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January Intersection 2019

Moral Injury and Soul Repair in Veterans, Trauma-Survivors, and Care-Givers

Presented by Rita Nakashima Brock

Wednesday, January 9, 1-6pm

Thursday, January 10, 1-6pm

Friday, January 11, 9am-12pm

This course will explore precipitating experiences that can lead to moral injury, pathways to recovery, the role of communities, and theological, ritual, and spiritual implications of understanding it. We will also briefly examine neuroscience research as it illuminates differences between post-traumatic stress and moral injury. We will explore the power of the arts and ritual in soul repair, and civilian moral responsibility for the aftermath of war. Learn More and Register.

Engaging Christian Education as Political Education: Teaching The Movement[s] Using the Bible and Organizers’ Demands

Presented by Candace Simpson

Friday, January 11, 1-6pm

Saturday, January 12, 9am-5pm 

What do the daughters of Zelophehad say about livable wages? Was Jesus using the People’s Mic to share the Beatitudes? What would the volunteers of the Black Panther Party’s Free Breakfast Program say to the folks gathered at the feeding of over five thousand people? And how do we make all that come alive in Bible Study? Participants will engage in an example of a justice-oriented Bible study and offer feedback. Learn More and Register.

Spring 2019

Topics in Ministry: Rethinking Christian Tradition II: Forming Your Own Understanding
Presented by Mary Julia Jett and Isaac Sharp

Friday, January 25, 1-6pm
Friday, March 8, 1-5pm
Friday, March 29, 1-5pm 

In conjunction with an exciting new “digital humanities” project aimed at developing an online and open-source resource for introducing Christian tradition, this class is devoted to exploring traditional and alternative sources from Christian history as a way of answering the question, “what is Christian tradition?” In this seminar, students investigate both conventional and overlooked or neglected voices from Christian history based on their own current academic passions and interests. Learn More and Register

Fighting for Power
Presented by Cari Jackson 

Friday, February 1, 1-6pm
Saturday, February 2, 9am–5pm 

Power struggles are present in every ministerial context, often in a dynamic interchange with how power is exercised in the broader society. How power is addressed greatly enhances or impedes ministry effectiveness. The course focus begins with an historical examination of the prevailing patterns of power dynamics as a backdrop for analyses of power in specific contemporary contexts. Then moves to a close examination of exercises of power, factors that contribute to power struggles, and the resulting ethical and practical implications of power struggles. Learn More and Register

Communication is Critical, Especially in Crisis Times
Presented by Michael Cooper-White & Robin Reese

Friday, February 8, 1–6pm
Saturday, February 9, 9am–5pm 

Five hundred years ago, the great Reformer, Martin Luther, once quipped: “The church is a mouth house!”  His point was that communication is essential in any organization that has a will to flourish and carry out its mission.  In Luther’s day, the only media were oral delivery and a fledgling publishing industry.  Leaders today must learn to deliver their message via dozens of media, competing with all the other “voices” that are out there in space and cyberspace. Learn More and Register

The Monk and the Yogin II: Dialogue on religious theory and action- Justice/Criminal Justice
Presented by Lama Justin von Bujdoss

Friday, February 15, 1-6pm
Saturday, February 16, 9am-5pm

This course explores the relationship between the dogma of organized religious formation and engaged pastoral ministry. We will explore the metaphor of the monk, representing, in theory, the canonical tradition, and the yogin representing in similarly theoretical terms, direct action from the heart inspired by the tradition yet sometimes appearing in opposition. Learn More and Register 

This course is in a series of short courses offered as a part of Union’s Thich Nhat Hanh Program for Engaged Buddhism (LINK). Thich Nhat Hanh Program for Engaged Buddhism

Introduction to Icon Writing with Iconographer Christine Hales
Presented by Christine Hales 

Friday, March 22, 1-6pm
Saturday, March 23, 9am-5pm 

This Intensive course will provide step by step instruction on how to paint a Holy Icon in the ancient Byzantine manner.  Christine Hales is an Iconographer/teacher who will demonstrate the many facets of this beautiful process. Limited to 12 students. THIS COURSE IS SOLD OUT

Humanist Life Passage Ceremonies
Presented by Anne Klaeysen

Friday, April 12, 1-6pm
Saturday, April 13, 9am-5pm 

With the rise in what Pew Forum refers to as the “nones,” or religiously unaffiliated, and those who are “spiritual but not religious” (SBNR), more people are looking for non-traditional ceremonies. Humanism, both religious and secular, meets that need with a creative process that emphasizes relationship over ritual. Learn More and Register

Intimate Peace, Intimate Justice: Preparing Future Faith Leaders to Address Domestic Violence/ Intimate Partner Violence in Their Communities of Faith
Presented by Sally MacNichol & Keisha Kogan 

Friday, April 26, 1-6pm
Saturday, April 27, 9am-5pm 

Communities of faith and their leaders have the potential to play a significant role in helping to prevent and eliminate intimate violence. This course is designed to help seminarians (lay leaders and religious leaders gain a basic understanding of the complex dynamics of intimate violence and effects on individuals, families and communities, and develop strategies for how pastors and communities of faith can play a critical role in breaking the silence and preventing domestic violence/ intimate partner violence. Learn More and Register

Start Where You Are: Greening a Congregation
Presented by Donna Schaper 

Tuesday, May 21, 9am-5pm
Wednesday, May 22, 9am-3pm 

In this course, we will share examples of where you can begin to green your congregation. Hope will be both the driver and the destination of this work. We will start where we are and end with some directed hope about where we want to be. You will leave with a theology of care for the environment and a practical agenda, custom designed for you and your circle of influence. Learn More and Register