The Part-time Pastor; Full-time Church program of the Church of the Brethren Office of Ministry is offering a book study on Flourishing in Ministry: How to Cultivate Clergy Wellbeing by Matt Bloom. The online event is planned once a week from Jan. 4 to March 3, 2022, on Tuesday evenings at 7 p.m. (Eastern time). Continuing education units are available.
In 2020, MSS was held online due to the COVID pandemic. In 2021, as the pandemic continued and MSS applications declined further, the program took a sabbath rest. Facing a third summer of pandemic-affected program, as well as the long-term trends, 2022 will provide a chance to listen. Instead of moving ahead with the program or taking another sabbath, the future of the program will be intentionally considered.
As the seasons of the year turn, we also turn to our upcoming continuing education offerings. While we certainly hoped the pandemic would be greatly diminished by now, we still find ourselves watching carefully and planning with caution. Please note the method of delivery for each event: one is in person, one is via Zoom, and one is hybrid giving both options (attending in person or via Zoom). Registration is open for all the events described below.
Save the date for Earlham School of Religion’s annual Writing Colloquium, to be held this year online on Oct. 23-24. This year’s theme is “Grace, Play, and Delight.” The Writing Colloquium is co-sponsored by Bethany Theological Seminary and it supports the writing and work of the joint Master of Arts in Theopoetics and Writing that is offered by both institutions. The event is free, but donations are encouraged.
Janelle Bitikofer’s June webinar, “Providing Mutual Support when People Are Experiencing Mental Illness,” was so engaging, and viewers had so many questions, that we will be offering a part two. In this continued conversation, we’ll discuss practical ways for congregations to engage in mutual care.
The Ventures in Christian Discipleship program at McPherson (Kan.) College begins its 2021-2022 season with an evening course on “Christ, Culture, and God-talk for the Coming Church.” The course will be held online on Tuesday, Sept. 14, at 5:30-7:30 p.m. (Central time) presented by Scott Holland of the Bethany Seminary faculty.
“Discipling Our Imagination: Interrupting Our Biases” is a new online formation experience offered by the Church of the Brethren’s Discipleship Ministries in partnership with Diversity 2 Inclusion. The experience is offered as online workshops or webinars at 7-9 p.m. (Eastern time) on Aug. 24 and 31 and Sept. 7. Credentialed ministers may earn 0.6 continuing education units through the Brethren Academy for Ministerial Leadership. The registration fee is $100.
The Annual Conference office is co-sponsoring two online workshops offered by Womaen’s Caucus on the theme “Equipping for Leadership.” All are invited to join! The first webinar titled “Leadership in the Church of the Brethren” will be held on Tuesday, Aug. 24, at 8 p.m. (Eastern time) via Zoom. The Zoom link will be sent out in August.
Children’s Disaster Services (CDS) is announcing its first volunteer training workshops since pandemic restrictions started last year. At this time, three events have been announced:
Brethren Volunteer Service (BVS) is starting in-person training again with the summer orientation for Unit 329, gathering at Inspiration Hills Camp in Burbank, Ohio. Six volunteers are expected to take part.
