January 30-31, 2009
with extended LifeCycles training through February 1
Come for ministry tools you can use right away! This conference will be an entirely practical immersion in the best of small-group ministry practice. We'll learn about (and experience) Covenant Groups, EfM, Renovaré Spiritual Formation, Group Spiritual Direction, Circles of Trust, Listening Hearts groups and more. Renovaré President Chris Webb, retired Episcopal Divinity School professor Frederica Harris Thompsett, and Suzanne Farnham of Listening Hearts, and founder of Relationship Impact Kevin Phillips will be some of the many guest speakers.
This conference is sponsored by Province VIII and the Episcopal Diocese of California, and will be hosted at the Church Divinity School of the Pacific (CDSP) in Berkeley, California.
Conference Schedule
Friday, January 30, 2009
7:00-9:00 p.m.
Conference Eucharist with Chris Webb (Renovaré) preaching and the Rt. Rev. Steven Charleston presiding
Saturday, January 31, 2009
9:00-10:00 a.m. Opening worship, welcome from the Rt. Rev. Marc Handley Andrus
Plenary I: Baptismally-grounded Small Group Ministry (Fredrica Harris Thompsett)
10:00-11:00 Small Group Breakout Session I
11:00-11:20 Plenary II: Small Group Ministry as Discernment (Suzanne Farnham)
11:20-12:20 Small Group Breakout Session II
12:20-1:20 Lunch
1:20-1:40 Plenary III: Small Group Ministry as Congregational Development (Kevin Phillips)
1:40-2:40 Small Group Breakout Session III
2:40-3:40 Panel Discussion on Best Practices in Small Group Ministry
3:40-4:00 Closing Worship
LifeCycles Companion mentor training will take place:
January 30: 2:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
January 31: 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
February 1: 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Conference cost of $50 to $75 includes all conference materials and Saturday lunch. Overnight accommodations are not included. To book a guest room on the CDSP campus, please contact Caleigh Furlong, 510.204.0732, cfurlong@cdsp.edu.
LifeCycles Companion Mentor Training costs $125 and includes four meals and admission to the Friday night and Saturday morning conference sessions.
Keynote Speakers
Chris Webb is the recently appointed President of RENOVARÉ. He graduated from the University of Wales and received his theological training from Trinity College in Bristol, England. He has served as an Anglican Vicar in various churches in Wales and held several administrative posts including serving in the office of Rowan Williams who is now the Archbishop of Canterbury. Chris, his wife Sally, and their four children live in Castle Rock, Colorado.
Dr. Fredrica Harris Thompsett is a teacher and scholar of Anglican church history, theology, and baptismal ministry development whose current title is Mary Wolfe Professor Emerita of Historical Theology at the Episcopal Divinity School (EDS) in Cambridge, Massachusetts where she has taught for over 25 years. She is perhaps best known for her 1989 publication, republished as a Seabury Classic in 2003, We Are Theologians. Dr. Thompsett's most recent book is Confronted by God, The Essential Verna Dozier (edited with Cynthia Shattuck in 2006); she has also co-edited with Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook a volume on Episcopal women, Deeper Joy: Laywomen and Vocation in the 20th Century Episcopal Church (2004). Another volume, Living with History (Cowley Publications, 2000), is part of the New Church's Teaching Series. She is a recent member of the Episcopal Church’s Standing Commission on Lifelong Christian Education and Formation. An experienced educator, Fredrica is a longtime advocate for the ministry of laity and clergy and she is currently working on a book focusing baptism and ecology, Holy Water. With Sheryl Kujawa-Holbrook, she will soon publish Born of Water, Born of Spirit: Shared Leadership in Small Vital Parishes. She is widely sought after as a conference and retreat leader, speaker, and preacher.
Suzanne Farnham, the founder of Listening Hearts Ministries, continues as Program Director and spiritual leader of the organization. For a number of years, she served as Executive Director, relinquishing those duties in 2002 to focus her energy toward expanding programs. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees since the organization's inception and also serves on the Board's Executive Committee.
Suzanne developed the "Listening Hearts", "Grounded in God", and "Opening the Ear of Your Heart" training programs and continues to design training formats, retreats and workshops based on these programs. She is a popular and sought-after inspirational leader, who continues to play an active role in leading programs across the country.
Suzanne is co-author of Listening Hearts: Discerning Call in Community and Grounded in God: Listening Hearts Discernment for Group Deliberations and Manual for Discussion Leaders. She co-edited the Listening Hearts Songbook and is the author of Listening Hearts Retreat Designs and Meditation Exercises.
Suzanne was born in Georgia but grew up in New York State. She is a graduate of Sweet Briar College. She is married to The Rev. F. Lyman (Barney) Farnham. It was while Barney was the Rector at Memorial Episcopal Church in Baltimore that Suzanne began the process that led to the creation of the book, Listening Hearts. They have four children and ten grandchildren.
Kevin Phillips is the former Rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, in the Diocese of El Camino Real, and St. David’s Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia. Currently Kevin is founder of Relationship Impact, a resource for business and non-profit organizations who value the power of community. He is currently working on a book that explores the role five values play in the formation of community.
Directions to CDSP
CAR Exit Interstate 80 on University Avenue. Follow University to end and turn left onto Oxford. At the second set of lights, turn right onto Hearst. Turn left onto Euclid, where you will see small shops and restaurants on both sides of the street. Take your next left onto Ridge Rd. CDSP is located on the corner of Ridge and Euclid. If you have made prior arrangements for access to the CDSP parking lot, take the second left off Euclid onto LeConte, and the entrance to the parking lot is the first driveway on the left.
BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Exit Berkeley station, take #65 bus to Euclid and LeConte. CDSP is located on the corner of Ridge (next street over from LeConte) and Euclid.
AIRPORTS Use ground transportation—BayPorter Express, Airport Connections, Bay Area Shuttle.
For more information contact Julia McCray-Goldsmith at 415.869.7826, juliam@diocal.org.
January 30, 2009, 7:00 pm
through
January 31, 2009, 4:00 pm
Church Divinity School of the Pacific 2451 Ridge Road Berkeley, CA94709 United States
Kevin Phillips is the former Rector of St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, in the Diocese of El Camino Real, and St. David’s Episcopal Church in the Diocese of Virginia. Currently Kevin is founder of Relationship Impact, a resource for business and non-profit organizations who value the power of community. He is currently working on a book that explores the role five values play in the formation of community.
