Easter 2015
Ekklesia Project News

 

In This Issue

 

Gathering 2015 registration

 

bLOGOS 

 

School for Conversion at Reba Place

 

new endorsers

 

Visit the

Ekklesia Project Website  

 

the EP




Be glad, let earth be glad, as glory floods her,
ablaze with light from her eternal King,
let all corners of the earth be glad,
knowing an end to gloom and darkness.
- from The Exsultet



 

Gathering 2015 registration is now open! 

 

click here to register now


Forming Youth in Our Congregations: Raising Danielle and Daniel to Live in Babylon


 
How do congregations form young people as disciples of Jesus Christ well?  This is one of the driving questions in developing the 2015 Gathering of the Ekklesia Project. The 2015 Gathering will attempt to address questions like "What else (or who else) in our culture is forming our young people? How do we understand these other actors theologically? How do we engage these other voices and forces congregationally?" and "How can the work of forming young disciples be an intergenerational endeavor, undertaken by the whole congregation?" We will hear from congregations who are doing the formation of young people well, and we will hear from young people who will tell us where they are in life and what their experience of discipleship formation has been.

 

The Gathering begins on Thursday July 9 at and ends Saturday July 11.  You can register online here.
 

Speakers for this year are still being finalized, but will include Dr. Chanon Ross, Director of the Institute for Youth Ministry, Princeton Theological Seminary

Hopwood Memorial Christian Church, Milligan College, TN

Redeemer Community Church,  San Francisco, CA

 

bLOGOS this Week

Death Defeated
Stephen Fowl

This Easter will be the first since my mother died in July. She died so unexpectedly and quickly that I could not be with her when it happened. Still, mom was a believer and hers was a fast, peaceful death. As these things go, we would call it a good death. Nevertheless, as I found out at Christmas, and I expect I will find out at Easter, her death has upset me more than I first knew.


 

Without question, there are various reasons for this. It is a normal part of the grieving process. I probably have some unfinished business with my mother. I feel guilty I was not there when she died. As we approach Easter, however, I need to think about death - her death in particular - and resurrection theologically, or, at least, as a Christian.


Let us begin with death. I am grateful that mom's death was relatively peaceful and painless. It is equally important for me to remember, as one of my former pastors says, "Death sucks." Death, as least as we know it, was never part of God's plan. It plays no redemptive role. It is our enemy. Indeed, it is only in comparison with the colossal brokenness of creation, its pain, disease, and disaster that we speak of a good death. The past several months reminded me of this in ways I had forgotten.

 

To read the rest click  here.

Living Together: Christian Community as a School for the Rest of your Life





















Friends of the EP may be interested in this upcoming conference. 

The event will include: 
-panel discussions about communal practices, how the context of Christian community calls and empowers us to navigate conflict, and the call and practices of working for justice for our neighbors
-workshops, tours, and time for folks from Christian communities to connect with people who are exploring shared living and discipleship
-time in the garden
-a potluck meal
-times of worship with the local congregations
-an open mic talent night
-and whatever emerges from the gathering of a diverse and vibrant group of people!

To register, visit the page here.

For more info. contact David Adem Hovde ([email protected]) or Monica Laytham ([email protected])
Welcome recent endorsers!

The following people have endorsed over the past few months. To find out more about what it means to be an Ekklesia Project endorser, visit the web page. 

Dominic Aquila, Theresa Brion, Samuel Estes, Ruth Hruby, James Lewis (previous endorser), Kyle Nicholas and Rebecca Shjerven. 

 

If you endorsed prior to our web page changes a few years back, you may have to re-register to be added to the list.