Focus on Workshops
Each week, we will highlight some of the wonderful workshops we will have at that 2016 National Gathering in Atlanta February 22-24. Check out all of the workshop offerings here.
f3 Men’s Bootcamp
Special morning event: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday 7:30-8:15 am
f3 is a growing ministry for men in communities throughout the country. The three f’s stand for fitness, fellowship and faith. It is a non-denominational, cost-free community that individuals can create in their towns. It has served to reach unchurched and churched men who need any of the three elements in their life. It is a good avenue back into church and has proven to change lives. Come ready to workout!
Kyle Hite is the Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Greenwood, South Carolina. He uses his certification by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM) to help people live a healthier lifestyle.
Arts & Worship
Offered Monday in Workshop Block 1 and Tuesday in Workshop Block 2
Come explore visual and creative possibilities for worship. This workshop dives into ways worship can nourish our visual and kinesthetic sensibilities, and how congregations can explore theological themes artfully on a low budget. Participants will create art that will become part of the visual installations for the conference. All are welcome, especially those who proclaim they have no “artistic” abilities.
Lisle Gwynn Garrity is a recent graduate of Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta. As a “pastorist” (pastor/artist), she uses visual art to help churches explore and express faith. Learn more at www.sanctifiedart.com or www.facebook.com/sanctifiedart.
Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love
Offered Tuesday in Workshop Block 2
Conflict has always been a part of religious communities. It is something every congregation, whether just beginning or centuries into its life, experiences. These disagreements can be forces for creation or destruction and navigating that balance is challenging. Come hear about strategies to disagree in love and to join in conversation about how conflict is changing and how we can, as a community of faith, creatively address it in our different contexts.
Andrew Plocher is the new pastor of Grace Lutheran Church in Gwinn, Michigan, and a minister member of National Capital Presbytery. He has a decade of experience working with conflicted congregations and non-profit organizations. He is also working on finishing his D.Min. in pastoral counseling at Louisville Seminary.