wfn.org | [PCUSANEWS] Meeting will explore 'one God' affirmation

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Note #7601 from PCUSA NEWS to PRESBYNEWS:

Meeting will explore 'one God' affirmation
03070

Meeting will explore 'one God' affirmation

Focus of April event: Christian faith in a pluralistic world  

by Evan Silverstein 

LOUISVILLE - An upcoming national convocation will challenge Presbyterians to
celebrate and explore their belief in one God in an increasingly pluralistic
religious world.
	
The four-day theological symposium in Pittsburgh, PA, scheduled for April
23-26, will examine Presbyterians' belief in one God in the context of the
centuries-old Nicene Creed, the most widely accepted confession of Christian
faith. 
	
The event, sponsored by the Office of Theology and Worship in the
Congregational Ministries Division (CMD), is intended to engage the whole
church - ministers, governing bodies, congregations and members - in a
"renewal of our vocation to think, pray and live the faith," according to
program materials. 
	
The theme of the convocation is We Believe in One God: A Theology Convocation
For the Whole Church. 
	
"The national theology convocation is an opportunity for Presbyterians to
deepen the foundational convictions of our faith," said the Rev. Joseph
Small, coordinator of the theology and worship office. "The convocation
theme, We Believe in One God, is especially important in light of religious
pluralism in American life. How can we confess our faith - and profess our
faith - as good news, rather than antagonistic assertion?" 
	
The meeting will feature plenary presentations on the first article of the
Creed, as well as a long lineup of seminars and workshops, visual- and
performing-arts events, Bible study, small daily prayer groups and community
worship with preaching and the Eucharist. 
	
"The convocation will also help us to think through the Trinity, God as
Father, the meaning of faith, and other vital issues in the life of every
congregation," Small said. 
	
The plenary speakers are Ellen Charry, associate professor of systematic
theology at Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ; S. Mark Heim,
professor of theology at Andover Newton Theological School, Newton Centre,
MA; the Rev. Marianne Meye Thompson, professor of New Testament at Fuller
Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA; Colin Gunton, professor of systematic
theology at Kings College London (University of London) in London, England;
and the Rev. Mark Labberton, pastor of First Presbyterian Church in Berkeley,
CA. 
	
Among the seminar topics: Congregational Formation; Preaching God; and
Surfing in God's World.
	
The Bible studies will be led by Stephen Reid, professor of Old Testament
studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Austin, TX. The featured
preachers are the Rev. Nancy Lammers Gross, associate professor of
communications in ministry at Princeton Theological Seminary; the Rev. Craig
Barnes, professor of leadership and ministry at Pittsburgh Theological
Seminary, Pittsburgh, PA; and the Rev. Michael Lindvall, pastor of Brick
Presbyterian Church, New York City.  
	
"I am excited about the quality of leadership we have at this conference,"
said the Rev. Dale Jackson, program coordinator for the Office of Theology
and Worship. "It seems that now is a perfect time for the church to pause for
theological reflection and refreshment." 
	
This is not the first time the denomination's theology office has sponsored a
conference examining the Nicene Creed, which begins, "We believe in one God,
the Father, the Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all that is, seen and
unseen." 
	
A Pittsburgh convocation in 1995 drew 500 participants to a convocation whose
theme was We Believe in One Lord Jesus Christ.	
	
Four years later the office sponsored similar convocations in Charlotte, NC,
and San Francisco, CA, titled We Believe in the Holy Spirit. They focused on
the third article of the Creed.  
	
For more information and registration materials, contact Jackson by telephone
at (888) 728-7228, ext. 5329, or by email at: djackson@ctr.pcusa.org.

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