When

Thursday December 10, 2015 at 5:00 PM EST
-to-
Saturday December 12, 2015 at 3:00 PM EST
Add to Calendar

Where

Barbara Harris Camp and Conference Center
401 Sawmill Road
Greenfield, NH 03047

 
Driving Directions 

Contact

Julie Lytle
Episcopal Province of New England
617-669-8411
executive.director@province1.org
FAITH @ HOME: 

Empowering Parents and Guardians as
Pastors and Teachers
 

In 2014, Christian Smith, a preiminent sociologist of religion in the United States and director of the National Study of Youth and Religion, released a study that confirmed what most Chrisitan educators know:

  • HOME, not a church or congregation, is the key location 
    where faith is formed
     
  • PARENTS (and GUARDIANS), not clergy or youth ministers, 
    are the primary source of young people's faith
     
  • ORDINARY LIFE PRACTICES and IDENTITIES, not programs, preaching, or rites of passage are the key mechanisms by which religious faith and practice are intergenerationally transmitted

    ("Parents, the REAL Pastors: The Absolute Centrality of Parenting in Passing on Religious Daith and Practice to the Next Generation," Ensign Lecture, Yale Divinity School, October 22, 2014)

OUR CHALLENGE IS THAT MOST PARENTS AND GUARDIANS FIND RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE AND PRACTICE
TO BE A FOREIGN TONGUE.    

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wendy Claire Barrie has designed this retreat to help Christian 
Faith Formation Leaders teach this second language to parents and guardians so that they can feel more comfortable and confident claiming their role as primary pastor.  

Thursday evening:
  • Faith at Home: a conversation about why it matters and how we can support it
Friday morning:
  • The Bible: Modeling an intergenerational workshop and other ways families can explore scripture together.
  • Best resources for Bible storytelling and study.
Friday afternoon:
  • Prayer: what parents need to know. Prayer practices and resources for home and parish.
Friday evening:
  • Social - time to reconnect with established friends and meet new faith formation colleagues
Saturday morning:
  • Service: Who is my neighbor? Ideas for families and churches to widen our circles of concern in concrete, meaningful ways.
Saturday after lunch:
  • After Advent: gentle rituals and celebrations for families.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

There are two options for participation. The full workshop begins with dinner at 6 pm at Barbara C Harris Camp and Conference Center on Thursday, December 10 and concludes about 3 pm on Saturday, December 12.  All meals are included with a range of lodging options from a private lodge room to a shared adult cabin (4 per building).
For those who can only get away one night, you can join us for dinner at 6 pm on Friday for half the cost. 

We have attempted to keep the cost for this offering low. All conference costs are being paid by a Province 1 Sowing Seeds of God's Mission Grant. Still, our goal is to eliminate obstacles to participation.  If you or your community can help offset costs for someone else to participate, please consider a donation. If you need help, please contact Julie Lytle, executive.director@province1.org, about the potential for a partial scholarship. 

REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS October 30, 2015.
Participation is limited; there are 30 spaces.
Sign Up Now!!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For more information about The Episcopal Province of New England (Province I), see the website here or contact Julie Lytle, executive.director@province1.org.