Keeping My Celestial Relations Fresh: Belonging and Becoming with Thoreau

Sunday, May 24, 2026
10 AM
Shana Dumont Garr, Lay Leader

Henry David Thoreau’s spectral presence inspires this reflection on how we might merge the seen and unseen in the twenty-first century. The awe and appreciation of living near Walden Pond and other sites related to the New England Transcendentalists is never far from how Shana Dumont Garr perceives the world. She served as curator of Fruitlands Museum, which was once the site of a short-lived Transcendentalist commune in 1843, from 2016 to 2022. Her work included exhibiting objects related to Thoreau, such as handwritten pages of his essays on nature. Drawing from contemporary philosophers including Jane Bennett, Ivan Gaskell, and David Abram, Shana will discuss how the material—such as pencils made by Thoreau in Fruitland’s collection—and the ephemeral—such as memories and the experiences of reading and writing—inform each other. The seen and unseen are not opposites, but part of a cycle of belonging and becoming.

Join Worship by Video: https://tinyurl.com/fpcstow 
Meeting ID: 999 7077 0266
Passcode: 01775
Join worship by phone: (929)205-6099 (long distance rates will apply)

Order of Service: Check back here on the morning of service. 

FPC now has a closed captioning option with online services. If the Closed Captioning option is not turned on, you can use the button at the bottom of your screen to request the host turn it on.