2024 Forma Conference Workshops

Holy Inclusion: Supporting Disabled Participants In Church School Settings
Bird Treacy

Disability isn't a dirty word, but clergy and religious educators alike tend to shy away from it – and this has serious consequences for inclusion in our church school programs. This workshop will offer participants tools for talking about disability in ways that start conversations about inclusion, then build on those tools to explore what we can do differently as leaders to actually support access to church programs. Key areas of discussion will include contemporary language around disability, how to partner with families to meet their needs, and easy-to-access modifications and practices that can be used in any setting to support increased inclusion, such as supplying a simple selection of sensory supports, using visual schedules, and reframing behavioral norms through a neurodiversity-affirming lens.

Hybrid Highway or Digital Desert?
Sarah Lawing

Participants will reflect on and share their digital and hybrid ministry experiences, explore the types of hybrid engagement (location, timing, calendar, and instruction), imagine how to translate past ministry efforts into hybrid offerings, and leave with a plan to assess participant-centered hybrid experiences using a provided rubric you will adapt for your context that will inform the content and activities in future hybrid ministry iterations.

Resource Round Up!
Chelsy DeHart

Has a liturgical season or High Holy Day ever snuck up on you? Have you ever volunteered to teach a Sunday School lesson or lead teenagers through a lesson on the Fruits of the Spirit and didn’t know where to start? This workshop is designed to give you a head start when planning your next sermon or lesson. We’ll be rounding up all the great resources and sharing them with each other. So bring your favorite resources for any time of the year and get ready to have some fun!

Respect the Wisdom: Clergy & Lay working relationships
Paul Canady

Our doctrine holds that all people have gifts for ministry. Our practices tend to lean on a tradition that says clergy have more knowledge and insight. This can lead to conflict, lack of action, hurt feelings, and a myriad of other unintended issues. This workshop aims to help clergy and lay leaders navigate the best possible working relationship to continue advancing the Gospel. We are stronger together, and when our clergy and lay leaders stand together, the Church is stronger, too!

SexEth- Conversations about sexual ethics and belovedness
Sadie Koppelberger

It is so hard to talk about sex and sexuality without getting bogged down in cultural concepts of purity and shame. In this workshop we will begin with our feet planted firmly in two beliefs: All of God's children are beloved, and God desires our flourishing individualy and communally. From there we will build a framework for making ethical decisions about sex and practice using the framework in hypothetical situations. We will talk about how to lead others, specifically youth and young adults, through these exercises and conversations.

Sharing The Way in The Wilderness: Reframing Mission and Ministry in an Increasingly Non-believing Culture
Ethan Lowery

We live and minister in an increasingly politically polarized, religiously pluralistic, and non-believing culture, and among folks who have been hurt by their experiences of Church. And yet it remains our work to share the Good News and show care to communities around us. This workshop will offer some language to understand our secular culture and the growing identification with atheism, agnosticism, and spiritual-but-not-religious, some reframing of mission/evangelism as friendship-making, and some stories and best practices for encountering young adults outside our church walls.

So Now I’m A Youth Minister?: Overcoming Insecurity & Finding Joy & Meaning in Youth Ministry
Megan McDermott

Did you envision a future working for the church but never expected that would lead to major responsibilities with children and youth? Are you a curate who is suddenly in charge of youth group? Are you the only volunteer who would step up and now you find yourself leading youth ministry despite not being quite sure what you’re doing? If you are grappling with insecurities about your ability to thrive in a youth ministry role, or feel like you don’t have the experience, education, or even personality for this work, this workshop is for you! Drawing from her own experience as a once-reluctant youth minister, Megan will guide us in discussion on the things that intimidate us about youth ministry and how to find our groove – and our joy! – in spite of them.

Soulful Shift: Nurturing Gen Z & Gen Alpha Spirits
Lorenzo Lebrija

This workshop is for anyone who wants to learn more about what makes Generation Z and Generation Alpha tick when it comes to faith. The executive director of TryTank will share what the latest research tells us about what these generations are seeking when it comes to faith and what's working in the field.

The Book of Common Prayer in Lifelong Formation and Pastoral Practice
Brooke Pauley

The Episcopal Church is in many ways defined by its Book of Common Prayer. And yet, many Episcopalians either find the prayerbook mystifying or, worse yet, don't see the need for one in the age of apps and printed bulletins. Every Episcopalian should have access to a Book of Common Prayer, should know their way around, and should dive deeply into its riches. This workshop will teach you how to empower your congregations, ministries, and faith communities to find in the Book of Common Prayer a treasure trove of tradition, faith, and prayer that they can claim as their own.

The Giving Project: A chance for senior high youth to use their God given gifts to give back to the community
Kelly Demo

This workshop seeks to support youth leaders and educators looking for a new option for High School Formation. The Giving Project is a practical resource developed within our congregation that guides youth through the process of identifying their God given gifts and talents, and merging them with their personal mission to create a capstone project that gives back to the church and/or larger community. The workshop will explain how we engage the talents of members of our community who help us to teach the teens business, leadership, and project management skills and help them articulate a personal mission statement.

Pastoral Gaming: How You Play Is How You Live
Roger Speer

This workshop is a brief introduction to providing pastoral care in a gaming environment, and the role of a Pastoral Gamer to nurture, teach, and mentor players of all types. It will briefly focus on the history and theology of gaming, Safeguarding practices to use during game sessions, the "How You Play Is How You Live" concept, and how gaming can be used in evangelism and community building. The workshop will invite participants to a larger range of continuing education available through Church Next, and introduce participants to "Saving Throws: a D&D Retreat," sponsored by the Episcopal Evangelism Society, which will utilize the theology, practice, and pedagogy described in the workshop. The last half of the workshop will ask for volunteers to model a simple role-playing session using the practices described in the pre-recorded lecture.

Translating Episcopal-speak for the rest of us: Everyday Evangelism Online
Lizzie McManus-Dail, Laura Di Panfilo

In the wake of this mass exodus out of evangelicalism and fundamentalism, people don’t want to give up on Jesus but want a more authentic Christian community that lives out loving values. The Episcopal Church doesn't do this perfectly but we really believe in our ancient pattern of worship and modern values of justice and community - and we want people to know we’re here if you want to join the party! Workshop includes: Evangelism online and tips for website, newsletter, etc, how to find people who aren’t already in your church, events that are in partnership with local businesses and retreats.

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks: Keeping you and your ministry relevant
Emily Gowdy Canady, Pattie Ames

As we all know the church is very different than it was prior to the COVID shut down. Honestly, this was the trajectory, whether or not we had chosen to acknowledge it. Understanding that so many entering our ministry contexts today have no experience with the Christian story or the Episcopal Church, we have some different work to do. As long time formation professionals we have a wealth of experience in teaching and sharing the story of God's people, creating and forming people as disciples for Christ. Oftentimes showing them, as Stanley Hauerwas said, "...Christianity is an adventure we didn't know we wanted to be on." Bearing this in mind, how do we look at current trends with curiosity rather than fear? How do we see opportunities instead of disappointments? How can those of us who have been engaged in this work for 5 years or more, mine our knowledge and experiences, molding these into practical and innovative ideas for formation ministry in a post-Christendom world?

Your Path to Lifelong Wellness…You don’t need to be lost in the wilderness!
Alyssa Moore

Per the Centers for Disease Control: “Wellness is defined as a dynamic process of learning new life skills and becoming aware of and making conscious choices toward a more balanced and healthy lifestyle…” In this workshop, the Church Pension Group will tap into the robust resources available through CPG and its affiliate The Episcopal Church Medical Trust. to offer ways in which to improve your health and financial well-being so that you can be at your best to serve your communities.