Lifelong Learning Events

Course Schedule

For more information about opportunities listed below, to register online, or to download a registration form, go to www.ctsnet.edu > Lifelong Learning > Courses and Events. Then click on the dates of the courses and events you wish to attend. You may also call the registrar, Pat Roper, at 404-687-4587, for more information or to register by phone. Unless otherwise noted, events take place on the seminary campus, in Decatur, GA. Some events listed below require registration through the Presbyterian Board of Pensions.

January 18–20 & January 21–23

January Adventures, at St. Simon’s Island—Spiritual Maturity in a Time of Christian Conflict and Change. Two identical sessions. Sponsored by the Cooperative Christian Fellowship of St. Simons. 1.0 CEUs available through Columbia Theological Seminary. Leaders: Barbara Brown Taylor; Walter Brueggemann. For information about program fee, registration, and housing: http://www.januaryadventure.org.

January 24–27

Immersion Experience: An Invitation to a Deeper Spiritual Life (Certificate in Spiritual Formation Weekend.) Explore the origins of the Christian spiritual tradition. Study formative elements of biblical, monastic, and Reformed spirituality. Includes personal reflection through guided meditative journaling, and exploring one’s own unique journey with the living God. The course is the starting place for the Certificate in Spiritual Formation and is also open to occasional students. Leaders: John Kloepfer. Program fee: $300.

January 28–30

Blurring the Boundaries: Preaching as Testimony. Leader: Anna Carter Florence, Associate Professor of Preaching and author of Preaching as Testimony. Program fee: $225 (includes two meals). A few spaces are available for a reduced fee of $100 for non-CTS seminary student enrolled in basic degree programs. A few free-admission spaces are available for CTS basic degree students, staff, and faculty. See article about book on p. 3, and article about event on p. 18.

January 31–February 2

Preaching in the Light of the Resurrection: The Lectionary Texts for Eastertide. (Participants in January Seminars may want to stay an extra day to attend this. Begins Thursday evening; concludes Friday at noon.) Designed primarily as preparation for preaching, but open to all. We will focus on the Gospel of John and 1 Peter. Leader: David Bartlett. Program fee: $60. Free admission (space permitting) for CTS faculty, staff, students, spouses.

February 7–10

Eastern Christian Spirituality (Certificate in Spiritual Formation Weekend). In this course we will seek to understand and engage elements of Eastern Christian spirituality, an embodied spirituality that must be learned in and from community. Together we will worship and experience Sunday liturgy with a nearby Orthodox community. Leader: V. Bruce Rigdon, an authority on Eastern Orthodoxy. Program fee: $250. See story p. 18.

February 26–28

Learning Together in Ministry conference for CTS classes of 2004, 2005 and 2006. Designed for chaplains, pastors, associate pastors, campus ministers, and validated ministry workers engaged in first/early call ministry. To apply, e-mail the following information to EricksonS@ctsnet.edu: your name, church, address, daytime phone, e-mail address, and a brief answer to two questions: 1) What are some of the most important ministry concerns and needs you have discovered in the time since you graduated from Columbia? 2) Why would you like to participate in Learning Together in Ministry? Deadline: February 1. Program fee, lodging, meals provided. Cost to participants: transportation.

March 7–8

Big Three: Worship, Mission and Fellowship (A Youth Leadership Ministry Initiative [YMLI] course.) This weekend will focus on the worship, mission and fellowship aspects of youth ministry. Leader: Troy Bronsink, experienced youth/young adult pastor and worship leader. Facilitators: Neema Cyrus-Franklin; Sarah Erickson. Program fee $150 (includes two meals).

March 9–14

Spiritualities of Creation: Knowing God and Self in a Broken World (Certificate in Spiritual Formation). Look at the ways the Old Testament deals with creation, particularly in light of our broken world, a world that cries out for restoration and renewal. We will explore texts from Genesis to the Psalms —theologically, ecologically, and experientially. An opportunity to develop your own spirituality of creation in conversation with the texts and with each other. Mary Logan will lead contemplative workshops on the themes of Creation. Leader: Bill Brown. Program fee: $350.

March 27–30

Group Spiritual Guidance (Certificate in Spiritual Formation) In a structured process developed by Lisa Myers and Judy Durff, explore and experience a way of being together in covenanted group community. Anchored in scripture using lectio divina; silence using a structured, facilitated process; prayer both silent and spoken, and listening to self and one another to hear what God might be speaking into the community and into us. Leader: Judy Durff, Presbyterian pastor and leader of group spiritual guidance. Program fee: $250.

April 4–5

The Christian Funeral: Changing Culture, Changing Practice. In this Friday evening and Saturday morning workshop, we will explore the meanings and implications of changes in how our culture ritualizes death. Through lectures, discussions and workshop exercises, we will examine such topics as the impact of the funeral industry, the rise of cremation, the emergence of “open mike” services, changing attitudes toward the body, funeral sermons, and the goals of a “good” funeral. Leader: Tom Long. Program Fee: $100.

April 6–10

Contemplative Retreat for Women. This week offers what many women long for: rest, renewal, and quiet refreshment; spiritual discipline and inspiration; relaxation in a beautiful outdoor setting; the opportunity to restore a sense of inner peace and serenity in a quiet and unhurried atmosphere. Location: Benedictine Spirituality and Conference Center, Sacred Heart Monastery, Cullman, AL. Registrations should be received before March 28th. Cullman, AL is centrally located between Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama. Leader: Rev. Carol Byrd (CTS ’88, D.Min. ’02). Byrd, a pastoral counselor and Fellow in the American Association of Pastoral Counselors, has served churches in Ohio, North Carolina and Alabama. She is also a Benedictine oblate affiliated with Sacred Heart Monastery. Program fee: $275 (includes housing in a single room and all meals)

April 10–13

God’s Encircling: Celtic Christianity (Certificate in Spiritual Formation) At Montreat Conference Center. Montreat, NC. Things “Celtic” are very popular today. How can we know how to find authentic tradition amidst a lot of creative invention? This course will focus on writings and artwork that truly reflect the rich beliefs of Christians living in early Scotland, Ireland, and other Celtic lands, including St. Patrick, lesser known great saints of the Celtic Christian Tradition, and those beyond the “golden age of saints” (5th to 9th centuries). This course will provide information and experiences to determine for yourself the meaning of ancient Celtic traditions, their contemporary echoes, and their relevance for our spiritual journeys. Leader: Laura Sugg. Program Fee: $378.