Spiritual practices and tools for developing resilience are the focus of the annual School for Leadership Training at Eastern Mennonite Seminary Jan. 18-20, 2016.
“When we spoke to church leaders about what they really needed at this moment, many talked about being overwhelmed,” said Linda Alley, director of School for Leadership Training. “Division and contentious issues inside and outside the church made leaders feel like they were in an endless desert. They longed for an oasis, a place of rest and re-learning those practices that bring healing and hope.”
The three-day conference includes two plenary sessions, seminars, worship and fellowship opportunities.
Presenters include plenary speakers Rev. Elizabeth Myer Boulton and Rev. Dr. Matthew Myer Boulton, ministers in the Disciples of Christ denomination, who use multimedia to speak about the seasons of repentance and seasons of celebration.
Elizabeth is president and director of the non-profit SALT Project, dedicated to reclaiming and sharing the beauty of Christian life through film, photography, music, poetry, and ideas. Matthew is the president of Christian Theological Seminary, and was most recently associate professor of ministry studies at Harvard Divinity School.
Highlights from the seminar sessions include the learning about the Love Feast with Paul Stutzman, pastor of Fraternity Church of the Brethren; the eightfold spiritual path, with Gordon Houser, editor of The Mennonite; music in liturgy, with Seth Crissman and Greg Yoder, of The Walking Roots Band; and vulnerability and leadership, with EMU’s Vice President of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies Jim Smucker and Ann Hershberger, professor of nursing.
Registration for School for Leadership training is available online or by contacting Linda Alley, at Eastern Mennonite Seminary at 540-432-4698 or alleyl@emu.edu. Cost is $235 before Jan. 8, and $265 after Jan. 8. To register or for more information visit www.emu.edu/seminary/slt