Let’s Talk! Conversations That Matter
featuring Beth Norcross & Leah Rampy
Thursday, June 5
12.15 - 1.00pm (Eastern) • Online
This program is offered at no cost. Donations to support the work of The BTS Center will be received with gratitude.
Please join Allen Ewing-Merrill, Executive Director of The BTS Center, for a lunchtime “Let’s Talk!” conversation with Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy, co-authors of a beautiful book, Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees, recently published by Broadleaf Books.
“Trees are critical to the stability and health of all of Earth,” Beth and Leah write. “They store carbon, regulate climate, mediate the water cycle, support soil health, and sustain ecosystems and biodiversity… It’s almost impossible to overstate the degree to which we humans, all living beings, and our Earth systems, depend on the gifts of trees and forests.”
Besides these practical contributions that trees and forests make that are essential for our well-being, they also possess great wisdom as our elders, as our spiritual companions and teachers, as our conversation partners, as sources of solace and insight, as our Earthly kin. When we pay attention, and when we connect intimately with them, we can deepen our spiritual lives and grow in the understanding that all beings are part of the fabric of the holy.
The Spiritual Wisdom of Trees encourages us to revel in the beauty and wonder of trees as they increase our capacity to bear witness to loss and grief and model adaptation and resilience. Integrating science and spirituality, co-authors Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy explore the knowledge held within the living world of trees and planted within each of us.
Here’s a sacred invitation: “For us, the trees, and Earth, these are liminal times. The ground is shifting beneath our feet culturally, ecologically, physically, and spiritually. Many of the stories that once guided us have lost their truth and luminosity; new ones are not yet formed to take their place. We can draw on the older, deeper wisdom of trees who have lived through times of great darkness, light, and the spaces in between to guide us as we wait on the threshold between times.”
We look forward to this conversation with the authors who, drawing on their extensive experience in both forest ecology and spirituality, invite us into a deep mutual relationship with trees, whose wisdom provides comfort, resilience, guidance, and hope during these challenging times.
Praise for The Spiritual Wisdom of Trees:
“This book speaks the language of trees. The deep wisdom of the Standing Ones is that everything belongs; nothing stands alone. Beth Norcross and Leah Rampy powerfully convey this truth as they draw on the fascinating details of forestry science, the insights of spiritual masters from various traditions, and their own intimate, lifelong experience with trees. This isn’t just another ‘how-to’ book on spirituality. It’s a passionate call to listen to the magnificent teachers that surround us.”
— Belden C. Lane, PhD, author of The Solace of Fierce Landscapes, Backpacking with the Saints, and other books
“A beautiful meditation on the wisdom found in the natural world and the transformative power of being in relationship with trees. Norcross and Rampy are exceptional teachers and knowledgeable guides, graciously leading the reader down tree-lined wooded paths where they share scientific knowledge, insightful personal experience, compelling metaphors, and spiritual insights.”
— Carrie Newcomer, Emmy-winning performer, songwriter, and recording artist
“What a treasure! This book captures the extraordinary power of trees to engage humans in a reciprocal relationship that transcends words. May this valuable work, rich with scientific knowledge and spiritual insight, be widely read and enjoyed. This is a unique expression of what Thomas Berry meant by his phrase, ‘The universe is a communion of subjects.’”
— Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-author, Journey of the Universe; co-director, Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology
“The Universe has been a spiritual reality as well as a physical reality since the beginning of time. To see every lifeform on Earth as an expression of the Divine is the wisdom we are being invited to recover, urgently, if humanity is to find healing. Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees witnesses with hope to the urgency of this moment.”
— John Philip Newell, author of The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home
Meet Our Guests
With extensive training and experience in both spirituality and ecology, Beth is a writer, teacher, and spiritual nature guide who invites people into deep, intimate relationships with their Earth kin. Beth is the founder and former Director of the Center for Spirituality in Nature, which offers experiences and communities in nature that open individuals to an active, loving, spiritual connection with the natural world.
Beth’s work is informed by her experience working in the U.S. Senate and with American Rivers, a national environmental organization. She is the co-founder of the Green Seminary Initiative and adjunct professor at Wesley Theological Seminary. Beth has written numerous articles and curricula related to ecology and spirituality, including her most recent work with Leah Rampy, Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees (Broadleaf Books, 2025).
Leah Rampy is a writer, speaker, and retreat leader who weaves ecology, spirituality, personal stories, and practices to help others deepen their relationship to the natural world. She is the author of the award-winning book Earth & Soul: Reconnecting amid Climate Chaos and the co-author with Beth Norcross of Discovering the Spiritual Wisdom of Trees.
Leah is a frequent speaker on spiritual ecology and leadership in uncertain times and the founder and leader of Church of the Wild Two Rivers that seeks to deepen spirituality through time in the natural world. She publishes a weekly Substack column “Reweaving Earth & Soul.” Leah lives with her husband in a cohousing community in Shepherdstown, WV, where members collaborate to run their village with a focus on community, environmental responsibility, and Earth care. She co-founded Save Our Soil, a volunteer organization to promote soil health, local food, native plants, and regenerative agriculture.
Meet Our Host
Allen Ewing-Merrill (he/him) serves as Executive Director of The BTS Center, a private operating foundation in Portland, Maine, building on the legacy of the former Bangor Theological Seminary. Ordained in the Methodist tradition, Allen served local churches for 20 years, and as founding Executive Director of Hope Acts, a Portland, Maine nonprofit focusing on housing asylum seekers and helping immigrants succeed. A graduate of the University of Maine and of Boston University School of Theology, Allen completed a Doctor of Ministry program through Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington, DC and Wesley House, Cambridge UK. In addition to nonprofit and congregational leadership, he has extensive experience in advocacy, direct action, and faith-based organizing around issues of justice and equity.
