Ecumenical Women’s Gathering
June 18-22, 2008

Workshop Opportunities

The following workshops will be offered during Gathering 08 as timely topics in today’s society and will equip participants with information, skills, resources and networks to be agents of change with regard to these issues. It must be noted however that the perspectives shared will be those of the presenters and may or may not reflect the positions of Church Women United.

Workshops have been grouped into 5 categories: Peace and Justice; Health and Wholeness; Diversity and Human Rights; Spirituality; Leadership and Church Women United.

Peace and Justice

1. Is Religion Part of the Solution or Part of the Problem? A View from the United Nations The impact of religion in the United Nations Gillian Sorenson featured presenter.

2. Progress for Children: Water and Sanitation UNICEF’s Senior Advisor to Water/Environment/Sanitation Section will focus on the effect of unsafe drinking water and lack of effective sanitation facilities on families in developing nations and UNICEF’s programs and interventions. Theresa Dooley featured presenter.

3. Do You Know My Story? Biblical Women Survivors of Violence Lessons which can be drawn from Biblical women who survived abuse. Rev. Dr. Marie Fortune featured presenter.

4. Helping Children around the World by Learning about UNICEF. Learn about and receive samples of free educational materials, empowerment guides and take-action initiatives that can be used with children, youth groups, after school programs, etc. UNICEF and the Director of Non Governmental Organizations

5. Building a Country Fit for All Children Strategies and tools to engage local units and church congregations in building the blessed community so that all children in America can reach their God-given potential. Children’s Defense Fund

6. Planning a Children’s Sabbath Explore how congregations can plan special worship services, education programs and congregational service and advocacy activities to seek justice for children in areas such as access to health care, adequate food and housing, etc. Children’s Defense Fund

7. Have Faith, End Hunger Practical advocacy tools, creative ideas and knowledge that will help you lead your church in the fight to end hunger and poverty. Bread for the World

8. Women and Water Water will be the lens to explore problems and solutions related to the effects of globalization and poverty on women. Church World Service

9. Combating Poverty: Innovation and the Power of Women Creating economic stability for women and families is critical to ensuring equity and safety in our world. Real ways to fight poverty and attract new women into your economic justice service programs. Women’s Funding Network

10. The Great American Pie: Our Money, Our Priorities Hands-on look at: (1) Federal budget basics (calendar, committees, terminology); (2) how the Federal budget pie is sliced, i.e. budget priorities; (3) military spending; and (4) opportunities to work together for change. Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND)

11. Faith Seeking Peace: A Curriculum for Christian Study, Reflection and Action Receive a set of study guides and facilitator guides placing Biblical texts in conversation with Federal budget priorities and the issues facing our nation. Women’s Action for New Directions (WAND)

12. My Sister’s Keeper: Envisioning a Global Peace Initiative Profile of women’s organizations engaged in peace work with a focus on the current Middle East situation. Learn strategies for women to collectively address conflict and violence in our world.

13. The Three Faces of Trafficking: (1) Trafficking in Developing Countries (2) International trafficking and (3) Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of US under-aged children

14. Abolition Churches Come and learn how to engage your local church in the work of abolishing modern day slavery. Get ideas for potential projects and events. Sally Rymer featured presenter

15. Engaging Teens in Abolition Teenage abolitionist will explain how teens can engage themselves in the fight for justice for those engaged in modern day slavery. Sally Rymer featured presenter

16. Looking beneath the Surface: an American Teen’s Story of Modern Day Slavery. How her faith healed her from the trauma of being trafficked.

17. What in the World Can My Church Do About Sex Trafficking? Learn concrete ways to minister to the victims of prostitution.

18. Spirituality and the Domestically Abused Woman A discussion of the influences of spirituality on domestically abused women, both positive and negative.

19. From the Treetop to the Table Top Explore the principles, practices and processes of Restorative Justice.

20. Faith and Fair Trade. Ways you can include fair trade in your daily life and work in partnership with disadvantaged artisans and farmers around the world. A Greater Gift (formerly SERRV)

21. Peace Out: Peace Skills for Families Learn six different modules of family activities that can be adapted to many settings including, school classrooms.

22. Internet Safety. Learn the risks for kids online and how kids and parents can avoid them. Special Agent FBI

23. Women and Conflict. How culture and faith traditions have impacted our responses in personal and group conflict situations and what alternatives there are.

24. Immigrant Healthcare Justice. Churches, universities and healthcare systems can band together to assure access to affordable and equitable healthcare for all.

Health and Wholeness

25. Mindful Living: Healthy Churches, Healthy People, Healthy Planet. Explore the challenges and solutions to toxic trespassers in our homes, communities, and world. National Council of Churches Eco-Justice Programs

26. Caring for God’s Creation: Our Environmental Mission How we as individuals and as a group can make a difference for the sake of our earth.

27. Understanding Aging Whether you are ministering to an aging population or dealing with your own issues of aging--resources will be provided along with experience tips and new insights.

28. Surviving Breast Cancer with Faith and Support Sharing our story, resources, current information and engaging in a special worship experience.

29. HIV/AIDS Understand the trends nationally and globally, examine the consequences for children and families and learn strategies being used to stem the tide. Health Department

30. Good Grief! Everything you’re dying to know about Hospice.

31. Keeping it together in a Pull-Apart World Practical suggestions to empower you to work through the stresses of daily life and focus on what matters most.

32. Moving Into Stillness Move! Stretch! Breathe! Relax! Experience God’s Spirit through the joy of movement and through the gift of stillness.

33. Be Still and Know…Deep Peace Based on the ancient practice of Yoga Nidra, learn this peaceful practice.

Human Rights and Diversity

34. Human Race/Holy Race: The Gift and Challenge of Race Relations in the 21st Century. The central dynamics of “race” as it affects the work of women, church leaders, interfaith relationships and public events, US societal arrangements and outreach mission trips.

35. Diversity of Faith Groups: How to Find and Understand the Diversity of Your Community

36. Lepers, Harlots and Tax Collectors: An Introduction to the Welcoming Church Movement. Learn ways that churches have become welcoming and affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender members and their families and have worked to change policies toward full inclusion. Institute of Welcoming Resources

Spirituality

37. Asian Women’s Spirituality: a participatory sharing in eastern meditative exercise, community building and prayer for justice, peace, and reconciliation. Fellowship of the Least Coin

38. Images of God A hands-on look through the Bible and how our individual histories and faith traditions have influenced our spiritual and prayer life and our language.

39. Sarah and Hagar: Transforming our Spiritual Identity and Destiny as Women of Faith.

40. Hearing, Seeing and Experiencing the Voice of God: Discover ways that we can experience the presence of God through our physical, emotional and spiritual senses.

41. Bible Meets Broadway: A New Vision of Women in the Bible. Through the original and adapted lyrics of Broadway Shows, gain a new understanding of the “good girls” and “bad girls” of the Bible.

42. Sharing Food: Christian Practices for a Just and Healthy Life. Our eating practices are both spiritually and morally important. Let us continue Jesus’ tradition of feeding the hungry both in spirit and in body.

43. Aging and Spirituality: the Upper Room for Our Upper Years. Aging is a spiritual journey. Find the resources to foster ministry and receive the gifts of this precious population.

44. Celtic Christian Spirituality for Today’s World. Explore the spiritual practices of Christian Mystics and be inspired to a new commitment to prayer, justice and peace.

Leadership and Church Women United

45. Something to Crow About: CWU 101: Where we came from, who we are and will be, our common goals, our passions. Bring along new leaders for the future. Share your stories and questions.

46. How and Why We Celebrate! An inside look at how materials and themes for celebrations are developed, along with tips on how to use the resources to create a successful CWU Celebration. Ask questions and share ideas. National Ecumenical Celebrations Committee

47. Advocacy: Cooperating with the Angels and CWU Social Policies: the Faithful Journey CWU Social Policies Special focus on advocacy for ratification of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
CWU Action/Global Concerns Committee and CWU Legislative Office, Washington DC

48. Seeding Sisterhood: How to hear the voices of younger women and engage them in meaningful dialogue.

49. Building Bridges: How to create ecumenical programming for teenagers within the framework of CWU.

50. Inspired Philanthropy: Creating a Giving Plan and Leaving a Legacy Strategically plan for the future by aligning and integrating your values, passions and dreams into your giving plan.

51. To Be Or Not To Be: That is the Question: A conversation about organizational viability. Is your unit growing, stagnating, or in the throes of death? Come develop strategies to claim a new vision.

52. Servant Leadership: A Journey Down to Greatness. A Bible Study relevant to the characteristics of servant leadership.

53. Join the Ribbon of Tangible Hope—From Raw Material to the Streets A show and tell of the history, designing and making of the ribbons and the venues where they have been displayed.

54. Fundamental Communications in a Technical Age A demonstration and some hands-on experiences with basic computer skills.

55. Web Page Development for State Units Learn from a state unit that has recently accomplished this.

56. Speaking with Compassion. Explore and practice the concepts of non-violent communication that can lead toward reconciliation.