Disciple's Journey 2011
October 28, 2011 at The Cathedral of Saint Andrew
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN!
Disciple's Journey 2011: Born of Water, Born of Spirit
The pilgirmage we have called Disciple's Journey, continues in 2011, as we focus on congregational formation: revitalization, empowerment, affirmation. DJ'11 will take its theme, Born of Water, Born of Spirit, from the book by the same name. We welcome Fredrica Harris Thompsett, co-author of Born of Water, Born of Spirit, as our keynote speaker. The book will be used as a basis for learning and conversation in workshops and small group discussions during DJ'11.
You may have noticed that Born of Water, Born of Spirit, is on Bishop Fitzpatrick's summer reading list. The DJ'11 planning team hopes that everyone participating in DJ'11 will prepare for the program by reading the book ahead of time. Books will be released to each congregation in August, with the request that all participants read it prior to convocation/convention. A short profile of the book can be found below.
DJ'11 is scheduled for Friday, October 28, immediately preceding the Annual Convention of the Diocese at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew. The day will begin in Tenney Theater, with a keynote address at 8:30 a.m., and continue through the day with small group discussions, workshops and additional time with our keynote speaker, Fredrica Harris Thompsett. The convocation will conclude with a reception at 5:00 p.m., prior to the opening Eucharist for the Convention. All members of the Diocese are welcome to attend DJ'11, and every delegate to Diocesan Convention is urged to attend.
Slip into your pilgrimage mindset and begin your preparation for Disciple's Journey 2011!
TO REGISTER, CLICK HERE.
(Registration has been extended to Sunday, October 23, 2011.)
The following profile of the book "Born of Water, Born of Spirit", was prepared by the Chief Editor of the Publisher, The Alban Institute:
Born of Water, Born of Spirit: supporting the Ministry of the Baptized in Small Congregations, by Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook and Fredrica Harris Thompsett
What does the church look like if we take the ministry of the baptized--the priesthood of all believers--seriously? How are congregations transformed when the church supports and affirms the ministry of all the baptized, particularly in small congregations without the means to hire a seminary-trained pastor? And what ecclestial structures and educational models need to emerge in the next decades to assist these small congregations in the recovery of baptismal living--and their own vitality?
Kujawa-Holbrook and Harris Thompsett explore these questions as well as the variety of ways people in small congregations--many with no more than fifty members--are living out their baptism and the impact their actions are having on their congregations, judicatories, and communities, and the institutions that educate clergy. The authors argue that just because a community cannot pay a seminary-trained minister--a growing problem in remote regions--it does not mean that there is no ministry there. It does mean that we need to look at ministry and the church in a more expansive way.
The stories of the congregations revealed in this book serve to inspire us about what is possible when we live intentionally as the reconciling presence of the body of Christ in the world. They also educate us about what will be needed in the years to come to lift up still more small congregations for their work in the larger community.
About the Authors:
Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook is a professor at Claremont School of Theology and the Episcopal Theological School at Claremont. Fredrica Harris Thompsett is professor emerita of Episcopal Divinity School and the school's former academic dean. Together, Sheryl and Fredrica were the directors of the Pastoral Excellence Project at the Episcopal Divinity School, which served as the basis for this book.