We have several excellent learning and conversation opportunities available to you! Please read the schedule for Week 1 (September 21-27) below, including webinar titles, descriptions, presenters, and links for registration.

Webinars are one hour (60 minutes) long, including presentation and discussion with the presenter. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evening webinars will have an optional small group discussion for 30 minutes following the end of the webinar using the break-out room feature in Zoom. This will give you the opportunity to debrief the information and share ideas with other participants. 

You must register for each webinar separately to receive the appropriate link. The exception is the "Dwelling in the Word," at noon (Eastern) weekdays. This has a single link at which you may then select which days you'll be attending. If you're unsure, simply select all days to have the appropriate links available to you.

To see the speaker biographies, please click here. 
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Monday through Friday, 12:00 p.m. Eastern
"Turn on the Lights! Dwelling in the Word"
This half-hour lunchtime (Eastern) gathering will guide you through our theme Scripture of Isaiah 58 a bit at a time each day, using a technique similar to lectio divina, allowing the Scripture to speak to you.
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Sandra Hasenauer, Executive Minister, ABC Rochester/Genesee Region

Click here to register for "Dwelling in the Word."
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Monday, September 21, 7:00 p.m. Eastern
"Theopoetics and Worship: Connecting and Reflecting in Our Current Reality"
How do we continue to connect and reflect on our relationships with God and with each other in a time when we desperately need to see God’s light? This webinar focuses on theopoetics, our expressions about God, and how they relate to new forms of worship during COVID-19. We will first look at what theopoetics is, where it comes from in theology and scripture, and how people are using this term in churches today. Then we will talk about the mechanics of hybrid worship--blending in-person with online--including technical resources and some best practices. Finally, we’ll dive into using theopoetics to make our current worship reality work for us by creating connections and helping worshippers with needed reflection and creative expression in our present moment.
Presenter: Dr. Jeremy Fackenthal, Managing Director for Institute for Ecological Civilization

Click here to register for "Theopoetics and Worship."
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Tuesday, September 22, 7:00 p.m. Eastern
"Are We Standing at the Grave of Institutions Like Churches or at the Empty Tomb?"
And how do we know? What are the signs and symptoms of grief in corporate form? How can we recognize when our congregation is facing communal grief over loved ones lost, about employment and financial changes, about our congregational life looking very different now than it did before? Or are we standing at the empty tomb, seeing hope in the resurrection?
Presenter: Rev. Dr. Donna Schaper, Senior Pastor, Judson Memorial Church, Greenwich Village, NY, and Faculty Associate in Religious Leadership at Hartford Seminary, Hartford, CT.

Click here to register for "Are We Standing at the Grave."
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Wednesday, September 23, 7:00 p.m. Eastern
"Avoiding Clergy Burn-Out" (CANCELLED)
It has been suggested that, due to the unique stressors and uncertainties about pastoring during a pandemic, we are heading for a high rate of clergy burn-out when the pandemic releases its hold. This webinar will equip you with the assurances and tools you need to maintain your mental, physical, and spiritual health during these trying times. 
Presenter: Elaine Cody of Cody Clarity Coaching 
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Click here to register for "Avoiding Clergy Burn-Out."
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Thursday, September 24, 7:00 p.m. Eastern
"There Is Enough"
Due to high rates of unemployment, increased medical costs, and other symptoms of the pandemic, many of our congregations are experiencing increased financial anxieties. Through meditations and resources regarding personal, congregational, and communal financial practices reflecting the counter-cultural, Gospel-supported notion that “There is enough—enough and some to share,” (song by Kerri Meyer), this webinar will be a heart-shaped time, and you are invited to prepare by reflecting on something you know you have enough of—these reflections will be invited into the chat during our time together.

Presenter: Jennifer Sanborn, Program Director of In Support of Excellence, American Baptist Home Mission Societies

Click here to register for "There Is Enough."
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Friday, September 25, 7:00 p.m. Eastern
Turn on the Lights! A Time of Lament and Praise
On Friday evening, we'll join together in a time of lament, secure in God's loving arms wrapped around us, and we'll join together in a time of praise, thankful for God's steadfast presence in our lives. Dr. Angela Sims, President of Colgate Rochester Divinity School, will bring the Word, and our region churches will lead us in prayer and song. 

Preacher: Dr. Angela Sims, President of Colgate Rochester Divinity School

Click here to register for "Turn on the Lights! A Time of Lament and Praise."
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Saturday, September 26, 11:00a-1:00p, 2:00p-4:00p Eastern
"Realities and Opportunities in Times of Pandemic (and Beyond!)"
A day-long seminar for clergy
Pastor, are you looking for handles on how to turn our current ministry constraints into personal and congregational development? The content will be based on a Discovery piece written by Rev. Jeff Woods, Acting General Secretary, ABCUSA, and distributed to registrants before the seminar. Together we will consider how to name what you are experiencing emotionally, how to maximize ministry within the limits of our current reality, how to collaborate with other congregations for greater impact, and how to get ready for the post-pandemic era. The two, two hour sessions will be dialogical and open-ended. We will learn from each other as we respond at the cutting edge of ministry. (We're working on CEUs being offered. Stay tuned.)

Presenter: Rev. Tony Pappas

Click here to register for "Realities and Opportunities in Times of Pandemic (and Beyond!)"
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