Putting Money in Its Place

Most North Americans grow up in a culture that worships money, embedded in an economic system that holds money up as the only true measure of value. But money is a failed god, as we see in the fear that threatens our personal well-being and our relationships, in the overwork and overwhelm that guts community life, in the resigned acceptance of both extreme wealth and extreme poverty and in the drive for ever-more that is destroying our planet.

Such massive issues need to be addressed from all levels of government and all facets of the economy. So what can we do in one brief workshop?

We look within ourselves, by better understanding our messy, conflicted feelings about money. Self-awareness around money can free us to act in new ways, fueled by compassion rather than guilt or anxiety.

And we bring that understanding to our immediate spheres of influence – our households, neighborhoods, and organizations – by daily engaging in the economy in ways that help repair relationships, build community, narrow the wealth gap, and move toward environmental sustainability.

The retreat facilitators will bring their Judeo-Christian faith roots and years of money-related experiences to the discussion. What traditions, perspectives, and experiences will you bring? All who share values of justice and community—regardless of how those values evolved—are crucial to the retreat and crucial to the work of building an economy that works for everyone.

Our hope is that you would leave this retreat with a better understanding of your relationship to money, and with specific, doable commitments to help create a more loving, just, and sustainable world.