Workshops

Birdie Blake-Reid, Sherri Dietrich, Sandra Squires – (Marks 1, 2)

Training for New UTO Coordinators/Organizers and Updates for Continuing Coordinators/Organizers

This workshop will target the skills needed to serve as new UTO coordinators, share experiences of veteran coordinators and provide information about how to set up a screening committee for grant applications.

Cai Armstrong – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The Church Periodical Club is an independent, affiliated organization of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, dedicated to the worldwide Ministry of the Printed Word and to the Promotion of Christian Mission. It is the only organization in the Episcopal Church dedicated solely to providing free literature and related materials, both religious and secular, to people all over the world who need and request them and who have no other source for obtaining them. Prayer Books and books for seminarians help them proclaim the good news of the kingdom; educational materials help teach, baptize and nurture believers; medical textbooks, agricultural manuals and books for those in local and global mission help us respond to human need by loving service. The “Using printed materials to achieve the Marks of Mission” workshop will encourage participants to included printed materials in provincial, diocesan and parish ministries and missions. The goal is to celebrate and support the prayerful concern, time, talents, labor and money of those who believe in the Ministry of the Printed Word as a tool for the Five Marks of Mission.

The Rev. Rowena Kemp and Catherine Sopko – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

An ECW Workshop presented by Girls’ Friendly Society – A National Episcopal Organization for girls age 5 and up

The Girls’ Friendly Society (GFS) empowers and mentors girls in their church and community to commit to the Five Marks of Mission. The final words of the GFS promise says it all; I promise to make the world a better place to live. Come and learn about the resources and network of GFS, which fosters mission-oriented youth through service projects, Bible study, and spiritual development. The Rev. Rowena Kemp, chaplain to GFS-USA, and “Cat” Sopko, a lifelong GFS member, will share how GFS empowers girls to be active, faith-filled Christians.

Kathy Mank and Heather Melton – (Marks 1, 2)

This interactive workshop will focus on best financial practices related to UTO for parishes and dioceses. We’ll discuss all of the rules for safeguarding the Ingathering and those that count and collect it. We’ll also share ideas for how to integrate UTO into the life of the parish from an innovative approach to combining UTO with a stewardship campaign, to using UTO as a part of parish meetings and then how to integrate UTO into your parish faith formation programs.

Together we’ll explore:

• best financial practices for counting, reporting, and handling UTO Ingathering funds at the parish or diocesan level;
• how to access annual reports on Ingathering amounts, how to acknowledge donations, and how to update UTO staff on parish participation;
• the difference between giving to the Memorial Trust Fund and giving to Ingathering and what each supports;
• how UTO and annual stewardship campaigns can go hand in hand;
• how teaching gratitude increases generosity and can change the dynamics of your congregational life; and
• ideas for teaching gratitude to different age groups or how UTO can be used for intergenerational gatherings through Faith Formation or annual events.

Chad Brinkman, Caitlyn Darnell, Joyce Landers, Sean McConnell, Melanie Mullen – (Marks 3, 4, 5)

Introduction to Asset Based Community Development (ABCD), overview of how to apply for UTO funding and how UTO supports innovative Mission and Ministry Projects throughout the Church.

Join us for this two-part workshop that gives an Introduction to Asset Based Community Development (ABCD) and overview of the United Thank Offering (UTO) Grant Processes and how UTO supports innovative Mission and Ministry Projects throughout the Church.

First Part: Asset Based Community Development

• Join staff from Episcopal Relief & Development and the Presiding Bishop’s Director for Reconciliation, Justice and Creation Care to learn the basic tenets of ABCD, why it matters and how it can change the life of your congregation and community.
• Share ideas, learn about the asset map and how you can sign up to attend an ABCD training weekend.

Second Part: UTO Grants: Funding Innovative Mission and Ministry

• The second half of the session will focus on how to apply for grants from UTO, including:
  • Following the UTO calendar and the different types of grants available;
  • Determining the Focus and Criteria for UTO grants, what these terms mean and why they are important;
  • Learning what support the UTO Staff and Board offer to applicants throughout the process; and
  • Identifying best practices for writing grant applications.

Additionally, this workshop will feature examples of past UTO Grant recipients who utilized ABCD as the foundation for their grant application and project.

The Rev. Gena Davis – (Marks 1, 4, 5)

• To proclaim the good news of the Kingdom
• To respond to human need by loving service
• To strive to safeguard the integrity of creation and sustain and renew the life of the earth

Gentle morning yoga at the start of our day will bring us a deeper connection with ourselves, and as we come to know ourselves more fully, we gain the capacity to go deeper in the love that Jesus imparts to us and to become that same love for others. We center in the body and in the awareness of the Holy Spirit within, awakening to great care and nurture for the creation that we are, so that we can love our neighbors as ourselves–more fully, more completely, more mindfully. Come and be nourished to do the work God has given you to do!

 Kay Lindahl (Spanish/English) – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

Are you listening? Are you really listening? These are important questions for our time and critical questions to explore as we live into the Five Marks of Mission. One of the key guidelines for effective communication, building relationships, and creating partnerships is to speak and listen with respect. Most of us have some idea of what it means to speak with respect, and we often prepare with that in mind. What does it mean to listen with respect and how do we prepare to do that? How can the way we listen impact our dialogue? This workshop will explore the sacred nature of listening and spiritual practices that support becoming a listening presence, a way of being in which stillness and attentiveness provide the space for people to speak authentically and know they are being heard. It is from this place that we can listen across diverse backgrounds, cultures, and belief systems. Once we experience listening as a sacred art and a spiritual practice we find it transforms all of our relationships, nurtures our inner voices and inspires our spiritual growth. When we understand the sacred aspect of listening we become aware that it is a key to communication in our global community.

 Bill Slocumb and Ashley Graham-Wilcox – (Marks 3, 5)

The Marks of Mission in Action at Retreat & Conference Centers

Episcopal camps are much more than places of formation for youth. Throughout the year, they are the front line of welcome to the Episcopal Church for thousands, and places where the marks of mission are in action through holy hospitality and nature-based programming.

Learn about the evolving programs and facilities of Episcopal camps and retreat centers, and discover and discuss how they practice sustainability and welcome, from agricultural projects through military family camps, and applicable lessons for your congregation, organization, or community to live into these marks of mission.

The Rev. Yamily Bass-Choate (Spanish) – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

El fundador del metodismo, John Wesley, dijo: “Veo a todo el mundo como mi parroquia”. Imagínese si más personas vivieran y acataran esas palabras. ¿Qué significa para el mundo ser tu parroquia? ¿Cómo se vería en tu vida? ¿Como lo comunicarías al mundo?

La misión trae una abundante fuente de inspiración para nuestra vida espiritual. Embárcate en un viaje al paisaje de nuestro bautismo mejorando nuestro mundo y profundizando nuestra fe descubriendo las promesas del Evangelio … ”

Durante este taller, las participantes explorarán y compartirán sus propias historias y sus opiniones sobre la misión. Las participantes explorarán el texto bíblico y harán un llamado a la misión: explorarán y comunicarán las señales de compromiso de ECW: ir, compartir, proclamar, comunicar, todos los días, en todas partes, los dones del Espíritu.

• ¿Sus esfuerzos se caracterizan por la humildad?
• ¿Estás siendo guiado por la gloria del Evangelio, enseñado y modelado por tu sacerdote y tus ancianos?
• ¿Son profundas y significativas tus relaciones con los trabajadores extranjeros?
• ¿Estás dispuesto a comprometerte para el largo recorrido?
• ¿Sus miembros conocen personalmente a aquellos con quienes se quiere asociar?
• ¿Y está esperando, rezando, y trabajando para producir trabajadores de larga duración de su propio rango para unirse al trabajo?

Linda Patterson – (Mark 1)

Join Linda Patterson in a rehearsal of music for the Closing Service. Whether you’re just going to sing the melody or harmonize with descants, there is a place for you to learn as we prepare for the Closing Eucharist. Singers of all ability levels are welcome. We’ll cover some hymns and service music, too.

Dennis Clark – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The focus of this basic workshop on parliamentary procedure is on developing basic leadership and membership skills for holding effective, efficient meetings, which are fair to all members. Strategies for dealing with unruly members will be addressed as well as what members need to know to protect their rights at meetings which they attend. It is hoped that those attending the workshop can take back to their groups ideas for attending to the business of the group as quickly as possible so more time can be spent on the program.

LeeAnne Beres – (Mark 5)

Our faith calls us to be good stewards of the garden, to take care of the great gift that God has given us. But do you know how to speak from the heart about why you care for creation? This workshop will help you identify and articulate the religious values that underlie our mandate to live more lightly on the Earth. Once we have this shared language, we’ll explore the steps of creating a congregational Green Team and becoming a certified Earth Ministry Greening Congregation. This program supports houses of worship in envisioning, implementing, and celebrating the “greening” of various aspects of shared life: worship, education, building & grounds, community engagement, and advocacy.

The Rev. Terry Pierce – (Marks 3, 4)

What resources are available for people in addiction and for family/friends of those in recovery? What is a Recovery-Ready church and how do we welcome the recovery community into our churches? What is a Recovery Sunday and how do you bring the Recovery Sunday tradition to your church? What is best practice for church communities around serving alcohol? What are the questions you have about recovery and addiction that you were afraid to ask? Presenters: The Rev.Terry Pierce and members of the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Commission for Recovery Ministries.

Ashley Graham-Wilcox – (Marks 3, 4)

What Can We Learn about Diversity and Representation?

How can camps, congregations, and other church organizations serve and represent our communities better? Our Episcopal camps and retreat centers welcome huge numbers of guests – and the widest range of communities you could imagine – at summer camp and throughout the retreat center season. Why is that diversity not represented in staffing and senior leadership? Join Episcopal Church Foundation fellow, Ashley Graham-Wilcox, to discuss her 2017-18 project to look at diversity in camping leadership, what Episcopal camps and retreat centers are doing about it, and what these lessons mean for the rest of the church.

The Rev. Yamily Bass-Choate (Spanish/English) – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

“Este es el movimiento de Jesús, y nosotros somos la Iglesia Episcopal, la marca episcopal del movimiento de Jesús en este mundo…”

“Ahora es nuestro tiempo para salir, y entrar al mundo, y que el mundo sepa que hay un Dios que nos ama, un Dios que no nos dejará ir, y es ése, su amor que nos puede liberar a todos.”

– El Obispo presidente Michael B. Curry dice en su primer discurso como Obispo Presidente y Primado de la Iglesia Episcopal

Las palabras de nuestro Obispo Presidente Curry son palabras de esperanza y aliento. Son la invitación y la motivación para que cada cristiano busque el alma. En este taller exploraremos y cartografiaremos la manera en que nosotros, como individuos y como iglesia, compartimos, vivimos y proclamamos esta verdad.

Las mujeres de la Iglesia Episcopal tienen su compromiso de ir, compartir, diariamente y en todo lugar las Buenas Nuevas de Cristo en el mundo.

Su iglesia tendrá diferentes recursos, diferentes cronogramas y necesidades diferentes a las mías. Puede pensar en cosas mejores que hacer que los ejemplos específicos ofrecidos aquí. Pero espero que las prioridades bíblicas básicas de humildad, enfoque en la palabra, cooperación y compromiso sean evidentes en sus compromisos con las misiones, sea lo que sea que parezca en su contexto.

“This is the Jesus Movement, and we are The Episcopal Church, the Episcopal branch of Jesus’ movement in this world…”

“Now is our time to go out, and enter the world, and let the world know that there is a God who loves us, a God who will not let us go, and that is his love that can free us all.”

– Presiding Bishop Michael B. Curry says in his first address as Presiding Bishop and Primate

The words of our Presiding Bishop Curry are words of Hope and encouragement. They are the invitation and motivation for every Christian to soul search. In this workshop we will explore and map out the way we as individuals and as a church share, live, and proclaim this truth.

The women of the Episcopal Church have their commitment to go, to share, daily and everywhere, the Good News of Christ in the world.

Your church will have different resources, different schedules and needs different from mine. You can think of better things to do than the specific examples offer here. But I hope that the basic biblical priorities of humility, focus on words, cooperation and commitment are evident in their commitment to missions, whatever it may seem in their context.

Cai Armstrong – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The Church Periodical Club is an independent, affiliated organization of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church, dedicated to the worldwide Ministry of the Printed Word and to the Promotion of Christian Mission. It is the only organization in the Episcopal Church dedicated solely to providing free literature and related materials, both religious and secular, to people all over the world who need and request them and who have no other source for obtaining them. Prayer Books and books for seminarians help them proclaim the good news of the kingdom; educational materials help teach, baptize and nurture believers; medical textbooks, agricultural manuals and books for those in local and global mission help us respond to human need by loving service. The “Church Periodical Club” workshop will explain how our own ministry supports the five marks of mission.

Daryl Storey – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

An interactive session that will talk about the Kairos program for women, what it involves and the music that we share with the incarcerated women with the love of Christ. Kairos is active internationally, and is in all but 13 states. We will talk about the ministry, the prison, and the women that are incarcerated, touching also on the music and how it impacts the inmates and the weekend.

With your voices, guitar and over 200 songs and hymns to choose from, we will sing Cursillo favorites and contemporary songs from Christian radio. This ministry feeds those that enter into it as well as those that receive it. It encompasses the five mark of mission: Evangelism, Worship and Prayer, Service, Justice and Peace, Repentance and Forgiveness.

Linda Patterson – (Mark 2)

Learn some time-tested ways that a small church can enjoy quality music. Linda Patterson will present simple anthems, multigenerational choirs and other practical options. Your worship can be enriching, engaging and attractional, even with small numbers!

Juanita Miller and Sarah Rademacher – (Mark 4)

Harnessing Social Media to Fight Injustice

Exactly what is a social media campaign and how can women effectively use social media to change the world? Presiding Bishop Michael Curry encourages us to be “crazy enough to dare to change the world from the nightmare it often is into something close to the dream that God dreams for it.”

This workshop will present information on the characteristics of a successful social media campaign, the variety of tools available, and the experience of GFS (Girls’ Friendly Society) to raise awareness of tough issues, including gender violence, gender inequity, and racial divides.

Audra Ebner (Spanish friendly) – (Marks 2, 3, 4, 5)

You will learn about the impact that you currently have on the environment through your choices in foods, and how you take care of yourself, and the ripple effect it can have when bringing a community together.

Learn the lessons of how to create a healthy, well-balanced lifestyle through the model of Food, Faith, and Fellowship. A program created by a mother/daughter team determined to initiate conversations surrounding the choices we make, through interactive cooking classes, conversations based on the Fruits of the Spirit, and the responsibility we have as individuals and as communities.

Fran Lantz, Debbie Crews – (Marks 3, 4, 5)

Every girl and woman has inherent worth and dignity. Days for Girls celebrates this by providing washable feminine hygiene solutions, health education and enterprises to help them reach the last mile in their own communities. When girls and women have health, education, and opportunity, communities and our world are stronger.

Every school day matters to a girl.

Beginning in 2008, Days for Girls International has lovingly responded to this human need, by providing health education and washable, sustainable kits to over 800,000 women and girls. Women in area Episcopal Churches have clambered to this tidal wave! Beginning with 15 at St. Christopher, League City, Texas in October 2014, and representing 6 faith-based communities, the involvement has exploded to 70 women and girls by September 2016, and holds steady at 50-60 working at each event, drawing from nearly 20 churches. Eight area Episcopal Churches provide active leadership through hosting these events and 9 ECWs and DOKs have provided financial assistance and other donations as well as gifts from private individuals. The Diocese of Texas DOK and the National ECW have also added financial fire power with gifts and grants. The result of this work safeguards the integrity of God’s creation–more than 1500 girls and women have received sustainable kits from our local Chapter.

Volunteer leaders from Friendswood, Texas, provide hands-on experience with these beautiful kits, and outline how kits and health education put an end to many negatives suffered by girls around the world. Addressing these indignities include eliminating sexual exploitation, delaying early marriage and early child births, reducing biohazard waste, and eliminating female genital cutting through woman-to-woman conversation. This transforming of unjust social structures takes place from the inside—inside a woman’s home. It has been observed, “Periods connect women because we all experience this. Periods don’t have borders. There aren’t too many things in this world that connect women and create such powerful change.”

Jim Harrington (Spanish/English) – (Mark 4)

A bilingual workshop about justice issues adversely affecting Hispanic communities and taking steps toward successfully confronting, tackling and changing local structures that perpetuate injustice – immigration, education, discrimination, police misconduct, voting, and the criminal justice system.

Justicia y la Comunidad Latina: Abordar Sistemas de Injusticia

Un taller bilingüe sobre asuntos tocantes a la injusticia que afectan las comunidades latinas y cómo se puede tomar acción directa para confrontar, abordar, y cambiar estructuras que perpetúan la injusticia – inmigración, educación, discriminación, abuso de la policía, derecho de voto, y el sistema judicial penal.

Daryl Storey – (Marks 1, 2)

We will choose Spirit-led music for worship, talking about criteria for creating an atmosphere of community, prayer and joy and how it progresses through the Rite II Eucharist. Choosing from a song list of over 200 contemporary, Cursillo and hymnal pieces, we will prepare a Rite II song list. Along with a guitar accompaniment, we will then sing them as we touch on how they work in the worship service. Come prepared to lift your voice, making a joyful noise that is pleasing to The Lord. No musical requirement is needed, just a desire to worship through song.

Francisco/Lucia Chavez (Spanish) – (Marks 1, 2)

In this creative workshop, we will discover, in an interactive manner, the similarities between the church’s liturgy and the drama of a theater production. Participants will be able to explore their creative boundaries through various artistic elements including music, poetry, theatrics, and art works. Using simple exercises which incorporate psalms, poetic verses, parables and different biblical themes, we will develop our creative energies and artistic capacities by staging a final liturgical artistic performance.

LeeAnne Beres – (Marks 4, 5)

People of faith have a right and a responsibility to speak up on issues that affect the health of our air, water, land, and communities. The religious community is an important constituency with a unique moral voice, and people of faith are well known for working together for the common good. Yet advocacy can seem intimidating, and many people don’t know how to begin. This workshop will demystify the process of making your voice heard, and provide hands-on training for communicating your values to elected officials. You will emerge an effective faithful advocate for the environment!

Linda Patterson – (Marks 1, 3)

Any church can become a transformative place for people of all ages. Linda Patterson will explain what a music ministry that has musical opportunities for growing and transforming toddlers, youth, adults and the elderly can do for a community. Recitals, music outreach, section leaders from local colleges and other low-cost opportunities abound!

Audra Ebner – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4)

Transforming unjust structures by being present in the experience and the lessons. This is a lesson in what I learned before, during, and after a year with Young Adult Service Corps. The questions I struggled with, like what does it mean to be a missionary? How do we effect a change? How far do we take our desires, before we begin to infringe on the actual needs of a community? Breaking down my experience with big lessons in humility, compassion and presence.

Dennis Clark – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The focus of this workshop is to provide strategies for strengthening communities by developing skills for the leaders and potential leaders of the various institutions that constitute them. A major focus will be on developing presiding skills for those who chair business meetings. Methods for making meetings more efficient and productive as well as fair to all members will be considered, including strategies for coping with disruptive members and contentious meetings.

Donna Emery and Bethany Hebbard – (Marks 1, 3, 4)

Soup Kitchen Lines or the “Gospel con Carne”?

It all starts with relationships. Twenty years ago, Mobile Loaves & Fishes launched a relational ministry to the homeless that has grown into Community-First! Village, a master-planned community that could change the way faith communities respond to homelessness around the world. Mobile Loaves’ relationship with the ECW is one of the vital partnerships that makes this work possible. Come learn more about how your gift through the ECW is empowering relational service to the homeless in Austin, Texas, and how you can take relational service back to your own churches and communities.

Relational service begins with a gospel-centered understanding of the human person, and challenges the pervasive isolation of our culture. In this way, relational service integrates several of the Five Marks of Mission: to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom (Mark 1); to respond to human need by loving service (Mark 3); and to seek to transform unjust structures of society (Mark 4).

Objective: To transform transactional forms of service into relational lifestyles of service.

• While transactional forms of service can meet material needs in times of crisis, the Gospel calls us to meet Christ through relational service alongside “the least of these.”
• Relational service empowers faith communities into long-term, supportive, effective ministries. Relational models of service help ministries avoid burnout, resist unjust power structures, and replace “band-aids” with lasting help to our brothers and sisters in need.
• Relational service can begin by developing “person-to-person, heart-to-heart” ministry opportunities. Existing ministries can shift from transactional models to more relational models by emphasizing the “the human impact” over the measured outcome, by engaging both volunteers and clients in meaningful work, and by creating leadership opportunities for members of the client population.
• Relational service is only possible if we first cultivate “habits of love” that order our daily life in response to the needs of our neighbors.

Interactive Components: Participants will receive and workshop through a “relational toolkit” for empowering their faith communities into more relational forms of service.

“You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me. […] Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (John 1:28; Matthew 25:40)

Patricia Bullock – (Marks 3, 4)

Being a woman and being homeless is challenging, and the ability to take care of personal hygiene becomes a daunting task. The women of St. Mark’s heard again and again from the homeless women in Austin about how difficult it was to take a shower without their possessions being stolen and how the places a woman can take a shower with supplies provided were few and far between. This workshop provides information on how St. Mark’s Episcopal women heard of their plight and started the shower ministry. You’ll learn how the ministry was started, how the operation is run, how it is funded and what the feedback has been from the homeless women.

Linda Patterson – (Mark 2)

How 25 years of choral and instrumental instruction has changed lives. Facilitated by Linda Patterson with guests from the Episcopal Diocese of Texas Music Camp and its staff. Hear them tell how Episcopal churches can make a difference in the lives of our young choir and band students!

Nancy Young and Patti Joy Posan – (Marks 1, 3)

Bishop Curry says, “Wake up! and join the Jesus Movement of the Episcopal Church.” This interactive workshop shares simple tools of Benedictine spirituality that empower us for that journey—everyday, everywhere. These tools assist us in being more mindful of God’s constant presence and love in our lives and in seeing His presence in those we encounter daily that we might better respond to their needs, thus demonstrating the good news of the Kingdom. Participants will have opportunity to practice the tools and share experiences. This workshop supports Marks of Mission 1 (to proclaim the Good News of the Kingdom) and 3 (to respond to human need by loving service).

The Rev. Cathy Tyndall Boyd – (Marks 1, 2, 3)

A healthy and fulfilling relationship with God is not a matter of being on one’s best behavior or finding the “right” things to do. As with all healthy relationships, life in Christ is a practice, even a mix of practices. Consider this helpful metaphor: we all know that a practice of healthy eating is better than a cycle of going on and off various diets. The question for persons of faith is: How can we build and nurture sustainable spiritual practices?

This workshop will explore myriad spiritual tools, drawing from many traditions and disciplines. Participants will assemble a kind of toolbox for their life in Christ, and receive encouragement for their spiritual journey.

Dennis Clark – (Marks 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)

The focus of this workshop is to help strengthen communities by making members of groups and associations aware of how to achieve their full potential.  The rights and responsibilities of membership will be discussed.  The expectation of members to help make meetings they attend be more efficient and productive will be explored as well as strategies for enacting business they propose to become adopted by the assembly.