Presbytery of Carlisle
Education Committee
September 28, 2019
Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church
Keynote Speaker :
On September 28th, 2019 we are inviting all within the bounds of the Presbytery and beyond to an event that seeks to restore your faith, fortify your mind and revitalize your life.
8:30 Registration
9:00 Keynote
10:45 Workshops 1
12:00 Free Lunch
1:00 Workshops 2
ALL DAY Opportunities (8:30 - 2:00)
Holy Spirit Sparks Prayer Center - Drop by this relaxing space to explore and experiment with different art materials and activities that encourage self expression and spark creative ways to pray! Also stop by to gather ideas that can be used in a variety of church settings and with groups of all ages and stages.
Hearts and Mind Bookstore - Come check out all the wonderful books ranging from a wide variety. Books will be available for all ages.
Children's Program - Elementary-aged children are invited to a day of fun. Volunteers will be on hand to lead games and activities. Children will be eating with their families.
Youth Program - Middle School and High School students are invited to a day of fun. We will be exploring what Triennium is, and having our own mini event!
Nursery Provided
Additional Information
Lunch - A light lunch of soup and salad will be provided for all participants! Parents will eat with children. Cost is free.
2:30 - 4:00 After Party at Ever Grain Brewery for a Beer and Church conversation.
From her website:
The Rev. MaryAnn McKibben Dana is a writer, free-range pastor, speaker, and coach living in Virginia. She is a mother of three, an inveterate muffin-maker, a haphazard knitter, and an occasional marathoner.
Like many authors, MaryAnn writes the books that she herself longs to read. So as a recovering perfectionist who likes her backup plans to have backup plans, she penned God, Improv, and the Art of Living, about embracing improvisation as a spiritual and life practice. And as a twitchy workaholic seeking to find balance in a 24/7 world, she wrote 2012’s Sabbath in the Suburbs, which turned out to be a Chalice Press bestseller for two years running and a “must read” by Ministry Matters. (Apparently other people are dealing with that stuff too?) She speaks to groups about these and other topics; here's her calendar of events.
Her writing has appeared in TIME.com, The Washington Post, Huffington Post, Religion Dispatches, Journal for Preachers, and the Christian Century, and in a monthly column for Presbyterians Today for three years. She was featured on PBS’s Religion and Ethics Newsweekly for her work on Sabbath and was recognized by the Presbyterian Writers Guild with the 2015-2016 David Steele Distinguished Writer Award.
She is a sought-after speaker, preacher, conference leader and writer around issues of leadership, faith formation, technology, and congregational transformation. She served as co-chair for two years of NEXT Church, a movement within the Presbyterian Church (USA) that seeks to call forth vital ministry for our changing cultural context. MaryAnn is a graduate of Rice University in Houston, Texas and received her M.Div. from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Georgia.
In 2017 she began personal and professional coaching and running coaching.
Schedule:
Workshops 1
10:45-12:00
A. Book Study - In many of our churches, book studies are being used as a tool to generate conversation about navigating the changing landscape of church and culture in which we worship and serve today. This workshop is an opportunity to cross-pollinate! Whether you've been reading The Agile Church, Neighborhood Church, or Canoeing the Mountains, come talk with others about what you are learning. Share insights, ideas and questions. And start imagining the implications for your leadership and for your congregation's movement into God's future.
B. The Digital Disciples Movement! - Becoming an Influential Voice & Leader in Your Community One Friend at a Time. John Fong will be our presenter and guide as we explore ways that the church can engage more directly with the Digital Age we find ourselves in. The Digital Disciples program was created to help empower one church at a time, to give our churches a stronger voice and provide leadership and comfort to their communities. Come, learn more about how to Refocus, Reassess, Repeat, and Re-energize your Movement!
C. Enneagram 101 led by Martha Spong. The Enneagram is a tool that helps us understand ourselves better, and how we interact with the world. This first session will act as an introduction to this nine point symbol.
D. Improv Workshop - MaryAnn McKibben Dana will lead a time for participants to engage more actively with some of the ideas presented in the Keynote address.
E. Missions in Honduras - We will hear directly from our mission coworker Dori Hjalmarson as she shares with us some of the joys and challenges she faces with her work in Honduras. What a wonderful opportunity to hear firsthand of the work being done in Honduras.
F. Outreach, Community, Who is your Neighbor? Listen to the reflections from members of Faith Immanuel and Hope churches about the past year of working with coach Paul Nickerson. They will share some of their experiences and open a discussion about reclaiming a Biblical model of apostleship and relationship building that puts "outreach" at the center of the Church's mission of working for justice, peace, reconciliation and love in the world.
G. Messy Church - Rachel and Chris Schwab will lead participants through a Messy church lesson. This is an opportunity to experience God through meaningful fellowship, storytelling and Messy creativity. Life is Messy and so are We! This program is completely experiential, intergenerational and all are welcome!
H. Grief - The concepts of loss and grief permeate our lives. The loss of a job, ending of a relationship, long-term absence of a family member and ultimate death of a loved one all can cause a grief response. While universal, our society doesn't encourage us to talk about loss. It is easy to feel overwhelmed, and close ourselves off to connecting with those who are grieving. Our presenters will tap into their experience working in the field of death, dying, loss and grief to share resources in supporting adults and children experiencing a wide array of losses. Their aim will be to empower attendees to say yes to supporting themselves, their friends, family, church and community members through the grief process. We will examine our own self awareness and comfort around the topic of grief and engage in a discussion of the universal but unique journey of grief.
I. Worship Transformed! Beyond changing patterns in worship attendance, the people of our congregations and communities yearn for experiences that will connect the human spirit with the Spirit of the living God. How do we create worship that is faithful to the Reformed Tradition, and speaks to contemporary congregations? This workshop will demonstrate how worship can be multi-sensory, touch the heart as well as the mind, draw upon cultural sources, offer music that appeals to a wide spectrum of worshipers, and incorporate technology, even on a limited budget! For pastors, worship teams, Christian Ed and Youth Leaders and anybody who loves to worship God!
J. Enneagram 202 - Whether you have dabbled in Enneagrams before, or just want to go deeper, come to this workshop and explore even deeper what it is and how to incorporate it into your life.