Missional Spirituality (Certificate in Spiritual Formation)

The Missional church has sparked great interest in the spiritual foundation needed to sustain mission to the world. As we grow and are shaped by the Holy Spirit, that same Spirit propels us into the world of need that surrounds us. This course is designed to explore the historic and contemporary links between mission and spiritual formation, the character of God, how spirituality calls us to ministries of compassion. We will study and practice spiritual disciplines needed to develop an understanding of how God is working in and through the church and individuals. Participants will develop a model for your church back home. The model of Pilgrimage provides a framework to explore the roles of spirituality and mission in today’s world.

Instructors: We are privileged to have Columbia’s new President and long time scholar of Evangelism and Mission, Steve Hayner, teaching this course. Jim Wood, Senior Pastor of First Presbyterian of Norfolk will also be teaching from his experience of pilgrimage and mission in Africa. He brings a powerful experiential component to this course

Missional Spirituality HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must register for the event itself, "Missional Spirituality" September 12-17, 2010. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person, per night, double occupancy) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy -if available). If you have questions, call 404-687-4587 or email LifelongLearning@ctsnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penality - 404-687-4510.

Spirituality Program: 15th Anniversary Celebration HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, "Spirituality Program: 15th Anniversary Celebration,” September 17-18, 2010. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, double occupancy) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available).If you have housing questions, call 404-687-4557 or email LifelongLearning@ctsnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office (404-687-4510) at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty.

Spirituality Program: 15th Anniversary Celebration

All friends of the Spirituality Program are invited to join us for our 15th Anniversary Celebration. It will be a time of celebrating, renuniting, and sharing with one another. See supporting document for the schedule and more information.

Presbyterian History & Polity (Workshop III) (Immigrant Lay Leader Training – Hispanic)

This workshop is open to church elders, deacons, educators and other church leaders. Participants will study the Presbyterian Church (USA) “Book of Confessions” and “Book of  Order,” to learn the governing body’s procedures from the missional perspective of God sending the church to be a faithful witness.  Instructor: Eriberto Soto

(NOTE: To enroll in this course, you must first be a paid registrant in the overall program, “Initial Enrollment: Spanish Track Lay Leader Training.”)

Program fee: $50 residents in tri-presbytery (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia); $105 residents outside tri-presbytery; $80 each additional person from same presbytery, outside tri-presbytery. Textbooks are the student’s responsibility.

Immersion Experience: An Invitation to A Deeper Spiritual Life (Certificate in Spiritual Formation)

This course will explore the origins of the Christian Spiritual Tradition. Participants will study the formative elements of Biblical Spirituality, Monastic Spirituality, and Reformed Spirituality. Participants will also have the opportunity for personal reflection through guided meditative journaling, exploring their own unique journey with the living God. Community and practical application of acquired knowledge are also part of this experience. This course is the starting place for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation. Occasional students are welcome.

There is a reading assignment for this course. Please contact the Spirituality Program Office (spirituality@ctsnet.edu) if you have not received the assignment by 7/1/10.

Immersion Experience HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must register for the event itself, "Immersion Experience", October 7-10, 2010. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person, per night, double occupancy) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy -if available). If you have questions, call 404-687-4587 or email LifelongLearning@ctsnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY:

If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penality (404-687-4510.)

 

Old Testament Survey & Interpretation (Immigrant Lay Leader Training – Hispanic)

Participants will survey the texts as the mission initiative of God choosing Israel and calling out this nation to be God’s witness to all nations. The history of God’s people being faithful and unfaithful to this missionary vocation in times of exile will be explored. Instructors: Christine Roy Yoder; Bill Brown

(NOTE: To enroll in this course, you must first be a paid registrant in the overall program, “Initial Enrollment: Spanish Track Lay Leader Training.”)

Program fee: $50 residents in tri-presbytery (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia); $105 residents outside tri-presbytery; $80 each additional person from same presbytery, outside tri-presbytery. Textbooks are the student’s responsibility.

Liturgy of the Hours - An Old Practice for the New Church (Certificate in Spiritual Formation)

Location: Montreat Conference Center

In a time when Christians and the church are yearning to renew their spiritual vitality, and deepen their faith, Paul Lang recovers for the church the ancient but timeless liturgy of the hours.  The Liturgy of the Hours is a long-practiced discipline of the faith which countless saints have used to gently, patiently, and persistently reshape their lives before God.  This ancient Christian discipline is experiencing a revival of practice among Christians throughout the world.  This course will couple instruction about the Liturgy of the Hours with the daily immersion of praying the offices of Vigils, Lauds, Terce, Sext, None, Vespers, and Compline.  You will learn about the biblical roots and historical development of the Liturgy of the Hours, how to sing the psalms, about the theological themes and emphases associated with each office, and be given many ideas about how to take this practice home with you for personal use as well as how to introduce it in your own church.

Instructor: Paul Lang

There is a reading assignment for this course.  Please contact the Spirituality Program Office (spirituality@ctsnet.edu) if you have not received the assignment by 7/21/10.

 

Liturgy of the Hours HOUSING

All housing reservations will need to be made through Montreat Conference Center. The "Register Here" link will take you to the Montreat website.

Youth Ministry Leadership Initiative: Beginning Retreat

The Youth Ministry Leadership Initiative is a partnership between the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and Columbia Theological Seminary. The program – a series of 8 courses - is designed for lay leaders and pastors who are committed to developing strong programs for youth within our churches.

This opening weekend will allow participants to ask important questions about their particular call to youth ministry and youth ministry as a whole. Successful completion of this course and seven others will lead to receiving the Certificate in Youth Ministry; all youth leaders are invited to attend.

Instructors: Rodger Nishioka, the Benton Family Associate Professor of Christian Education at Columbia Theological Seminary, author and nationally-known leader in youth and young adult ministry, and Neema Cyrus Franklin, Director of Youth Ministries for the Presbytery of Greater Atlanta will lead this event.

YMLI Beginning Retreat HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “YMLI Beginning Retreat,” October 22-24, 2010. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available). If you have housing questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office (404-687-4510) at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty.

Preaching Advent

 Wondering how to preach through Advent - AGAIN - this year? Join professor of New Testament, author and preacher David Bartlett and Barbara Brown Taylor, author, preacher and professor of Christian Spirituality, for this weekend event designed for the preacher. Drawing upon their work as editors for the popular lectionary resource series Feasting on the Word, Bartlett and Brown will explore Advent as a season for preachers, ways to make the move from text to sermon and discussion on the texts themselves.   They will be joined by Joseph L. Roberts, professor of preaching and director of the Center for Preaching at the seminary, who will moderate the gathering and lend his own summary observations at the conclusion of each session.

Preaching Advent HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “Preaching Advent, Oct. 29-30. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available).



If you have registration questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@CTSnet.edu.  CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

Growing Into Tomorrow…Today (PCUSA Board of Pensions Retirement Planning Seminar) HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “Growing Into Tomorrow…Today (PCUSA Board of Pensions Retirement Planning Seminar,” Nov. 2-3. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available).

If you have registrations questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@CTSnet.edu. CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

 

Growing Into Tomorrow…Today (PCUSA Board of Pensions Retirement Planning Seminar)

Retirement planning can be challenging. Join The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for an holistic retirement planning seminar designed to help mid- to late career Benefits Plan members explore steps they can take today to prepare for their best retirement tomorrow. 

The seminar will be led by a Board of Pensions Education Specialist and Retirement Planning Consultant couple. Seating is limited to 30 participants. Course registration for this event is through the Board of Pensions - The Member Education team prints and mails a seminar information brochure to active clergy and lay Benefits Plan members describing the program and the pre-seminar preparation required by participants and providing registration instructions. Please call 800- 800-773-7752, ext. 7223 or email education@pensions.org with inquiries.

 

Render Unto Caesar (PCUSA Board of Pensions Tax/Terms of Call Seminar) HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “Render Unto Caesar (PCUSA Board of Pensions Tax/Terms of Call Seminar)” Nov.4. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available).

If you have registrations questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@CTSnet.edu. CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

 

Render Unto Caesar (PCUSA Board of Pensions Tax/Terms of Call Seminar)

Clergy tax and Terms of Call issues can be confusing. Join The Board of Pensions of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) for a one-day education seminar to clarify them designed for Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) Clergy and spouses or fiancé/es, church treasurers, business administrators, session leaders, etc., and Middle Governing Body staff and leaders. Pre-seminar work for registrants involves viewing two e-learning modules on Pensions.org before the seminar.

Course registration for this event is through the Board of Pensions - The Member Education team prints and mails a seminar information brochure to active clergy and lay Benefits Plan members in the geographic area near the seminar location, describing the program and the pre-seminar preparation required by participants and providing registration instructions. A treasurer copy is mailed to every employing organization listed for the geographic area as well. Please call 800- 800-773-7752, ext. 7223 or email education@pensions.org with inquiries.

 

Thomas Merton and Contemplation (Certificate in Spiritual Formation)

The Thomas Merton and Contemplation course will focus on his life and work. Merton’s life before Gethsemane was one of wandering and seeking; after entering the Order he became a disciplined follower, author, novice master and strong social reformer.

The course will examine several of Merton’s books: New Seed of Contemplation, The Inner Experience, Contemplative Prayer and Zen and the Birds of Appetite. Each of these books will help us understand how Merton came to his vision of the contemplative life.

Like most courses in the Spirituality Program, the method of instruction will include lecture/discussion, small group sharing, reflection on portions of Merton’s texts. This course aims to introduce Merton and invite the participants to engage his work with a high degree of seriousness.

Instructor: Ben Johnson

Program Fee: $370

Thomas Merton and Contemplation HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must register for the event itself, "Thomas Merton and Contemplation" November 14-19, 2010. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person, per night, double occupancy) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy -if available). If you have questions, call 404-687-4587 or email LifelongLearning@ctsnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penality - 404-687-4510.

 

New Testament (Immigrant Lay Leader Training – Hispanic

Participants will survey and learn ways of interpreting New Testament writings, with an understanding that New Testament literature is written for new apostolic communities of faith, Christ’s commissioning of the Church, and the centrality of the trinity’s sending of the church to a missionary vocation. Instructor: Samuel Diaz.

(NOTE: To enroll in this course, you must first be a paid registrant in the overall program, “Initial Enrollment: Spanish Track Lay Leader Training.”)

Program fee: $50 residents in tri-presbytery (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia); $105 residents outside tri-presbytery; $80 each additional person from same presbytery, outside tri-presbytery. Textbooks are the student’s responsibility.

YMLI Theology & Polity: How Presbyterians Talk About God HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “YMLI Theology & Polity: How Presbyterians Talk About God,” Dec. 3-4, 2010. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available). If you have housing questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

Theology and Polity: How Presbyterians Talk About God (Youth Ministry Leadership Initiative)

Offered in conjunction with the Youth Ministry Leadership Initiative certificate program; all students welcome. We will begin by talking about theology using the lens of Chapter 2 of the Book of Order, looking at affirmations that Presbyterians share with other Christians, affirmations that are distinctive to Reformed Christians, and making reference to the Confessions in connection with these themes.  We will explore a couple of case studies on sacramental questions, which we hope will be informed by the Book of Order, the confessions, and elements of the sacramental study report "Invitation to Christ." 

Instructors: CTS assistant professor of theology Martha Moore-Keish and Sarah Erickson, director of lifelong learning. Neema Cyrus-Franklin, facilitator.

Pastoral Care (Workshop IV) (Immigrant Lay Leader Training – Hispanic)

This workshop is open to church elders, deacons, educators and other church leaders. Participants will focus on pastoral care as a tool given by God to God’s ministers and leaders to console, to teach, to exhort, and to build with love, humility, and mercy – with the guiding of the Holy Spirit, based on Scripture, in order to perfect the saints for the work of the ministry. Instructor: Nelson Donado.

(NOTE: To enroll in this course, you must first be a paid registrant in the overall program, “Initial Enrollment: Spanish Track Lay Leader Training.”)

Program fee: $50 residents in tri-presbytery (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee, Northeast Georgia); $105 residents outside tri-presbytery; $80 each additional person from same presbytery, outside tri-presbytery. Textbooks are the student’s responsibility.

Preaching: Dialogue on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation (January Seminars 2011)

Practicing what we preach is never easy. And preaching and teaching about peace, justice and reconciliation is especially challenging in today’s contentious climate. Come sit at the feet of James A. Forbes, Otis J. Moss, Jr., Anna Carter Florence, Joseph L. Roberts and others and recharge your batteries – refresh your perspective – and renew your energy for engaging in the practice of ministry. Dynamic lectures, inspiring worship and engaging workshops will provide opportunities to create our own dialogue and learn from and with others who share a commitment to the preaching life.

Instructor(s) Worship leaders/lecturers include James A. Forbes; Otis J. Moss, Jr.; Anna Carter-Florence; Joseph L. Roberts, Jr.; Pamela Cooper-White; Matthew Flemming; Marcia Riggs, others.

 

Preaching: Dialogue on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation (January Seminars 2011) HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, Preaching: Dialogue on Peace, Justice and Reconciliation (January Seminars 2011), January 25-27, 2011.

Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available).

If you have registration questions, call 404-687-4587 or email WyattA@CTSnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

 

Immersion Experience: An Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life (Certificate in Spiritual Formation)

This course will explore the origins of the Christian Spiritual Tradition. Participants will study the formative elements of Biblical Spirituality, Monastic Spirituality, and Reformed Spirituality. Participants will also have the opportunity for personal reflection through guided meditative journaling, exploring their own unique journey with the living God. Community and practical application of acquired knowledge are also part of this experience. This course is the starting place for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation. Students not enrolled in the Certificate in Spiritual Formation are welcome to join the class!

Immersion Experience HOUSING

Course description: To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “Immersion Experience,” January 27-30, 2011. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available). 

If you have registration questions, call 404-687-4587 or email WyattA@CTSnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

 

YMLI Know Where to Turn When the Youth Turn to You

The focus of this leadership retreat is on the care and nurture of the youth of your congregation as well as on your particular role as a caregiver to adolescents in crisis. General information about appropriate resources and practical advice about the mechanics of competent counseling with youth will be a major part of our discussions. A foundational concern will be the formation of a caring youth community that attends to the struggles and brokenness of its members by tending to their souls as well as the emotional wounds that accompany adolescence. Completion of pre-course work required.

Instructors: Dr. Skip A. Johnson, adjunct professor of pastoral theology and care. Facilitators Neema Cyrus-Franklin, Director of Youth Ministry, Presbytery of Greater Atlanta and Sarah Erickson, Director LLL.

YMLI Know Where to Turn When the Youth Turn to You HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “Know Where to Turn When the Youth Turn to You Feb. 18-19, 2011. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available).

If you have registrations questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@CTSnet.edu. CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

Certificate in Spiritual Formation: Pilgrimage to the Holy Land

Pilgrimage is one of the oldest and most important spiritual disciplines. The capstone of the Certificate Program in Spiritual Formation is a pilgrimage to the Holy land. Columbia Seminary will sponsor this journey from March 9-23, 2011. However the journey really begins on March 7 with Orientation in Atlanta. Everyone who signs up will be required to attend all sessions of orientation. We will leave as a group from Atlanta on March 9, 2011.

This once in a lifetime journey consists of 7 days in Galilee and 7 days in Jerusalem. The pilgrimage is designed for spiritual formation and renewal. We will make excursions from the hotels in the mornings, leaving the afternoons free for small groups, rest, journaling and worship. Academy Travel in Decatur will handle all your travel arrangements. There will be readings and orientation before the journey and reflection papers when we return. Remember, if you are doing this pilgrimage in order to graduate, you must complete all other certificate work 3 months prior to the departure date, December 7, 2010.

The cost of the Pilgrimage: $630 tuition plus your air travel from Atlanta to Tel Aviv.  The cost of orientation, hotels, transfers, meals, guides and ground transportation for this particular pilgrimage is supported through a generous grant made to Columbia Seminary. Participants in the program who need this pilgrimage to graduate will receive priority when registering. You will receive a personal email from Deedra Rich, the Program Coordinator, when you have been officially confirmed to go on the pilgrimage.

TO REGISTER: Submit an application form and $50 to the Center for Lifelong Learning. When you are accepted for the trip, we will notify you and the remainder of the tuition ($580) will be due immediately. We will post additional information on the CTS website as it becomes finalized.

Cut off date for registration: October 1, 2010

 

Writing as Spiritual Practice (Certificate in Spiritual Formation)

Course description: Writers write for all kinds of reasons: self-expression, communication with others, professional advancement, and extra income, among many others. In this course, participants will engage writing for the purposes of deepening the human spirit and noticing how the Holy Spirit works. While first person narrative (a.k.a. memoir) will be the primary focus of the course, you are welcome to bring work or work-in-progress in any prose genre including fiction, nonfiction essay, newspaper feature articles and editorials (please note that poetry and journal entries are not on this list). Your work will be shared with others, so please bring something you are willing for others to see and respond to. Our days together will include quiet time for writing, group work, brief lectures, long discussions, and worship. This course is part of the Certificate in Spiritual Formation. Participants who are not enrolled in the Certificate in Spiritual Formation are welcome to join the class! 

Instructor: Barbara Brown Taylor

 

Writing as Spiritual Practice HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “Writing as Spiritual Practice,” March 17-20, 2011. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available). 

If you have registration questions, call 404-687-4587 or email WyattA@CTSnet.edu.

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty. Ph. 404-687-4510.

 

Youth Ministry Leadership Initiative: The Big Three: Worship, Mission, and Fellowship

Offered in conjunction with the Youth Ministry Leadership certificate program; other participants welcome! How is youth ministry a way of life (besides the late night phone calls and explaining to your adult friends why you’re at a high school football game again on Friday night)? How are we participating in God’s mission? Where youth ministry and church meet up can often be fuzzy: Too often we mistake youth worship for a “program,” youth fellowship nights as recruitment opportunities, or youth mission trips as “annual” events. What if we learned how to discuss these theologically as we worked toward integrating them in ministry and in life? Join us for theological discussions, some embodied exercises, and imaginative dreaming about how to faithfully raise reformers (not reform-ed). Plus, we’ll share ways to for you to discuss your theological explorations “back home” with your supervising pastor. This course is based on the first and last chapters of the Directory for Worship in the PC(U.S.A.)’s Book of Order and will include readings and lessons from missional theology and the emerging church conversation. A preliminary reading assignment and participation in an invitation-only Facebook discussion group moderated by this year’s leader, Troy Bronsink, are part of the pre-course work.   

Instructors: Troy Bronsink; Facilitators Neema Cyrus-Franklin and Sarah Erickson

YMLI: The Big Three: Worship, Mission, and Fellowship HOUSING

To reserve a guest room, you must also register for the event itself, “YMLI The Big Three: Worship, Mission & Fellowship,” May 6-7 2011. Guest rooms for this event: $32 (per person per night, 2 people in room) OR $49 (per night, single occupancy - if available). If you have housing questions, call 404-687-4587 or email lifelonglearning@ctsnet.edu

CANCELLATION POLICY: If you must cancel your reservation, please notify the Business Office at least 48 hours prior to your schedule arrival to avoid a one-night penalty.Ph. 404-687-4510.