M1 Truly and Fully Human

In this breakout session we will be exploring together the spiritual exercise of the Examen. The practice of the Examen is rooted in the assumption that God speaks to us through our deep desires and feelings. Learning to pay attention to and discern the spiritual wisdom of our emotions is not something most Christian communities have emphasized.  Fully human spirituality incorporates not just our beliefs and our actions, but our deepest emotions as well. To be effective in reconciliation we must begin with spiritual formation. Laura Harbert will lead this session.

M2 How Do We Become Reconcilers? It Begins with Empathy

How do we show hospitality and love while firmly rejecting the evil systems and structures in our world today? How do we come together across lines of difference to create positive change when our society is so deeply and toxically polarized? The answer is Empathy! More specifically, the “way of empathy.” The way of empathy is a strategic way of thinking and doing that is rooted in Jesus’ earthly ministry and the teachings of Scripture. It is a radical rejection of and rebellion against the divisive powers of our world. Whether your challenge is to unify a community or group, build a collaborative team, or simply position yourself to better navigate our increasingly and politically polarized culture, learning the way of empathy is a vital first step.

M3 Racial Reconciliation, an Incarnational Approach

We all stood witness to the events of Summer 2020 that caused a national outcry for racial justice in the United States. Many companies, churches, and individuals recognized the need to publicly denounce racism and began the work of seeking out consultation and education to become actively anti-racist. But for many people, the work of rooting out racism stopped at the conceptual level with books, podcasts, movies, and other media. Where do we go from here? How can we embody our call to be reconcilers? Dr. Dwight Radcliff of Fuller Seminary will teach us how we can turn our knowledge into a lived, incarnational experience through missional practices in our neighborhoods and churches.

Optional - Giving our Faith Some Feet, a Lunchtime Prayer Walk in Downtown SB

Mike Harbert and DJ Johnsen will lead a prayer walk during our lunch hour in the historic district of downtown Santa Barbara. Our purpose will be to engage in a process of bringing God's blessing to the people and places of Santa Barbara as we walk the streets. We will seek to be led by God's Spirit in the same way Jesus and His first disciples were led--sharing the gifts that God longs to give through a Spirit-led prayerful process.

Leaders
Mike Harbert, DJ Johnsen

A1 Worship as Resistance and Renewal

We are experiencing some traumatic times in our generation. Collective, personal, racial, generational trauma is impacting our encounter of God. There is not an easy quick answer to the pain and brokenness of the world, but we can create spaces that invite us to stillness, emptying, and perseverance. What personal worship practices are important to lean into lament and long for hope? How might we intentionally invite others to worship in the midst of chaos and unrest?  Sandra Van Opstal has spent the last two decades trying to re-imagine worship practices that honor, acknowledge, and embody the experiences of the global body of Christ. Let’s imagine worship practices that name the chaos and create space for our longing.

Speaker
Sandra Van Opstal

A2 Before Reconciliation Comes Conflict: Reasonable Hostility and Agonistic Dialogue

We pray for peace, yet we experience conflicts that ruin families, divide churches, engulf communities, and drag nations to war. How do we work for reconciliation in the face of radical disagreement? We might try to ignore a conflict, or naïvely hope the conflict will magically resolve itself, or build a coalition (or army) and steamroll the opposition. These strategies sometimes buy us time or create a false sense of peace, but sooner or later the underlying issues resurface. How might Christians directly engage conflicts that divide us? In this session, Deborah Dunn suggests we engage conflict via agonistic dialogue, starting with small steps toward listening and speaking from one’s narrative ground, allowing ourselves and others to express anger against injustice, bearing witness to the lived experience of others, and engaging in shared deeds of reconciliation to build trust, however fragile.

Speaker
Deborah Dunn

A3 The Haves and the Have-nots

As America becomes more diverse and economically bifurcated, making meaningful connections grows more elusive. When it comes to poverty, most of us are not equipped to bridge the relational divide between those who have and those who don’t. Think Tank’s work is guided by practices essential for any poverty-focused program or ministry that seeks to have lasting results. Their program, ACTS, is a faith-based approach to alleviating material poverty through a ministry framework. The ministry is based on reframing our understanding of poverty and reshaping our approach to serving people in poverty. It is committed to restoring communities to abundance. This interactive virtual breakout session by Think Tank, Inc. will be co-led by people who have been restored spiritually, emotionally, and are now economically stable. It will provide strategies for putting your faith, or the aspirations of your church, into action.