Workshop One

Friday April 11, 2008 - 11:00 am to 12:30 pm

A Word of the Heart: Journaling for Personal Formation & Effective Ministry - Major JoAnn Shade, The Salvation Army
This workshop will explore the use of writing in the clergywoman's personal spiritual formation, as well as in her work within the congregation and in individual counseling settings. It will also present the concept of a directed journal in order to provide structure to the writing experience.

Prayer and Personality - Rev. Cathy Callahan-Howell, Free Methodist Church
Have you ever felt frustrated that you can?t pray ?like everybody else?? In this workshop we will look at each participant?s Myers Briggs personality profile and how that affects prayer life. Exercises will be offered as examples of what types of prayer are most beneficial for your personality, as well as how to stretch by using the more difficult types of prayer for your personality to gain a deeper understanding of God.

Exploring Spiritual Formation through our Family of Origin - Rev. Sharon Bryson, Free Methodist Church
Description TBD

Biblical Foundations for Women in Ministry - Presenter, Commissioner Ken Baillie, The Salvation Army and Moderator, Commissioner Joy Baillie, The Salvation Army
What does the Bible really say about women in ministry? Are men and women equally gifted and enlisted? This workshop will explore concepts of calling, gifting and empowering which are neutral about gender and faithful to Scripture.

God's Story: Losing the Forest for the Trees - Rev. Dr. Sharon Clark Pearson, Church of God
Interpretation of Biblical Narratives (Gospels and Acts) requires discovering the author's intent. Consistency in presentation is the clue. Explore Luke and Acts to discover why there is so much confusion and disagreement in interpretation of these books of the Bible. PowerPoint presentation will help you walk away with the big picture!

Ethics and Social Work Ministries - Major Dorine Foreman, The Salvation Army
This workshop will focus on ethics and social holiness. We will consider how ministry and social ministries draw on ethical behaviors from key helping disciplines, providing safe guards for well-doing.

Good Grief! Transforming Grief into Gifted Ministry - Rev. Marty Cramer, Church of God
Our transitions, losses and hurts shape who we are as women and as ministers. How and why do we grieve, and how do we allow our stories of loss to be transformed into stories of life? This workshop addresses how God's healing presence in our own circumstances can prepare us to be better ministers and pastoral caregivers, as we acknowledge that in all things - even our hurts - God works for the good of those who love Him.

God is that You? Confirming & Living Out God's Call - Rev. Darlene Teague, The Wesleyan Church
How can I be sure God is calling me to ministry? What if I’m in ministry and sense God is calling me to a new location or new type of service? Does God quit calling me? We’ll explore these questions by looking into the Word and sharing our experiences. We will focus on ourselves in this setting so that when we return home we will have more confidence to confirm God’s call to other people.

Godly Play - Pastor Caryl Menkhus, Evangelical Friends
Most of our scripture is narrative. We will explore the power of narrative and how story can provide a language for us to name and wrestle with and make meaning of our story. Our task as clergy is not to tell listeners what we think they should hear but to simply provide access to God's story and create a way for their own experience of God to be explored and valued.

Has God Left the Church Building: A Panel Discussion - Moderator, Jennifer Smith, Church of God
Christians are supposed to represent Christ to the world. But according to recent reports something has gone terribly wrong. Young Americans are using words like "hypocritical," "insensitive," and "judgmental" to describe their impressions of Christians. These words are nothing short of unchristian.

This panel discussion will address why these negative perceptions exist, ways to positively reverse them in a Christ-like manner and consider examples of how Christians can positively contribute to culture.