APCE is approaching a milestone. In 2021 APCE will be 50 years old! That calls for a celebration. Since the Annual Event in 2018 the APCE 50th Anniversary Task Force – a dedicated diverse team – has been meeting, dreaming, planning and putting into place a celebration that everyone will want to be part of. Candace Hill, a member of the APCE 50th Anniversary Task Force and Co-Chair of the 2021 Annual Event along with Kirsty Depree, commented recently that what excited her about our plans were “the multiple ways we hope to celebrate what makes APCE unique and relevant for people who have been members for years and for those who are new to the organization.”
That vision is reflected in the theme for the 2021 Annual Event February 3-6 in Chicago – Circle of Faith: 50 years and beyond…. This will be an Annual Event to remember and a special time to reconnect with mentors and friends. So set the dates aside now and make plans to celebrate this milestone with the APCE family. While you are at it do two things. Identify some retired Educators who shaped your ministry and invite them to join you for this special event helping them with funding if needed! And invite a new educator or pastor or valued worker in your church to join you!
We all love a party but a celebration alone just didn’t feel right. After all, we are Educators! So we have planned some other special pieces to our celebration. Through the Advocate in 2020 we will be sharing key milestones along the way that made us who we are today. We are fortunate to have people who were in the trenches as each of these milestones happened to share their memories and give us the real story behind these decisions. As you read these special Advocate articles through the year take note of the ways our connections have enriched, empowered and sustained us in the past and how these past experiences can inform our future.
The task force identified two specific projects to give vision to our future life together. The first is a video history which will be shared at the 2021 Annual Event. Through pictures from our archives stored in Philadelphia and Montreat — what a story they tell — and your cameras and i-Phones, video clips from past events and the APCE storybooth, and the voices of those who went before us we hope to capture the key moments that have shaped us as educators and as a community. Through the help of GNTV we hope to put these gems together in a way that tells our story for years to come so that all can remember those who blazed the trail and catch the vision for the future of a church growing and learning together.
The second project is a Leadership Development Tool titled Widening the Circle: The Future of the Church hosted by Rodger Nishioka that can be used in a variety of settings and will be a gift to all who attend the 2021 Annual Event. The Leadership Development Tool will discuss ways to grow disciples of Jesus Christ who connect, enrich, empower and sustain the body of Christ. The 50th Anniversary Task Force is especially grateful to the APCE Endowment for two major grants that have made these big projects possible.
Our prayer is that this celebration will deepen our connections, enrich our ministry, empower us in new cutting-edge ways so that our ministry will be sustained and God will be glorified. And the church can celebrate the gift that APCE is and has been for 50 years and will continue to be into the future.
If you’d like to contribute some of your photos or videos from previous APCE annual or regional events, you may upload photos to http://bit.ly/APCE50thPhotos and videos to http://bit.ly/APCE50thVideos. Questions or concerns can go to APCE50th@apcenet.org.
I’m so glad for all the work that is being put into the 50th and pray that the conference will be a big success. I will not be there. I attended the event in Denver, thought the speakers were wonderful, but found I had difficult breaking into the already establish groups and relationships.aaYes, there was a welcoming of 1st time attendees, but that’s a tiny step. Then I submitted a proposal to teach a workshop. I never received an acknowledgement of that application. When I inquired about it, I was sent a somewhat terse response. I attended in Little Rock. In one workshop, the speaker was introduced by his first name. I asked if we could have the last name. “No..” I said some of us were relatively new and didn’t know people by their first names. Actually, the people at the table with me were also new. At one plenary, two people wearing red lanyards designated leadership sat to my left. They nodded when they sat down, but kept the conversation to themselves. At one point, the commented was made and affirmed about how much they liked the CE conference because they didn’t like going to conferences with clergy. Well, I am a teaching elder.
I know it’s important to look back and to celebrate relationships. It’s also important to cultivate new relationships, to introduce new pedagogies in workshops, and to look forward by building relationships with newcomers.
Sounds exciting and meaningful. I’ll be 82 in February of 2021. Looking back on ministry in several churches, Mission Presbytery and Synod of the Sun, I anticipate APCE being a driver of educational models that engage all of us in the stories of the “other.” Compassion leading to action will lead us into inspired ministry in our divided world. I just spent a year planning and executing a weekend with John Pavlovitz at Central Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. His message clarified for us that each of us must make the choice between faith and fear amidst the chaos of this time. If one chooses faith, one must step into the chaos knowing the presence of God is a given. Empowerment of educators is imperative.
Hope to be in Chicago
Barbara Lindquist Miller
Certified Educator
Hope to be there and glad to help in any way needed.
Prayers for the Planning Team.
Terry, one of the things the 50th team is committed to is looking to the future and not just looking back. We want to celebrate the past but also look to the future and you are the future! As I attended APCE in Little Rock I found such joy in seeing so many younger individuals who value education and love the church. I am so sorry that your experiences with some attendees has not been positive. I too am a teaching elder and many others in APCE are as well. Over the last ten years APCE has grown through broadening our base and it has enriched our organization in powerful ways. We need to hear from people like you and the leadership of APCE is always listening to what we hear and seeking to improve the experience of all who attend. As the details of the Chicago APCE Annual Event come out I pray you will keep an open mind and consider once again the wealth of knowledge and wisdom that is APCE at its best. For we are excited about the future of educational ministry in the church of Jesus Christ and are committed to teaching new pedagogies and building relationships with a wider group of people.
Blessings on your ministry.
Zeta T. Lamberson
Question: Will either of the videos be ready for the APCE booth at General Assembly? If so, would they also be available for presbyteries to show at their Fall meetings, 2020?