Come enjoy being a learner rather than the leader in an advanced Bible study of texts from the Gospel according to John. We will use various approaches of interpretation to delve deeper while also benefiting from engaging in contemplative practices and exploring various ways liturgy interprets scripture.
This Bible study continues through four workshop blocks and is designed with seasoned and retired educators/pastors in mind. If you choose this workshop track, you will sign-up for workshop 101 (A block), 301 (C block), 401 (D block), and 501 (E block).

According to current research, 56% of Americans have not communicated their end-of-life wishes to their circle of support. This reality often leads to adverse outcomes at one of life’s most sacred times, including a higher likelihood of dying in a hospital, unwanted and invasive end-of-life treatments, and inadequate pain management throught the dying process. The lack of planning and conversation can also complicate the grieving process and impact spiritual and emotional health. It is important to start the conversation. Yet, the societal focus on the individualist, legalistic, and monetary aspects of advanced care planning is often off-putting to many people of faith. Embracing the process’s spiritual, communal, and cultural elements can offer a new lens through which we can view end-of-life care planning. End-of-life planning can be a life-affirming and generative process that improves our lives in the here and now and for future generations. This workshop will provide tools and resources to transform end-of-life planning into a spiritual practice.

Paracosms are highly detailed, imagined worlds developed by one or more persons and revisited often. The Bronte sisters developed paracosms, and C.S. Lewis and his brother “Warnie” developed a paracosm, complete with a written history and artifacts. They didn’t return to that world after they became adults, but, of course, C.S. Lewis created imagined worlds that many of us have visited on the page and on the screen. Often, paracosms are dismissed as play, but Christians create a paracosm every time we imagine a world where people “come from north and south and east and west and sit at table in the Kingdom of God.” Paracosms can be more than entertainment. They are excellent tools for teaching everything from ethics and theology to the SEL skills that make all of us better citizens in this world. In this workshop we will consider what paracosms are, looking at some of the more famous ones in literature and the arts, as well as the research findings on individuals who develop paracosms. We’ll consider the ways that paracosms can enhance aspects of Christian Education in the church and look at strategies and prompts for helping people (including participants!) develop their own paracosms.

This workshop is a practical primer on how to reengage in meaningful and missional relationship with the neighborhood around your congregation. Many congregations began as neighborhood churches, drawing membership and ministry directly from the community where the church was planted. Over time, members move, and neighborhoods transition. The original connections are often lost, and the church can struggle to re-connect with the new reality in the hood. Rev. Mueller will draw upon over thirty years of experience working in one congregation and neighborhood to reestablish and maintain meaningful and missional relationships that bless the families of the neighborhood and the congregation.

This workshop will introduce participants to the basics of community organizing with the purpose of organizing houses of worship to work together to build a critical mass of buildings and projects to negotiate the best rates and prices for transitioning to renewable energy. The workshop will also include a basic introduction to the Inflation Reduction Act and the Infrastructure Act, which provide non-profits and religious organizations money to do this work. In addition, the workshop will provide a basic introduction to how this work in renewable energy can be a force for outreach in your community. Finally, the workshop will try to include examples of how the principles of community organizing can provide benefits to every area of your ministry, including discipleship and faith formation.

As Christian religious institutions of all sizes and kinds emerge from the shutdowns enforced by the Covid-19 pandemic, many ask, “Where are the young families? What can we do to get them back? Why are they choosing not to come? What are we doing wrong?” All of this is leading to a high level of burnout for lay and ordained leadership. Everyone is looking for answers. This workshop will give some answers to these questions, sharing research conducted with both caregivers and congregational leaders. Data revealed that congregational leaders perceive the lack of engagement from families as a lack of interest at best and, at worst, a devaluing of spirituality and faith over and against other pursuits. However, caregivers revealed that they deeply value spirituality and issues of faith. Current parents are the children of yesterday’s church whose experiences were less than positive and sometimes even hurtful. Today, these parents feel a need to do something different. As a result, they are not disinterested in spirituality. They just aren’t convinced institutionalized forms of instruction and formation are the best choice for their children. Perhaps the isolation of Covid-19, for better or worse, further validated this assumption. How do we bridge the gap? Join us as we consider some potential pathways for congregations looking for new ways to meet the needs of families.

Who is nurturing your young adults in their faith formation when they go off to college or begin a trade? Learn how you can be more engaged in the lives of students during these formative years and commit to investing in these emerging church leaders now. This workshop demystifies young adult faith development and equips local churches to connect with and support young adults in the area. Intentional attention given to the faith formation of people at this integral stage of development helps the individuals to find their place in church and society more readily and to thrive once they are there. It also helps the church to understand what it means to make space for the gifts and wisdom of young adult leaders. This workshop draws on insights from campus ministers, sociologists, and others who work regularly with emerging adults. Among the many topics covered are stages of psychosocial development, stages of faith development, patterns and cycles in young adult life, and a 4-phase process that many young adults experience on their way from the embedded faith handed down to them to the deliberative faith that they claim and practice in their adult life.
Offered in partnership with UKirk Collegiate Ministries.

In our ministries we are seeing more and more students who have ADHD, Dyslexia, and Autism. As a mother of an autistic daughter and a Children’s Director, I am passionate about embracing neurodiversity in the Church. When we create spaces to welcome those on the spectrum of neurodiversity, everyone benefits. We will cover basic tools and strategies in Christian Education for neurodiversity and how to partner with families.

Finding creative ways to engage the community around you though children/youth programming during the year. We will look at some successful programming and ways to leverage the relationships in your community to build a space of safety and comfort for the people who live closest to your church building.

This workshop will both explore the essentials of a faithful sexuality program with youth and create a model plan for each person’s own congregation. Participants will consider research on the positive effects of sexuality education in the church and then will collaborate on ways to integrate this aspect of faithful living into their own faith formation programs. Bring a Bible and something with which to take notes. Play-doh will be provided.
Offered in parternship with the Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association (PYWA).

Presbyterians spend a lot of time and energy onboarding vocational and volunteer ministry leaders – we’re really good at training, credentialing, and orienting folks at the outset of their respective journeys. However, when it comes to “offboarding,” we don’t typically have much strategy or structure in place – which can leave our siblings adrift as they search for their new identity and purpose. In this workshop, we will help you think through the purpose, significance, and usefulness of ministry transitions. We’ll also walk through methods to help you ensure that leaders will “finish well.” (Spoiler Alert: It takes a LOT longer to do it well – and we need to start a LOT earlier – than you might think.)

In Hebrews 12 we read that faith is a lifelong race. Come explore the traditional meaning of the sacraments and how, putting those theological understandings into language children can understand, can create lifelong disciples. When adults and children understand that baptism is our “saying yes” to the race, the Lord’s Supper is the water stations along the way, and the race itself is our struggle to bring justice, inclusion, reconciliation, and hope to the world. We will unpack the theology around the sacraments, explore the meaning and purpose of our Christian call as a group, and collaborate on ways to talk about the sacraments with children.

What would it look like to live in a world where children were able to experience fullness of life in the here-and-now? Drawing on practical work starting the “Children’s Garden Collective” in Hamilton, Ontario, I will offer insights into what it looks like to minister with children in the context of an urban garden. Gardening as a spiritual practice with children not only increases their resilience potential, but also lays the groundwork for a robust spirituality which might continue into adulthood. This workshop will consider psychological resilience and children’s spirituality in the context of the garden. Additionally, it will cover how food insecurity in urban communities threatens child well-being and calls for the church’s response. This interactive workshop will bring together theoretical insights rooted in real ministry practice and teach others to use gardening as a spiritual practice with children. Participants will come away with the tools necessary to start children’s gardens in their own ministry contexts and the insights to promote outdoor children’s ministry as a sustainable opportunity for local churches to connect with their communities and the planet.

Are you thirsty for time for your soul? Are you seeking space and time to prepare your heart and your hands for leading others through the season of Lent? Then come participate in an interactive art experience. Visio Divina is a spiritual practice of sacred seeing. It invites us to see with our hands, our eyes, and our spirits what God is saying to us, what God invites us to be doing in this world. Our souls are quenched, our thirsts are satisfied when we spend time with biblical texts, engaging texts with our heads, our hearts and our creative spirits. In this workshop you’ll have a chance to sit with and respond to psalms that are read during the five weeks of Lent. Each psalm will be engaged using a variety of materials including fiber, paper, paint, beading, stitching, and simple weaving. Yes, you should come if your soul is parched. Yes, you should come if your soul needs nourishment so you can nourish others during Lent. Yes, you should come if getting messy and creative with art is what you love. Yes, you should come if you are terrified of engaging in media with which you are not familiar. Come and be refreshed!

We all thirst to be closer to God. One way to satisfy this thirst is to find ways that connect us to God through spiritual practices that we enjoy doing. Spirituality Centers are wonderful at retreats, APCE Conferences, and other special settings. But, we do not always have a Spirituality Center in our church. They do not have to be a huge expense or elaborate – they just need to be meaningful. This workshop will allow participants to learn a few simple exercises that can be used in your ministry setting. Instructions for a variety of centers for your own ministry will be included. Following this workshop, you will be equipped to return home and set up a Spirituality Center for your congregation to experience. Come prepared to experience new ways to quench your spiritual thirst for you and your ministry.

The Assoication of United Church Educators (AUCE) Board of Directors will share projections of upcoming trends in faith formation. The AUCE Board has been tracking community (as faith formation), inter-generational practices, and increasing call for lay training, because these have growing trends in the UCC; these will likely be keystones. After sharing reflections from AUCE Board members, we’ll facilitate a forum.

We’re gathering in-person again, but as we move further away from the pandemic, do our gatherings feel different? Should they feel different, or is getting together like we used to the goal? In her book, The Art of Gathering: How We Meet and Why it Matters, Priya Parker challenges us to reconsider the whys and hows of getting people together. While not written specifically for church leaders, Parker has much to offer us as we invite people to deepen their relationships with Christ and with others. If you are thirsty for gathering that matters, and if you’re responsible for gathering people who matter, join us as we apply Parker’s work to our own contexts. While not required, participants who have read Parker’s book before the Annual Event will get the most out of our time together.

We are all seeking a place to belong and be seen fully and authentically. Too often, church workers are overwhelmed by the demands on their time and the complexities of working within an ever-changing social, political, and ecclesiastical landscape. Dr. Sarah Leer (she/her), an educator, former youth worker, and practical theologian will invite youth workers, educators, and pastors to engage in practical conversations of affirmation and belonging through the lens of abundance. We will discuss safe and brave spaces, LGBTQIA+ affirming terminology, and resources to affirm and celebrate LGBTQIA+ people in our midst. She will discuss ways adults can share power with youth and young adults with intentionality in order to increase belonging in faith communities. Sarah believes transformation comes from engaging discussion, creativity, collaboration, and vulnerability. She believes conferences like the APCE Annual Event provide rich opportunities for deep theological discussion and opportunities to learn together. This workshop will create a space to learn together while also equipping participants with tools/resources/frameworks to deepen/ express belonging in their spaces and institutions.

Running a successful youth ministry takes a lot of planning and organizing! There are forms, procedures, policies, and flyers needed for everything. What if all of that was right at your finger tips? We’ve created Youth Ministry in a Box: everything you need for a year of youth ministry. This workshop is designed to help you start your year off right: analyze what you already have and what you’re missing, then imagine how these tools can strengthen your ministry. We hope this will save you time, so you can focus on the relational aspects with your youth and families! You get to take home your “box” too!
Offered in partnership wwith the Presbyterian Youth Workers’ Association (PYWA).