fran mckendree site - Fran McKendree - News

A New Ancient Harmony a wonderful success

Fri, 23 Dec 2011 00:00:00 -0800

We had an amazing four days doing our 'A New Ancient Harmony' gathering December 4-8! John Philip Newell and Judy Brown were outstanding as our keynote presenters, and our musical ensemble was truly a joy to be a part of. Thanks so much to all the wonderful folks who attended - we are grateful for your support and kindness. Thanks to my colleagues, Ann Holtz, Brian Prior and Diana McKendree for sharing and guiding the vision; to Aimee Bostwick for her creative, inspiring work with images; to Ra Ra Schlitz for painting twelve incredibly beautiful, soulful banners for our backdrop. My deepest gratitude to Lindsey Blount, Charles Milling, River Guerguerian and Duncan Wickel for the sharing of their gifts and spirit, and to Eric Murrell, without whom none of what we had hoped for or envisioned would have come to fruition. And thanks to Lutheridge and their friendly, helpful staff for providing for us all.

We are going over the 12 hours of recorded material, video and audio, and our hope is to have some video footage up for viewing here, on my youtube channel, on the AwakeningSoul web site and youtube channel, and on John Philip Newell's site, Terre Salve.

Here's a photo of the band.... more on the photos and news pages to follow soon.

L-R Duncan Wickel, Lindsey Blount, Fran, Charles Milling, River Guerguerian

photo by Larry Hastings

Times Like These video

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Here's an acoustic, live version of 'Times Like These' which seems to get more and more appropriate with each news cycle...http://wizard.franmckendree.com/publicfiles/Times_Like_These.mov" autostart="false" /

A New Ancient Harmony

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Here's a short video about the upcoming 'A New Ancient Harmony' gathering. John Philip Newell and Judy Brown are our keynoters. Brian Prior, Ann Holtz and I have been working on this event for over a year now.. hope to see you there for a time of inspiration, reflection and transformation.

http://wizard.franmckendree.com/publicfiles/FM_ANAH_pr1.mov" autostart="false" />

And here's Fran with a brief introduction of the Right Rev, Brian Prior;

http://wizard.franmckendree.com/publicfiles/ANAH_pr_for_B.mov" autostart="false" />

Early morning visitor

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

This cute little guy came for breakfast this morning... it was the first morning this fall that we've dipped below freezing, and I think he was looking for a sunny spot.

about an hour later... ahhhh... much better!

with CYNTHIA BOURGEAULT

Sat, 22 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I had a really wonderful time doing some music for a day long session with author/teacher Cynthia Bourgeault at Holy Trinity, in Greensboro, NC. She is a wise and wonderful teacher; affirming, challenging, inspiring and profound. She's a courageous voice.

Stowaway!

Thu, 20 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Sometimes it's tough heading out on the road, especially when we're in the midst of a beautiful October here in the mountains of NC. Our cat, Inky, however, was ready for a little adventure this past week as I packed up!

Holy Cross Monastery

Fri, 14 Oct 2011 00:00:00 -0700

Had a really wonderful 4 days helping out with a retreat for youth workers, with my friend and colleague Jenifer Gamber, and about 14 other great folks. This has become an annual event at this beautiful and contemplative Benedictine house. Check for dates for next September.

One of our morning sessions;

Here's sunrise one morning, overlooking the mighty Hudson River..

We took a little ride to a bridge over the Hudson and where a thunderstorm suddenly descended on us. The wind picked up very quickly and the river had this very strange look to it.... there had been quite severe flooding, and the river was quite high...

Diocese of Niagra, Canada

Wed, 29 Jun 2011 00:00:00 -0700

My wife, Diana, and I led a retreat for clergy and licensed lay workers for the Diocese of Niagra in early May. It was held at the Mount Carmel Retreat Center, in Niagra Falls, Canada. What a great few days we had- wonderful, diverse group of folks attending, and the center is lovely, with the best food I've ever had at a retreat center, and a really great staff. We only had about 24 hrs with the group, but the atmosphere was brimming with great conversation and sharing. It was still a bit on the chilly side, and raining, so I made a quick visit to the actual falls before heading to Toronto to visit for a brief 24 hrs, then head to Buffalo, NY for a visit with my younger sister and family. A great trip! Thanks to all who attended, and helped organize the gathering! Here's a shot of the falls from the Peace Bridge.

Benefit Concert, Birmingham, AL

Tue, 29 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0700

I joined the 5 O'Clock Band in a benefit concert at St.Luke's in Birmingham Saturday night. The purpose was to raise funds for a trail to be cut at Camp McDowell in memory of the late Rev. Deb Braden, and counting some donations that came in from a private gathering, over 12,000.00 was raised! Thanks to everyone who came to support the effort. I'll try to get some photos up soon.

Birmingham, AL and Diana's surgery

Mon, 07 Mar 2011 00:00:00 -0800

My wife, Diana, had back surgery this past Thursday. All went flawlessly, and she's recovering well, 'tho it will take about 6 weeks before she begins to feel the full benefit. We give thanks for the skill of the surgeon, all your prayers, and the wonderful 'mealtrain' volunteers that have been bringing us delicious dinners, and for the generosity of the folks who have been so incredibly kind to us, guiding us through the surgery, and providing a home away from home.