dreams come in the service of wholeness and health,” writes Jeremy Taylor. Dreams can open you into your inner landscape and help you to grow spiritually. Working and playing with your dreams can bring transformation and inner healing. This is an eight-month series (Oct. 4, Nov. 1, Dec. 6, Jan. 3, Feb. 7, March 6, April 3 and May 1) at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha). As a participant, you will be exposed to a Jungian approach to deciphering your dreams. As a prerequisite, you must have some dream workshop experience (at Prairiewoods or elsewhere) that has introduced you to working with dreams individually or in a group. Facilitator Karen Sindelar, MA, LMT, holds a master’s degree in applied psychology with an emphasis in Jungian studies. Karen has been an active participant in dream groups since the 1980s. The cost is $160 for the eight-month series, whether present or not (payable in advance or $20 at each session). For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-08-21 15:00:00 -0500

  10/04/23 @ 1:00 p.m.

  1:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Go Deeper Thursdays with Prairiewoods

  <p>Go Deeper Thursdays is an ongoing personal exploration and deepening in community. This online group began during the pandemic as an opportunity to be in community while physically isolated. Over the years, we have seen many faces and heard many voices—all of us willing to open ourselves in order to “go deeper” in our own consciousness and spirituality. Topics emerge from the conversations and maintain a general focus on our spiritual lives. Convener Ellen Bruckner guides these online conversations every Thursday. Registration is required to get the Zoom link, and a free-will offering will be accepted. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-08-20 17:00:00 -0500

  10/05/23 @ 4:00 p.m.

  4:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton with Prairiewoods

  <p>The practice of contemplative living helps us respond to everyday experiences with greater awareness of our connections with God and others. It becomes a positive force in our lives and provides direction for our journey, enabling us to embrace our truest selves. On the first and third Thursday evenings with Prairiewoods via Zoom, facilitator Carole Butz guides us to explore the truths of human existence using the <em>Bridges to Contemplative Living</em> series, which includes excerpts from the writings of Thomas Merton and other authors. The process involves readings, reflections and contemplative dialogue. A free-will offering will be accepted. Please register for your first session by noon the previous day to get the Zoom link. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-08-20 20:30:00 -0500

  10/05/23 @ 7:00 p.m.

  7:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (S.E.E.L.) 16 Retreat at Prairiewoods

  <p>Do you long for GOD? Do you desire time to reflect on your spiritual path and the movement of the Spirit within your life? Do you wish to enrich your spiritual experience through monthly prayer and reflection? Would you like a framework in which to explore and pray your “heart’s desire”? Spiritual Exercises in Everyday Life (S.E.E.L.) is an eight-month retreat at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) based on the spiritual exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. Ignatius explored a number of different kinds of prayer in creating the Exercises. He recognized that emotions and feelings in addition to the intellect help us to sense the movement of the Spirit in our lives. The Exercises develop dispositions of the heart for prayer, which then become part of daily life. Retreatants in S.E.E.L. become increasingly aware of the presence of and activity of God in all things. They learn to discern that movement of God in their lives and in the world and to integrate meditation, contemplation and action. We invite you to commit to one hour of prayer each day for eight months, at least one monthly meeting with a spiritual director and eight monthly Friday sessions (Oct. 6, Nov. 10, Dec. 1, Jan. 12, Feb. 9, March 8, April 5 and May 10). The first and final sessions are 9–3 p.m., while all other sessions are 9–1 p.m. This retreat is best suited for those who have or are interested in establishing a discipline of regular personal prayer, have experience sharing their spiritual journey with others, and are called and committed to deepening personal faith. It will be facilitated by Rose Blank; Ann Jackson, PBVM; and Lucille Winnike, FSPA. The cost of this eight-month retreat is $400 (payable in October or in monthly installments of $50) plus monthly spiritual direction sessions paid separately. Online registration is not available. For more information or to request an application, contact Prairiewoods at 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-08-21 15:00:00 -0500

  10/06/23 @ 9:00 a.m.

  9:00 a.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Book Report - Oct 10

  <p><strong>Tuesday, September 12, 10:30 am - 12:00 pm&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Tuesday, October 10, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm</strong></p><p><strong>Location: Room 305 at the Iowa City Senior Center</strong></p><p><strong>Facilitator: Cheryl Walsh&nbsp;</strong></p><p>A book club that meets once a month for an informal round table discussion and sharing of books you have enjoyed reading. Choose your favorite author, old or new, best sellers or classics, fiction, non-fiction, short stories, or poetry. Not limited to presenters; anyone who is interested in finding new authors while exploring the abundance of reading opportunities in our City of Literature is welcome.&nbsp;</p> 2023-09-08 12:30:00 -0500

  10/10/23 @ 10:30 a.m.

  10:30 a.m.

  Iowa City Senior Center

  Iowa City

• Reading & Discussion: “Our Last Best Act: Planning for the End of Our Lives to Protect the People and Places We Love”

  <p><strong>Thursday, October 12, 10:00 am&nbsp;</strong></p><p><strong>Location: Room 302 <strong>at the Iowa City Senior Center</strong>&nbsp;</strong></p><p><a href="http://apm.activecommunities.com/iowacityseniorcenter/Activity_Search/17329" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><strong>Register online</strong></a><strong>&nbsp;or call 319-356-5220&nbsp;</strong></p><p>Written almost in a memoir style, author Mallory McDuff walks us through her exploration into end-of-life planning--principally after-death planning—that reflects the environmental values in which she was raised and which she teaches to her students as an Environmental Educator at Warren Wilson College in North Carolina. After the sudden death of her mother, McDuff's father crafts a two-page death plan that spells out what is today known as a green burial for his body disposition; the experience of following his wishes years later gives the author incentive to put something in writing for her own family. With two children to consider, McDuff works to find the most environmentally responsible, affordable plan for herself, walking us through the options available to her in clear and engaging language.</p> 2023-09-08 12:00:00 -0500

  10/12/23 @ 10:00 a.m.

  10:00 a.m.

  Iowa City Senior Center

  Iowa City

• Go Deeper Thursdays with Prairiewoods

  <p>Go Deeper Thursdays is an ongoing personal exploration and deepening in community. This online group began during the pandemic as an opportunity to be in community while physically isolated. Over the years, we have seen many faces and heard many voices—all of us willing to open ourselves in order to “go deeper” in our own consciousness and spirituality. Topics emerge from the conversations and maintain a general focus on our spiritual lives. Convener Ellen Bruckner guides these online conversations every Thursday. Registration is required to get the Zoom link, and a free-will offering will be accepted. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-10-12 17:00:00 -0500

  10/12/23 @ 4:00 p.m.

  4:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Men Exploring Faith at Prairiewoods

  <p>Behavioral scientists and spiritual guides have noted a major transformation in the life direction of many men as we mature. It may happen gradually or abruptly, as early as our 20s or in our 50s or 60s. Some men never make this shift, described as a change from goal drivenness to receptivity, from ego to wisdom. The transition can start from the inside <em>(Why am I doing what I’m doing?)</em> or the outside (from a loss or threat), and it may seem disruptive while on the way to being life-enhancing. Join with a small group of reflective men at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) in honest conversation about these changes. This group meets in person with an online option available on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and is facilitated by Linzy Martin. A free-will offering is accepted, and registration is not necessary. For more information, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-08-20 17:30:00 -0500

  10/12/23 @ 4:00 p.m.

  4:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Czech’em Out Book Club

  <p>Join NCSML volunteer Steve Pederson in the Skala Bartizal Library this month where we’ll discuss <em>Miss Fortune’s Last Mission</em>. Czech’em Out Book Club meets on the third Monday of each month following the reading of each months selected book. The book is available in-store or online at https://store.ncsml.org/product/miss-fortunes-last-mission-by-william-j-boyce/.</p><p><strong>About the book</strong></p><p>Bill Boyce always wanted to know why his father, William D. Boyce, refused to discuss his tour of duty on a B-24 Liberator bomber during World War II. The experience had affected every aspect of his father’s life, but an unspoken agreement kept the topic classified: Bill failed to ask, and his father failed to tell. Twenty-five years after his father’s death, Bill found the one man who might tell him what his father would not. Ray Noury had flown with Boyce in late 1943 and saved his life. Would Noury be willing to talk? Able to remember? From Noury, Bill learned that on February 22, 1944, a B-24 nicknamed Miss Fortune had crashed into the Czech countryside after being attacked by Luftwaffe fighters over Germany. Of eleven crewmembers, only Noury came home. Had Boyce not received a devastating wound only weeks earlier, he would have been with them on their fatal mission. That conversation led Bill to stacks of old photographs, records and letters, across the United States, and to the Czech Republic. It also led him to John Torrison, who had spent a decade tracking down facts about the crew and his uncle’s role as the tail gunner. Together, they pieced together the full story of Miss Fortune and her last mission. A mid-life journey guided by an eighty-nine-year-old veteran taught them about war, love, loss, sacrifice, survival, honor and family. And, through the shared stories of the extended family that formed around Miss Fortune’s crew―spouses, children, relatives and grateful Czechs―Bill Boyce finally came to understand his own father.</p><p><strong>About the moderator, Steve Pederson</strong></p><p>Steve is an UW Eau Claire graduate with a history major and a Scandinavian studies minor. He taught U.S. history, economics, and advanced placement American history in two Wisconsin high schools. &nbsp;Living in Iowa for the past 19 years, Steve is currently employed as a tour guide for the Walter’s Frank Lloyd Wright Usonian home at Cedar Rock State Park in rural Buchanan County.</p> 2023-09-28 15:00:00 -0500

  10/16/23 @ 1:00 p.m.

  1:00 p.m.

  National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library

  Cedar Rapids

• Threshold Conversations with Prairiewoods: Imagining a Way

  <p>Whether you’re living through significant personal transitions or navigating a world reshaping itself faster than ever, you are invited to join a yearlong conversation about how to make change more trustworthy. We’ll begin with a half-day online retreat on Jan. 14 to introduce key dynamics of change and how to engage it more fully. Then, throughout the year, you can join monthly online conversations focused on one of the ten threshold skills featured in Karen Hering’s book, <em>Trusting Change.&nbsp;</em>Karen will present selected content from her book and offer a focusing question or prompt and silent time for writing or reflection. After reflection, we’ll move into small groups to share how we each experience and engage that month’s threshold skill in the context of change. You are invited to join all the monthly online offerings or attend selectively, based on your time and interest. Though the conversations will be enriched by reading along in <em>Trusting Change,&nbsp;</em>participation will be accessible even if you are unable to do the reading. Additional in-person weekend retreats, on the spring and fall equinoxes, will offer a deeper dive into the material for those who are interested and able to attend (at Prairiewoods March 17–19 and at the Christine Center Sept. 22–24). Wherever you are in your journey through change, you’re invited to join these monthly conversations. Your voice will bring wisdom for others, while theirs may offer just the perspective you need on your threshold. Prairiewoods is pleased to partner with our sister organization, the Christine Center, and with Karen Hering to bring you this online program series. The cost is $15 per session. Please register for each session you plan to attend. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-08-21 20:30:00 -0500

  10/17/23 @ 7:00 p.m.

  7:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Go Deeper Thursdays with Prairiewoods

  <p>Go Deeper Thursdays is an ongoing personal exploration and deepening in community. This online group began during the pandemic as an opportunity to be in community while physically isolated. Over the years, we have seen many faces and heard many voices—all of us willing to open ourselves in order to “go deeper” in our own consciousness and spirituality. Topics emerge from the conversations and maintain a general focus on our spiritual lives. Convener Ellen Bruckner guides these online conversations every Thursday. Registration is required to get the Zoom link, and a free-will offering will be accepted. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-10-19 17:00:00 -0500

  10/19/23 @ 4:00 p.m.

  4:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Bridges to Contemplative Living with Thomas Merton with Prairiewoods

  <p>The practice of contemplative living helps us respond to everyday experiences with greater awareness of our connections with God and others. It becomes a positive force in our lives and provides direction for our journey, enabling us to embrace our truest selves. On the first and third Thursday evenings with Prairiewoods via Zoom, facilitator Carole Butz guides us to explore the truths of human existence using the <em>Bridges to Contemplative Living</em> series, which includes excerpts from the writings of Thomas Merton and other authors. The process involves readings, reflections and contemplative dialogue. A free-will offering will be accepted. Please register for your first session by noon the previous day to get the Zoom link. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-10-19 20:30:00 -0500

  10/19/23 @ 7:00 p.m.

  7:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Go Deeper Thursdays with Prairiewoods

  <p>Go Deeper Thursdays is an ongoing personal exploration and deepening in community. This online group began during the pandemic as an opportunity to be in community while physically isolated. Over the years, we have seen many faces and heard many voices—all of us willing to open ourselves in order to “go deeper” in our own consciousness and spirituality. Topics emerge from the conversations and maintain a general focus on our spiritual lives. Convener Ellen Bruckner guides these online conversations every Thursday. Registration is required to get the Zoom link, and a free-will offering will be accepted. For more information or to register, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-10-26 17:00:00 -0500

  10/26/23 @ 4:00 p.m.

  4:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha

• Men Exploring Faith at Prairiewoods

  <p>Behavioral scientists and spiritual guides have noted a major transformation in the life direction of many men as we mature. It may happen gradually or abruptly, as early as our 20s or in our 50s or 60s. Some men never make this shift, described as a change from goal drivenness to receptivity, from ego to wisdom. The transition can start from the inside <em>(Why am I doing what I’m doing?)</em> or the outside (from a loss or threat), and it may seem disruptive while on the way to being life-enhancing. Join with a small group of reflective men at Prairiewoods (120 East Boyson Road in Hiawatha) in honest conversation about these changes. This group meets in person with an online option available on the second and fourth Thursdays of each month and is facilitated by Linzy Martin. A free-will offering is accepted, and registration is not necessary. For more information, contact Prairiewoods at www.Prairiewoods.org or 319-395-6700.</p> 2023-10-26 17:30:00 -0500

  10/26/23 @ 4:00 p.m.

  4:00 p.m.

  Prairiewoods Franciscan Spirituality Center

  Hiawatha