Events

Messy Church Information Session

Announcements, Events Published on
November 29, 2022

The Center for Leadership Excellence is hosting a short information session about Messy Church to determine whether to bring Messy Church leaders in for a day-long training…

The tag line for the Messy Church movement is, Church, but not as you know it. If you have attended church for a long time, Messy Church may not look like church to you. At Messy Church, all ages meet together to learn about Christ through games, crafts and activities, music, and storytelling from the Bible. A foundational ingredient of Messy Church is to gather around a table for a snack or meal and build relationships with each other, God, and the world.

Messy Church Information Session
Presented by the Center for Leadership Excellence
with Johannah Myers
Tuesday, January 31, 2023, 1pm – 1:30pm ET

About Johannah Myers

Johannah Myers is the Associate Director of Messy Church USA. She also serves as the Director of Disciple Formation at Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Greenville, SC, where she’s been since 2009. When she’s not leading Bible studies or talking about Messy Church, Johannah can most likely be found watching Duke basketball, planning her next trip, or hanging out with her Great Pyrenees Winifred.

Johannah has a B.A. in Psychology from Furman University and a M.Div from Duke Divinity School. In May 2019, Johannah received her Doctor of Ministry from Wesley Theological Seminary after studying with an international cohort at Wesley House, Cambridge UK. Her doctoral project was called “Practicing Faith Together: Messy Church and Disciple Formation” and focused on inter-generational discipleship.

Preaching Amid Trauma and Change

Announcements, Events Published on
November 18, 2022

The Center For Leadership Excellence presents a webinar with Kimberly R. Wagner…

January 25, 2023 @ 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm

These are challenging times in which to preach and minister. We live in a pandemic-scarred world where communities are being asked to reimagine what it means to be church. Denominational affiliations are shifting, with church members and leaders feeling adrift or in flux. Our news is filled with ongoing stories of mass violence, natural disasters, increased political division, or acts of hate or hurt done one child of God to another. Put simply, it is a challenging time to be in ministry and to proclaim God’s word.

How might we understand these challenging times and respond faithfully and well? In our time together we will consider where we are, how we might respond in the moment, and how we might imagine moving forward with theologically grounded, realistic hope. Thinking about the impact of communal trauma and leaning on wisdom of our biblical ancestors in faith, we will begin to consider what it might mean to proclaim God’s word in these uncertain times when communities (preachers included!) feel unmoored and uncertain about the future.

About Kimberly R. Wagner

The Rev. Dr. Kimberly Wagner serves as the Assistant Professor of Preaching at Princeton Theological Seminary. She received a B.S. in Secondary Life Science Education from Miami University (OH), a M.Div. from the Candler School of Theology at Emory University, and her Ph.D. from the Graduate Division of Religion at Emory University. Though she has served among the Lutherans and was educated among United Methodists, Dr. Wagner is ordained as a Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). Previous experience on the pastoral staff of a PCUSA congregation in Virginia helps fuel and inform her present scholarship and teaching. She is passionate about supporting students’ formation and helping clergy and communities navigate the realities of an ever-changing world and church. Her current writing and work focus on preaching and ministry in the midst and wake of trauma, particularly thinking about collective trauma, the role of the preacher, and the resources of our Scriptures and faith to respond to these moments. Dr. Wagner’s forthcoming book, Fractured Ground: Preaching in the Wake of Mass Trauma (Westminster John Knox Press, 2023), offers guidance for preaching in the aftermath of communal trauma, including mass violence, natural disasters, and public health crises. When not teaching or writing, she enjoys baking, attending Broadway musicals, biking, and long walks with her dog, Toby.

Suicide Prevention – Equipping Faith Leaders

Announcements, Events Published on
November 2, 2022

The Center for Leadership Excellence invites clergy and laity to a free webinar on suicide prevention…

QPR stands for Question, Persuade, and Refer – the 3 simple steps anyone can learn to help save a life from suicide. This popular, evidence-based, nationally recognized training is modified for faith communities using supplementary material from the QPR Institute and can be provided in approximately 90 minutes.

QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer): Suicide Prevention Equipping for Faith Leaders
Presented by the Center for Leadership Excellence
with Justin Powlison
Wednesday, November 16, 12pm–1:30pm

About the Presenter:

The mission of E9:4 is to equip the Christian Church to prevent suicide through training, consulting, and resources. E9:4 was launched in 2022 by Justin Gabriel Powlison, a mental health and suicide prevention expert. Justin has a B.A. in Psychology and M.A. in Pastoral Counseling. He has worked in the Mental Health field since 2006 and has 8+ years of Suicide Intervention and Prevention experience. Justin is a certified Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and Counseling on Access to Lethal Means (CALM) trainer.

The Resistance Continues:

Events Published on
November 1, 2022

An Indigenous Colombian Perspective
with: María Violet Medina Quiscué,

The general coordinator for Committee of Indigenous Peoples Victims of the Armed Conflict in Bogota, a grassroots organization representing 16 Indigenous groups currently living in conditions of forced displacement in the city of Bogota, Colombia.

When: November 8th, 5:30-7:00pm
Where: White Plains UMC
313 SE Maynard Rd. Cary, NC 27511

See the flyer.

Living the Word Ministry Workshops – Nov. 10 and 12

Events Published on
October 24, 2022

Welcome to the new Living the Word Justice and Equity Ministry Network!!

The Aspen Institute recently stated that there is a news and information gap in rural America. The LtW-JE Ministry Eastern NC Network (virtual) helps to fulfill that gap and connect any and all congregations, faith-anchored, and activist community-based organizations that promote justice and equity to one another. The Network will offer resources and information to build the capacity of members to effect community change.

All are welcome to our first free workshop, described below.

Changing the Lens OPTICS

The Science of BIAS and Cultural Intelligence
A Virtual Two-Part Workshop

November 10 (6:30 – 8:30 PM) &
November 12 (9:00 AM – 12:00 PM)

This workshop is designed to examine truth, awaken
empathy, and activate courageous citizenship while
deepening our cross-cultural connection.

Hosted by Living the Word Justice & Equity Ministry, a Lilly Endowment Thriving Congregations Initiative, and the North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church

Register

Changing the Lens OPTICS flyer

Speakers Announced for 2023 5 Day Academy for Spiritual Formation

Announcements, Events Published on
October 17, 2022

The 2023 North Carolina Academy for Spiritual Formation will be held September 24-29, 2023 at Trinity Center in Pine Knoll Shores, NC.

Spirituality: Perspective on its Meaning, its History, its Depth, and its Manifestations today with the various Churches and within World Religions.

Father Ron Rolheiser

What is the language around the word “Spirituality” today and where are various Christian Churches at? Christian Spirituality Today – A Contemporary Synthesis. One Classical Synthesis, John of the Cross, 1542-1591. Christian Spirituality Today – Contemporary tensions and struggles. Christian Spirituality in General in Dialogue with the Great Religious Traditions.

Father Ron Rolheiser Bio

Ronald Rolheiser, is a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate. He is President Emeritus of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas, and a Professor of Spirituality there. He is a community-builder, lecturer, and writer. His books are popular throughout the English-speaking world and have now been translated into many languages. His weekly column is carried by more than 80 newspapers worldwide. Prior to this present position, he taught theology and philosophy at Newman Theological College in
Edmonton, Alberta, for 16 years, served as Provincial Superior of his Oblate Province for six years, and served on the General Council for the Oblates in Rome for six years. He has been at
Oblate School of theology since 2005

He is in demand and well known as speaker. Keeping an active speaking schedule, his retreats and workshops have inspired many. Along with his academic knowledge in systematic theology and philosophy, he has become a popular speaker in the areas of contemporary spirituality and religion and the secularity. Oblate Communications and Franciscan Media have produced 15 DVDs of his retreats that are well loved for both individual and group use.

Prior to this present position, he taught theology and philosophy at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, Alberta, for 16 years, served as Provincial Superior of his Oblate Province for six years, and served on the General Council for the Oblates in Rome for six years. He has been President at Oblate School of theology since 2005.

The New Monasticism

Elaine Heath

This class introduces the theory and practices of the new monasticism, a term coined by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who during WWII wrote that the church of the future had to be a new kind of monasticism which has nothing in common with the old other than a radical commitment to live the Sermon on the Mount. Learn about the importance of a rule of life for a community, rhythms of prayer, work, and rest, the necessity of a missional vision beyond the community, and how new monasticism can revitalize the church in unexpected ways.

Elaine Heath

An Author, speaker, retreat leader, consultant, and Abbess.

I have had an amazing life journey, growing up in poverty with many hard experiences, including having to leave home and find my way when I was a junior in high school. After my children were born I went to college, then seminary, then earned a PhD in theology. I’m ordained in the United Methodist Church, served as a professor for eleven years at Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University, and as Dean and Professor of Missional and Pastoral Theology at Duke Divinity School, Duke University. I retired from Duke to lead Neighborhood Seminary, which I co-founded with several friends.

I live with my spouse at Spring Forest, a new monastic community in rural North Carolina, where along with friends we tend a forest and small farm. Spring Forest supports refugee resettlement through sponsorships and an ESL program. We also donate fresh produce to area food banks, host a range of spiritual formation ministries, children’s programs, and much more. I serve as Abbess for our our gathered and dispersed community. www.springforest.org

Click here to register to attend the 2023 NC 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation.