August 2019
Civil Conversations Faciliator Training
Interfaith Philadelphia continues A Year of Civil Conversations throughout the Greater Philadelphia region. Engaging over 50 organizations, including the ELCA Southeastern Pennsylvania Synod, they will offer multiple opportunities to learn how to "speak together differently in order to live together differently.” Interfaith Philadelphia will offer two Virtual facilitator trainings that will give participants the skills to organize Civil Conversations in their congregations, workplaces, and communities. These sessions offer community leaders and "bridge people" techniques for grassroots civil conversations that support…
Find out more »September 2019
“God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday
September 8 is the sixth annual ELCA Churchwide Day of Service. Make it a day of God’s work. Our hands. Our voices! ELCA vital congregations work to strengthen their relationship with God, nurture relationships with each other and create a strong presence with their community. “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is one way for congregations to discover ways to build on each of these connections. In recognition of our Lutheran commitment to both charity and justice, consider adding advocacy action…
Find out more »Conflict Transformation Workshop for Churches
The Southwestern PA Synod of the ELCA is sponsoring a workshop on Conflict Transformation for churches on Saturday, September 21, 2019 from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, Freeport, PA. The workshop is designed by the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center and will be facilitated by the Rev. Kimberly van Driel and the Rev. Peter Asplin. Conflict is a normal part of life, even in the church. Every congregation, every business, every family, and most church softball…
Find out more »Engaging Active Hope Workshop Kick-Off Event
Pennsylvania Interfaith Power and Light (PA IPL) is sponsoring a series of workshops on Engaging Active Hope. The Kick-Off Event is scheduled for September 21 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Cranaleith Spiritual Center, Philadelphia. Active Hope is a workshop series based on the teachings of eco-philospher Joanna Macy about finding and offering our best response to the social and ecological challenges before us. Presenter Rev. Alison Cornish is the Executive Director of Pennsylvania Interfaith Power & Light,…
Find out more »October 2019
Healing Communities Training For Clergy and Congregations
The Healing Communities Training focuses on the restoration and healing for people affected by crime and the criminal justice system. Healing Communities are needed as one in 104 American adults are currently incarcerated and one in 33 are under criminal justice system control. The odds are EVERY congregation has members affected by crime and the criminal justice system, whether as crime victims, offenders, or families. The Healing Communities model equips congregations to become a “Station of Hope” by providing training…
Find out more »Register Today for the Christian Unity Gathering
This year the National Council of Churches will be marking 400 years since the arrival of the first enslaved Africans in America. At the Christian Unity Gathering, sponsored by the National Council of Churches, those assembled will join together in a public witness at Point Comfort, Virginia, where it is recorded that the suffering of millions began in a legacy that lives on today through systemic racism that ravages our churches, communities, and lives. This year's theme is Confronting the…
Find out more »A Forgotten Luther Symposium: Re-Claiming a Vision of Global Community
The third Symposium in the Forgotten Luther series is scheduled for October 25 - 26, 2019, at Saint Luke Lutheran Church, Silver Spring, MD. With the help of five prominent church leaders and Luther scholars, the Symposium invites congregations to develop a broader understanding of the global dimension of Christ’s mission in the world. Against the growing disparity in wealth and the rising tide of economic and political refugees throughout the world, the Symposium will reflect on Luther’s oft-forgotten social…
Find out more »Pennsylvania Health Access Network Schedules Annual Conference
The Pennsylvania Health Access Network (PHAN) is holding their 11th annual health conference on Monday, October 28, in Harrisburg. This year's theme is "A New Path Forward: Moving Toward Fairer, More Equitable Healthcare in Pennsylvania". One of the Keynote speaker's for this year's event is Commissioner Jessica Altman of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. Commissioner Altman will give attendees up-to-date information on plans for Pennsylvania's new state-based health insurance marketplace -- which passed the PA legislature just this summer -- and…
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