Diocesan Dialogue

October 2006

Affirmation: Fall Offering

The Affirmation Series of lectures and workshops is organized by the Episcopal Diocese of Utah as a vehicle to help people develop intellectually and spiritually. The series is designed for individuals interested in deepening their understanding of who they are as Christian persons.

Workshop Topics Set for Diocesan Convention

Four workshops have been scheduled during Diocesan Convention on October 27 and 28 at the Davis Conference Center in Layton.

On Friday, three workshops will be offered back-to-back from 10 a.m. until 11:10 a.m. and again from 11:20 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Participants may elect to attend two out of three.

A single two-hour workshop for parish treasurers has been set for Saturday, October 28.

Friday Workshops, October 27, 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

Resources for Life-Long Learning introduces participants to some exciting, interesting and useful print materials for children, teens and young adults, and parish adult education as recommended by presenters in the field: diocesan Youth Coordinator Karen Cramer Van Winkle, the Rev. Joel Nau, Episcopal/Lutheran Campus Minister, the Rev. Lyn Briggs and the Rev. Canon Dave Bailey. Many of the recommended titles will be available for purchase at Convention.

Care of Creation: What Can We Do About Global Warming?
Local and regional leaders will present the data, answer participants' questions and suggest practical steps to take toward living a more carbon neutral lifestyle--and exercising care of creation. Lots of tip sheets and ideas will be available for takehome.

Beyond Coffee and Doughnuts: How Welcoming Are You?
Bonnie and Rick Ehrheart of Church Planning Resources are back to offer truths and tools about strengthening your congre gation's efforts to welcome friend and stranger. Use as a primer or a refresher. For a preview of their work, check their website at www.cpronline.org. Recommended materials will be available for purchase.

Saturday Workshop, October 28, 2 p.m.-4 p.m.

Opening Church Windows is specifically designed for parish treasurers and financial administrators of congregations. Featured will be an introduction and demonstration of Church Windows, a suite of church management software modules, including contribution, financial and payroll. To browse the website in advance of the workshop, follow this link.

Fundamentalisms: While it is timely to focus on fundamentalist religious and political systems elsewhere in the world, it's also important to realize how America has developed its own fundamentalisms in recent centuries which contribute to our current national and local religious life and politics. What are the backgrounds of American Protestant fundamentalisms? What are their chief features, and how do these features manifest themselves in American cultures in our day? How has American Protestant fundamentalism proven itself to be, as one historian has put it, "America's chief export?" What impact does all this have on the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion worldwide? The Rev. Canon Mary June Nestler, the Diocese of Utah's new Canon for Ministry Formation, will offer this presentation and discussion in two formats and geographies of the diocese this fall. Watch for more details.

Bishop Irish to Lead Advent Quiet Day
The Rt. Rev. Carolyn Tanner Irish has set aside Wednesday, December 13, from 9 a.m. until Noon for an Advent Quiet Day. The theme and place have yet to be determined. All are welcome to take time away from over-scheduled lives for some recollection, silence and spiritual nurture. Look for more details in November's Dialogue or "Living Boldly," the diocese's weekly email digest.