Category Archives: Workshop

Low Ropes Course Open House 4/24/2023

Hanover College is hosting a Low Ropes Course Open House on April 24th from 4-6 p.m. for interested churches and non-profits at Hanover College.

The Open House will include tours of the facility for those who may be interested in using it in the future.

For more information, contact Rev. Catherine Knott (knott@nullhanover.edu).

The Art of Transitional Ministry Training Event

Register now for The Art of Transitional Ministry Training, Week I & II. May 22-26, 2023 at the beautiful Mercy Center, St. Louis, MO

We live in a crazy time of transition in our churches and culture. Transitional Ministry Education is not limited to those presently engaged in or inquiring about transitional ministry. Anyone interested in learning how to walk through change alongside your church is invited to join in. PLUS, we have expanded to include a more diverse faculty and re-worked curriculum for this spring.

Mercy Center is a beautiful convent and retreat center which provides: good food for gathering, lovely grounds for unwinding, a labyrinth for spiritual centering, AND great space for meeting and learning from other motivated pastors, CREs, and all who serve the church on committees.

Basic Transitional Ministry Education consists of 60 contact hours plus a practicum. The contact hours are divided equally between two residency weeks: Week I (30 hours) and Week II (30 hours), separated by a practicum that combines reflection on, and experience in, some aspect of interim/transitional ministry.

The faculty this spring includes: Rev. Dr. Barbara Wilson, Chicago Presbytery Director of Collaboration & Community Partnerships; Rev. Dr. Eric Thomas, Pastor of Siloam Pres, Brooklyn, NY; Rev. Bruce Jones, Transitional pastor, Milwaukee, WI; Rev. Dr. Tassie Green, Bridge Pastor of Hope Pres, Wheaton, IL;  Rev. Gail Doering, Southern Kansas Transitional EP; and Tony de la Rosa, Transitional Exec, Synod of Mid America.

LEARNING CIRCLES

Six weeks of communal learning this January and February

NEXT Church is offering a six-week training and conversation Learning Circle focused on antiracism during January and February 2023.  Each circle is curated with similar content while creating space focused on a specific context or lived experience. Learning circles will unpack the six values upholding white dominance and practice the transforming values to create conditions for equity.  Circles will meet once a week for six weeks and will be led by trained NEXT Church antiracism facilitators.

Through the Myrtle Collaboration 2.0, the Matthew 25 Cohort churches of First Presbyterian Columbus, First Presbyterian Bloomington and Fairlawn Presbyterian Columbus, are offering a limited number of scholarships to cover registration fees for those wishing to attend.  This Learning Circle provides another step towards our shared Matthew 25 Vision of dismantling structural racism.

The cost is $99 and spaces are limited for optimal conversation. Because People of Color will labor in a more costly way as participants in the Learning Circles, the participation cost for People of Color in any circle is $49.

To apply for a scholarship, please email Reverend Felipe Martinez (felipem@nullfpccolumbus.org), then sign up at the link (Learning Circles – NEXT Church). Registration expenses will be reimbursed through Christy Jerman, First Presbyterian Church, 512 7Th Street, Columbus, IN 47201 by mailing in your receipt.

Workshop: Creative Strategies for Inclusive Digital Worship

Stone Belt Arc Presents:
Creative Strategies for
Inclusive Digital Worship

Time: Apr 22, 2021 02:00 PM (ET)

As pastor of a church where people with and without intellectual, developmental, and other disabilities lead and participate together, Rev. Dr. Bethany McKinney Fox has had the opportunity to lead an ability-inclusive community every week over Zoom during the past year of the pandemic. This has given her lots of opportunities to experiment and discover some interesting ways to engage folks across the spectrum of abilities and disabilities. In this presentation she will guide participants through a selection of rituals, practices, and ways of engaging with God and one another during virtual worship. People of all faith traditions are welcome!

Click here for more information and to register.

Center for Congregations: Faith Formation for Gen Z

Cultural changes have made it increasingly difficult to develop the faith of younger generations. Recent research by the Barna Group gives good reason to be hopeful. This workshop explores the practices that can aid your congregation in forming the faith of children, youth and young adults. Author and youth leader Mark Matlock will present ways your congregation can take steps to pass along Christianity to the next generation.

In this workshop, Matlock explains the concept of resilient discipleship and explores new research-based insights from Christian research company Barna Group.

This workshop is 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (Eastern time) Thursday, September 5, 2019 at All Souls Unitarian Church in Indianapolis. The cost is $30 per person. When congregational teams of three or more register together, the cost is discounted to $25 per person. This fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and a copy of the book Faith for Exiles: 5 Ways for a New Generation to Follow Jesus in Digital Babylon.

For more information, and to register for this workshop, visit the Center for Congregations webpage for this event.

Workshops limited to Indiana congregations.

3 B Program Training on October 4-5, 2019

This is a two-day training, focused on setting up a 3 B Program for churches.

Updated 8/26/2019The Deadline to register for this event is 9/14/2019.

Sponsored by Smock Senior Ministries, the 3 B program’s vision is to enhance the lives of senior adults through education and physical movements focused on enriching their Body, Brain, and spiritual Beliefs as they embrace the full life God intends for each–individually and in healthy congregations.

When:

  • October 4, 10:00am-7:00pm
  • October 5th, 9:00am-3:30pm

Where: The Mitchell Presbyterian Church (Hwy 60 East, Mitchell, IN)

Smock Ministries will pay for Friday overnight lodging, meals and the program materials. You do not need to be a senior to attend this training!

At the conclusion of the training, instructors will have complete lesson plans and all needed resources for 12 weeks of class on a flash drive, a DVD with 150+ exercises, a supply source list of needed equipment, and ideas for implementing the 3B programs in their congregation.

The program consists of:

  • 12 weeks of class meeting for an hour, 3 times/week
  • Focusing on building flexibility, strength, and balance
  • Challenges to increase memory and problem solving skills as new brain cells grow
  • Time to recall beloved scripture with devotionals and “scripture in motion”
  • Much laughter
  • A great outreach to the local church and community

To register, download and print this form, then mail it to the address below.

Lodging arrangements may be made at Spring Mill State Park Inn (812-849-4508)  or at the Bedford hotels: Holiday Inn Express, Quality Inn or Super 8.

For more information, contact:

Smock Senior Ministries
Rev. William Haworth
300 W. Wayne Street
Fort Wayne, IN 46802
260-426-7421, ext. 131

3 B program for seniors created by Angie Briner, M.S.Ed. and Rev. Sue Babovec

Core Godly Play Training: BLOOMINGTON IN 08-2018

First Presbyterian Church Bloomington is honored to be hosting Godly Play Core training August 24, 25, 26. If your congregation is using or interested in this curriculum, click on this link for the training schedule and registration. Download the flyer

From the Curriculum website:
What is Godly Play?

The result of a lifetime of research and practice by theologian, author and educator The Rev. Dr. Jerome Berryman, the Godly Play® method is a curriculum of spiritual practice exploring the mystery of God’s presence in our lives. The Godly Play curriculum engages what is most exciting about religious education: God inviting us into—and pursuing us in the midst of—Scripture and spiritual experience. Godly Play practice teaches us to listen for God and to make authentic and creative responses to God’s call in our lives.