Engage 2023 Breakout Topics
Join with others from across the church and the country as we dive into topics shaping our daily mission.
Dwight
Radcliff
The Mission of God and Engaging with Others [M1]
The missio Dei demands engagement with others. Whether you are at home or abroad, the mission of God calls us to be like Jesus; incarnated Word of God interacting with all people by God's Spirit for the sake of God's Kingdom. How do we enter into the worlds of others with care, concern, and humility? In his breakout session Dr. Dwight Radcliff will help us to so enter.
Felicia
Song
Living in the Digital Age [M2]
What is the Good News for a culture driven by the promises of productivity and digital technologies? For many, living in a digitally saturated society means that we are being daily trained into seeing life in terms of relentless scarcity rather than grace-filled abundance. This breakout session will examine how our contemporary digital practices function as “liturgy” that form our lives away from the Kingdom of God and suggest how Christian witness today can be rooted in a journey towards freedom in our relationships with our digital devices.
Sean
Chow
The Theology of Walking – Part 1 [M3]
If we're interested in really serving our neighborhoods in Christ's name, it makes sense for us--as individuals and as churches--to get to know our contexts in more authentic ways than our usual patterns of life allow. The morning and afternoon sessions of this breakout will offer some tools for doing that. In the morning, we'll hear from Rev. Dr. Sean Chow, who has done a lot of work on exactly this question of missional/contextual engagement.
Paul
Jensen
Engaging a Spirituality of Being Sent [A1]
What calling have we sensed for the mission to which God is sending us? Are we in a fog regarding that calling or burned out in it? Do we sense God might want to send us to care for surprising new people and give us fresh unexpected tasks? Do we feel a healthy inadequacy in whatever call we may sense and are we practicing healthy rhythms of rest and engagement in mission?
Central Question: What kind of spirituality helps us hear God's sending and empowers us in it?
Dr. Paul Jensen will help us engage a Gospel text through lectio divina (lit. divine word) so that we actually listen to Jesus and how he might be sending us afresh into God's mission. We will discern what God may be inviting us to or giving us for that mission. We may see how this connects to our deepest passions and convictions. A list of resources - blogs, websites, articles, books, etc. - on spiritual formation in mission will be provided.
Lena
Giffoni
God’s God’s Presence in Ukraine [A2]
Pastor Mikhail Smiyun is unable to lead the breakout session on Ukraine. An excellent substitute has emerged. Lena Giffoni emigrated from Ukraine over 20 years ago. She now leads remote Bible studies for Russian-speaking Ukrainians from her home in Ventura County. With her pastor, Tom Stephen of Monte Vista Presbyterian Church, she will lead a session on God's presence in Ukraine. They will share stories from churches and ministries who are working in Ukraine now.
DJ
Johnsen
The Theology of Walking – Part 2 [A3]
If we're interested in really serving our neighborhoods in Christ's name, it makes sense for us--as individuals and as churches--to get to know our contexts in more authentic ways than our usual patterns of life allow. The morning and afternoon sessions of this breakout will offer some tools for doing that. In the afternoon, we'll hear about one example of the kind of engagement that Sean Chow describes: a walking experiment in the neighborhoods of Santa Barbara lead by DJ Johnsen and other leaders.