Way Collective

A contemplative community for love and liberation. // Connection • Curiosity • Creativity • Collaboration • Consciousness • Compassionate Action

This is a community for people looking to unite for the common good in an increasingly divisive world. We are a community both rooted in and improvising upon the Christian wisdom tradition by focusing on communal practices, values, and wisdom rather than beliefs. Whereas too many forms of religion are contributing to the fragmentation of our world, we come together to practice connection, curiosit

y, collaboration, creativity, consciousness, and compassion...all for the common good. Our gatherings emphasize building friendships, transformative experiences, and having deep conversations about relevant topics that inform and inspire us all to live with more beauty, wholeness, depth, and urgency. All are welcome regardless of background, belief, orientation, or conviction. Come hang with us and join this movement for love and liberation in Santa Barbara and beyond!

09/09/2026

Hey Way Collective!

We have a change of plans for tonight! With the heat sticking around, we’re going to cancel our gluten-free potluck at FCCSB on 09/09 and move Community Night to the air-conditioned Barrel Room at Third Window Brewing Company instead! The address is 406 E Haley St, and there is street parking available around TWBC.

We’ll meet at our usual time of 5:15 PM in the barrel room (look for the Kin Commons sign). And no need to bring a dish! Way Collective will open a tab that anyone can use to order dinner, and we’ll do our usual sliding-scale payment system—so please come and eat with us, regardless of what you’re able to contribute.

While the location is changing, the heart of the night isn’t. Tonight is still all about being together.

We’ll have some fun, intergenerational questions for the tables—things kids, adults, and elders can all jump into together—as well as a raffle, coloring activities for the kids, and plenty of space simply to eat, drink, talk, laugh, and enjoy one another.

Since we’ll be without a childcare person tomorrow night, meeting at Third Window also gives us a little more flexibility for families. Rather than trying to run our usual separate kids’ space, we’ll make this a genuinely all-ages evening where kids can be part of the gathering, move around, color, play, and participate as they’re able. And if they start to burn out, please feel free to come and go as you please!

And for adults who would like to stay a little longer and have some meaningful D&D type conversation together, we’ll make space for that too. We’ll facilitate some deeper conversation for anyone who wants it around 6:45 or so, while keeping the evening flexible enough for families and others who need to head out earlier. Our hope is that there will be something for everyone—a chance to play and connect across generations, and also a chance to linger and go a little deeper together.

So: no need to bring a gluten-free dish tonight! Just bring yourself, your family if they’re coming, and come ready for a relaxed night of community together!

We hope to see you there!

Peace,

-Tim

09/02/2026

Hey Way Collective,

Tonight, we’re kicking off a brand-new Fall series at Way Collective called Conscious Living, with a special meal from Bettina Pizzeria!

Over the last several months, we’ve spent time Circling the Mystery and Turning to the Sacred—exploring some of the deeper questions of spirituality, meaning, and how we learn to see the world around us. This fall, we’re going to bring that conversation a little closer to the ground and ask a wonderfully practical question:

Given what we are becoming aware of, how then do we live from our values?

Our inspiration for the series comes in part from a recent conversation Krista Tippett had with Michael Pollan, in which Tippett reflected on the relationship between four words: consciousness, conscience, consequence, and conscientiousness.

What happens when we really pay attention to our lives? How does what we notice begin to shape what matters to us? What consequences flow from the ways we live? And how might greater awareness invite us into more intentional, compassionate, and conscientious ways of being human?

Throughout the fall, we’ll bring these questions into the ordinary stuff of life—our relationships, habits, technology, money, food, work, community, the earth, and some of the social challenges we are navigating together. And as our larger community begins a new chapter as Kin Commons, we’ll also wonder together about the kind of community that can help us become more awake, connected, and responsive to the world around us.

Tonight will be our Fall kickoff, and we’ll introduce the big idea behind Conscious Living: How is living from our values connected to a more conscious life?

As always, dinner begins at 5:15 PM, and our conversation will get underway around 6:15 PM.

Come hungry. Come curious. Bring a friend. And come help us kick off a new season of Dinner & Dialogue together.

See you this evening!

Peace,

-Tim

08/26/2026

Hey Way Collective,

We’re looking forward to gathering tomorrow evening for the final week of our summer series, Turning to the Sacred, as we reflect on where all of these conversations might ultimately lead us: back into our lives.

Throughout this summer, we’ve explored the sacred in community, in one another, in becoming, in love and beauty, in paradox, and in the ordinary practices and places that ground us. But perhaps the final turn is realizing that sacredness isn’t somewhere we retreat to — it’s a way of re-turning.

Tomorrow night, we’ll reflect on what it means to return differently—to our bodies, to one another, to the earth, to our traditions, to people with whom we disagree, and even to the suffering of the world. Seeing something as sacred doesn’t mean romanticizing it or pretending everything is beautiful. Injustice is still injustice. Suffering still hurts. But when we learn to recognize the dignity and value within people, communities, and the earth, that recognition asks something of us. Attention becomes response. Contemplation becomes participation. The sacred becomes not only something we notice, but something that shapes how we live.

If you’ve been wondering what it might mean to carry these conversations beyond the summer… if you’re curious about how a deeper attention to the sacred might actually change the way we show up in the world… this will be a meaningful night to come to the table and bring our summer journey to a close together.

Dinner is at 5:15 and Dialogue is at 6:15.

See y’all tomorrow!

Peace,

-Tim

08/19/2026

Hey Way Collective,

We’re looking forward to gathering this evening for week eleven of our summer series, Turning to the Sacred, as we reflect on what it means to find a sacred ground.

Throughout this summer, we’ve been exploring the sacred as something we learn to recognize within the ordinary stuff of life—in community, in one another, in beauty, love, becoming, and even paradox. But recognizing the sacred is also an intentional practice. Most of us have particular places, relationships, rhythms, and ways of paying attention that seem to reconnect us with a deeper sense of what matters.

Tonight, we’ll explore some of those pathways together. What practices help you become more present? What people bring you back to yourself? Where in nature do you feel most awake? What postures, rituals, relationships, or experiences reconnect you with a sense of depth and meaning? We’ll reflect on how finding a sacred ground doesn’t require escaping our ordinary lives, but learning where and how we become most available to the beauty, connection, and value already moving through them.

If you’ve ever noticed that certain places, people, or practices seem to return you to a deeper part of yourself… and if you’re curious about the different pathways that help others connect with the sacred… this will be a meaningful night to come to the table and explore together.

Dinner is at 5:15 and Dialogue is at 6:15.

See y’all soon!

Peace,

-Tim

08/06/2026

Hey Way Collective,

We hope you can join us tonight for what promises to be a memorable evening of conversation, curiosity, and connection as we welcome our very own John Figoski, our guest speaker for Community Night.

In his talk, “Peeking Under the Curtain”, John will share stories from a recent chapter of his ongoing God Quest—a deeply personal journey that has recently taken unexpected turns and opened new ways of seeing himself, faith, and the nature of reality.

John will reflect on states of higher consciousness that have invited him to rethink long-held assumptions, challenged his naturally analytical perspective, and expanded his understanding of what it means to be fully alive.

More than simply sharing his experiences, John will invite us into the conversation. Through thoughtful questions and table discussions, we'll have the opportunity to reflect on our own journeys, explore what shapes our beliefs, and consider how moments of wonder, mystery, and insight can deepen our lives.

We look forward to seeing you tonight!

Dinner is at 5:15 and Dialogue is at 6:15.

Warmly,

Tracy

07/29/2026

Hey Way Collective,

We’re looking forward to gathering this evening for week eight of our summer series, Turning to the Sacred, as we reflect on the sacredness of the both/and.

We live in a world that constantly asks us to choose sides. Right or wrong. Success or failure. Joy or sorrow. Us or them. It can feel as though wisdom comes from narrowing things down until we're certain we've found the correct answer. But some of life's deepest truths refuse to fit neatly into either/or categories. Instead, they invite us into the slower work of holding seeming opposites together with openness and care.

Tonight, I’ll share a few stories and reflections on finding truth in unexpected places, and how the sacred often reveals itself when we resist the urge to dismiss, simplify, or cut things off too quickly. We'll explore how learning to hold tension without immediately resolving it can open us to a more spacious way of seeing—one that is capable of recognizing complexity, honoring different perspectives, and discovering surprising wisdom where we least expect it. Sometimes the sacred isn't found in choosing one side over another, but in remaining present long enough for a larger truth to emerge.

If you’ve ever found yourself living between competing truths… if you’re curious about what becomes possible when we loosen our grip on either/or thinking… this will be a meaningful night to come to the table and continue the journey together.

Dinner is at 5:15 and Dialogue is at 6:15.

See y’all this evening!

Peace,

-Tim

07/24/2026

This week's episode of the Way Collective Podcast is now live: The Sacred as a Language We Speak.
What if religion is less about having the right answers—and more like learning a language?
A language that helps us notice beauty.
A language that teaches us compassion.
A language that invites us into deeper relationship with ourselves, one another, and the mystery we call God.

In this week's conversation, we explore Christianity as one sacred language among many—one that has shaped many of our lives deeply, while also inviting us to recognize that the sacred has always been speaking in more ways than we can imagine.

If you've been looking for a spirituality that's thoughtful without being rigid, contemplative without checking out of the world, and rooted in love, curiosity, and meaningful conversation, I'd love to invite you to listen.

And if you're new here, the Way Collective Podcast is a weekly collection of contemplative teachings exploring faith, meaning, community, beauty, justice, and what it means to become more fully human. New episodes are released every week, and we'd love to have you along for the journey.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts! ✌🏽

07/16/2026

Hey Way Collective,

We’re looking forward to gathering this evening for the next week of our summer series, Turning to the Sacred, as we reflect on the sacred relationship between love, beauty, and peace.

We often think of peace as something we have to chase after—a destination waiting on the other side of the world's conflicts or our own inner restlessness. But what if peace isn't something we find by pursuing it directly? What if it emerges from learning to notice and cultivate something even more fundamental in the way we live?

Tonight, we’ll explore the possibility that love, beauty, and peace are deeply connected. Love shapes the quality of our relationships. Beauty is what begins to emerge when those relationships become life-giving. And peace is what gradually takes root as we learn to participate more fully in both. Together, we’ll reflect on how these three realities are not separate ideals to pursue, but dimensions of the sacred woven into the fabric of everyday life that often go unnoticed—but, that are always inviting us to see the world with greater depth, attentiveness, and wonder.

If you’ve been sensing that there is something deeper running through ordinary life… if you’re longing to cultivate a way of seeing that is a little more spacious, hopeful, and awake… this will be a meaningful night to come to the table and continue the journey together.

Dinner is at 5:15 and Dialogue is at 6:15.

See y'all then!

Peace,

-Tim

07/08/2026

Hey Way Collective,

We’re looking forward to gathering this evening for week five of our summer series of conversations, Turning to the Sacred, as we reflect on the sacredness of becoming.

It’s easy to imagine that the sacred is found only in moments of arrival—when life finally comes together, when healing is complete, or when we’ve become the people we hope to be. But what if the sacred is just as present in the unfolding itself? What if it is found not only in what is, but in what is still becoming?

Tonight, we’ll explore the idea that reality itself is unfinished. We are unfinished. Our relationships, our communities, and even the world around us are continually emerging into something new. Rather than seeing change as something to endure until we finally arrive somewhere else, we’ll reflect on how creativity, growth, transformation, and even uncertainty can become places where the sacred quietly meets us. Perhaps one of the deepest invitations of the contemplative life is not simply to appreciate what already exists, but to participate with hope and imagination in what is still coming into being.

If you’ve ever found yourself wondering whether change is possible… if you’re longing to trust that your own life is still unfolding in meaningful ways, no matter your situation… this will be a meaningful night to come to the table and continue the journey together.

Dinner is at 5:15 and Dialogue is at 6:15.

See y’all soon!

Peace,

-Tim

Address

1915 Chapala Street
Santa Barbara, CA
93101

Website

http://www.waycollective.org/

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Way Collective posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to Way Collective:

Want your place of worship to be the top-listed Place Of Worship in Santa Barbara?