Description
Discernment is a tool we can use in pivotable moments in our life. How often have you just wanted to know what the best option or decision was? Perhaps you have prayed for that burning bush: a clear sign of God, God’s will, or the right decision and never saw it. Could it be that instead of a burning bush you were given a whisper, and just didn’t realize it at the time? Learn how to foster conversations of discernment individually or as a community, to help us understand what questions to ask and what to do with the answers. In this workshop we will explore moments of discernment, and how to accompany our loved ones and parishioners in fostering these important conversations. As an organization that accompanies young adults in such a formative chapter in a young person’s life, UKirk (PCUSA collegiate campus ministry network) has spent years partnering with invaluable communities in our denomination and beyond, collecting incredible tools for discernment to use in campus ministries and churches! This workshop will explore these tools and provide resources for deeper exploration of discernment.
Workshop Leader: Rev Zoe Garry
Zoë Garry is the new Associate Director for Theological Funds Development at the Presbyterian Foundation. Zoë is an ordained minister in the PC(USA) and a graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary with a concentration in Women, Gender, and Theology. With over 12 years of experience in education, Zoë has worked in academia both in the United States and abroad. Her most notable experiences in higher education were with Princeton University’s Office of Religious Life, Princeton Theological Seminary’s Women’s Center, and Bangla Language Institute in Dhaka, Bangladesh where she was 1 of 12 Americans awarded a Critical Language Scholarship, as well as working in ministries in the West Bank, Jordan, and Nepal. Zoë received her Religious Fundraising Certificate from the Lake Institute in September 2023. She lives in Cleveland with her spouse and two Russian Blues.
Co-Leader: Gini Norris-Lane
Rev. Virginia “Gini” Norris-Lane became the executive director of UKirk in July, 2019, after having previously served as campus minister at Schreiner University in Kerrville, TX from 2005-2019. She holds degrees from Temple Junior College (AA), Baylor University (BS in Education), and Austin Theological Seminary (MDiv). She is currently working on her DMin at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. She has been ordained in the PC(USA) since 1999. In addition to coordinating a grant for the PC(USA) from the Lilly Endowment prior to her career in campus ministry, she served congregations in San Antonio, TX, and Conyers, GA. From January, 2021 to August, 2023, she also served as the part-time stated supply pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Uvalde, Texas.