We’re pleased to bring you several featured seminar presenters from beyond our church who bring special expertise we think you’ll find valuable. These are 90-minute seminars designed to go deeper into topics that are relevant to our discipleship and witness.
Osheta Moore
Wednesday, July 3, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Shalom Sistas: Everyday peacemaking for ordinary women
We love God’s dream of shalom — for a world that is whole, vibrant and flourishing. But honestly, who’s got the time? In this session, women of all ages will explore the “Shalom Sistas Manifesto,” 12 points of the practices of everyday peacemaking that invite us to live fully the radical peace of Jesus in our ordinary lives. Come and learn how you too can be a “Shalom Sista,” a woman who loves people, follows the Prince of Peace, and never gives up her sass.
Osheta Moore is the author of Shalom Sistas (Herald Press 2017). She is a podcaster, mother, and wife in Saint Paul, Minnesota. She is the outreach and teaching pastor at Woodland Hills.
Josh Packard
Wednesday, July 3, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Here is the Church, Here is the Steeple … but where are all the people? Understanding the shifting religious landscape
We have all seen the numbers about religious disengagement. They’re alarming and concerning. Too often, however, we don’t approach these numbers with the appropriate context. In this presentation, Dr. Josh Packard, director of The Dechurched Project, combines original research from his book, Church Refugees, to help shift perspectives to understand religious disengagement accurately so we can craft solutions that work.
Josh Packard, PhD, is a sociologist, professor and researcher at the University of Northern Colorado, where he serves as the executive director of the Social Research Lab.
Jen Guerra Aldana
Thursday, July 4, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Iglesias que Rejuvenecen: 6 Claves para trabajar con los jovenes Latinos
En Fuller Youth Institute, creemos en la iglesia y creemos en los jóvenes. Las estadísticas nos dicen que la mayoría de jóvenes dejan la iglesia después de la edad de 18 años. Como no estábamos conformes con esa realidad, emprendimos una jornada de investigación que nos llevo 4 años para identificar las iglesias que están rejuveneciendo al ministrar a jóvenes entre los 19-30 años. Lo que descubrimos en nuestro estudio fue publicado en el libro Growing Young. Te invitamos a que vengas a aprender las estrategias que toda iglesia Latina necesita considerar para alcanzar la siguiente generación de jóvenes.
Friday, July 5, 2:45 p.m.
Growing Young: Six Core Commitments Needed to Engage with Young People
Churches are losing both members and vitality as increasing numbers of young people disengage. Based on groundbreaking research with over 250 of the nation’s leading congregations, Growing Young provides a strategy any church can use to involve and retain teenagers and young adults. It profiles innovative churches that are engaging 15 to 29-year-olds and as a result, are growing — spiritually, emotionally, missionally and numerically. Packed with both research and practical ideas, Growing Young shows pastors and ministry leaders how to position their churches to engage younger generations in a way that breathes vitality, life and energy into the whole church.
Jen Guerra Aldana is the director of multicultural initiatives at Fuller Youth Institute and a pastor of La Fuente Ministries, a bilingual, intercultural ministry of Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene.
Tom Yoder Neufeld
Thursday, July 4, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
Forbearance: Suffering, patient and hopeful love
Some are suspicious that forbearance is a fancy term for tolerating what is indefensible, while others see its value precisely in relation to inclusion and tolerance. Others suspect it as buying time or delaying making hard decisions. But there are those who see forbearance as core to relationships within the body of Christ. In this seminar we will explore forbearance biblically, and we will discover that it requires of us every ounce of faith, hope and love. It demands a radical commitment to peace, only now within the family of faith. Forbearance is nothing other than suffering each other in hope, the exercise of patient love.
Tom Yoder Neufeld Tom is Professor Emeritus of Religious Studies (New Testament), at Conrad Grebel University College at the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada.
Crystal Joseph
Thursday, July 4, 4:00-5:30 p.m.
The ABCs of RST — Assessing Behaviors of the Church as it relates to Recovery, Sexual Abuse and Trauma
This interactive seminar will examine the role of the church and its congregants in relation to recovery and healing from sexual abuse and traumas. Exploration of trauma categories, appropriate interventions and assessment of symptoms will be provided in a didactic fashion. Participants will be able to define abuse and trauma; give examples of the developmental impact of sexual abuse and traumas; and, recognize referral sources in the community. Disclaimer: This seminar may address triggering topics. The content discussed in this seminar is not reflective of the values and beliefs held by Mennonite Church USA. PsycYourMind Consulting, LLC remains responsible for programmatic content.
Crystal Joseph is a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the State of Maryland and the Commonwealth of Virginia. She is a Board-Certified Case Manager and an Approved Clinical Supervisor in both Maryland and Virginia.
Crystal Washington
Friday, July 5, 4:00-5:30pm
Master Fun Digital Tools
Social media, smartphones and the web have made connecting with humans all over the world easier than ever before. In this hands-on session, technology strategist and futurist Crystal Washington will show you how to leverage technology tools create deeper connections, build bridges, and be of service.
Crystal Washington is a technology strategist and certified futurist who works with organizations that want to leverage technology to increase profits and productivity.