| Title | Description |
|---|---|
| No Bad Parts | This workshop introduces Internal Family Systems concepts for compassion-based self/communal care, support, and healing work. It offers a framework for radical welcome, empathetic deep listening, and accessing inner harmony with the Divine. |
| The 4 x 4 on the Church Year (the 4 problems and glories of the Church Calendar) | The 4 x 4 on the Church Year Focus: the Church Year structure is a time tested part of our heritage and can be a platform for fellowship, teaching Scripture and values & virtues training in our churches. This class explores four reasons to embrace it and four reasons people refuse it. Advantages of the CY: --distinctive seasons make us distinctive! we are not driven by the world’s calendar, we have our own! --Bigger than us: teaching through the CY seasons helps us follow worldwide Christians who are with us in remembering and deepening our faith practice and legacy --Teaching the Big Story: the CY and the Lectionary builds out the Big Faith Story --We can use the vast heritage of art, poetry and music (ancient, modern, and contemporary) in worship and study groups to explore sacred themes with imagination Disadvantages of dissing the CY: 1. When we ignore the CY, it gives us the illusion of freedom—the attitude is "I can preach on anything I want to!" but it actually short changes the people’s growth and coherence by letting us pastor types preach whatever pleases us this week 2. It leaves the pastor burdened with “coming up with something fresh” every Sunday, leading to sermon subscription series and recycling old messages. 3. Each congregation rows the boat by itself, losing connection to The Ecumenical Church 4. Its hard to fit up our story with the Big Story when we aren't challenged to hear it. Summary: in the storytelling and storylistening of the CY offers us fellowship, teaching and preaching Strategic Connections that only the church community can provide. |
| Folk-styled Music & Songwriting for Worship and Communal Prayer | This workshop looks at alternatives to traditional hymnody and communal praise. It will be facilitated by Rev Hilary Marckx, pastor and music leader of the Geyserville Christian Church. He will explore with participants, folk/blues-styled praise songs. Hilary is a songwriter and matches Sunday themes with appropriate melodies and lyrics, composing fresh material, when needed, that is tailored to meet seasonal and topical needs. Consideration will be given to music in general, and songs in particular. Time will be given to the topics such as songs that are spirit-lifting and healing, community-forming, ritualization, pedagogy, and songs that colonize. Hilary will offer ways of matching songs with message, giving the church a means of direct access to, and ownership of, the gospel message... Participants will leave this workshop with a better understanding of possibilities for building a wider range of song choices and potential for corporate singing, praise and prayer, as well as an introduction to the creation of original material to meet the ongoing need for diverse prayer forms and theologies. Time will be made for participant sharing and discussion, and examples will be offered based upon Hilary's experience as a songwriter and worship leader. |
| Woman to Woman: Kenya and California | We want to share what we learned about the church and the people in Kenya, East Africa, particularly the women. Come see our pictures and hear our impressions of the people, the culture, the beauty, the challenges, the resilience, and the power of God at work. |
| Rainbow Church: The Beauty and Value of Open and Affirming Ministries | Are you O&A Curious? This might be the workshop for you! This workshop will explore various aspects of Open and Affirming Ministries including learning about our general church ministry partner, AllianceQ+, regional history around O&A, and a panel conversation. This workshop is intentionally designed to be a place of listening, learning, and leaning into our curiosities. We will celebrate the benefits that becoming Open and Affirming brings to congregations and discuss some challenges it presents. Whether your church is exploring the possibility of becoming an Open and Affirming congregation or you need a refresher on what it means to live into the values that make up an Open and Affirming Church - we welcome you! |
| How God Can Become Real for You | This workshop is based on a combination of Biblical texts centered on Christ's legacy of peace and his commandment to "love one another as I have loved you," and of online research by Dr. Richardson for her dissertation in which she found that the majority of people are able to feel excitement in the air, tension in the air, anger, love, and anxiety coming from someone else. Together, we will engage in some meditative practices which enable us to cultivate God's love within us and among us, so that together, we experience the reality of God's presence as Love. |
| An Introduction to Affordable Housing on Church land | Our congregations hold significant property assets at a time when our region faces an unprecedented affordable housing crisis. Many churches are wrestling with difficult questions about underutilized buildings, declining membership, and costly maintenance while their surrounding communities desperately need housing solutions. This confluence presents both a challenge and an extraordinary opportunity for faithful stewardship. The creation of even a handful of affordable housing units through Conference properties would represent tangible, lasting impact-providing homes for families, reducing displacement, and demonstrating the Church's commitment to justice and compassion in concrete terms. Come hear an overview of what is going on in the region and how churches are becoming involved, and learn about the process of building affordable housing. |
| A Time for Celebration | Five Disciples congregations in the Region will share how they are responding to God’s call through ministries that do not follow traditional patterns. Representatives will describe their efforts and engage participants in questions and conversation. |
| Planned Giving | |
| Wheel of Awareness | This workshop will introduce the Wheel of Awareness practice created by Dr Dan Seigel. This evidence based practice supports mental/emotional/physical/spiritual/social well-being. There will be a presentation on the science in everyday terms followed by interactive presentation on the elements of the practice. Then we will actually do the practice, and then spend the remainder of our time with Q&A. This is a very accessible meditative practice for people of all levels of experience and offers important insights for meaningful connection with self, others, and God. |
| What Do You Want to Do for your Community or How a Faith Community Can Connect with their Community | In an increasingly disconnected world, faith communities have a unique opportunity to serve as anchors of support and connection. This workshop provides a comprehensive roadmap for faith groups to move beyond their walls and engage deeply with their local environment. Participants will explore how to identify specific local needs, build trust with diverse groups, and implement service projects that make a measurable difference. |
| A strong, smart, and secure path to Retirment | For many pastors and church leaders — especially within immigrant, first-generation, and bi-vocational communities — retirement can feel uncertain, distant, or even unattainable. This presentation offers a hopeful and practical reframing: retirement is possible, and it can be approached in ways that are strong, smart, and secure. |
| The Asian Paint Brush | Discover the elegance and discipline of Asian brush artistry. Shirley Kinoshita leads a meditative workshop on the power of ink and the philosophy behind the stroke. Perfect for anyone looking to add a new dimension to their creative practice or connect with a timeless cultural tradition. |