Workshops

Join us as we learn and grow together and walk in the way of insight.

One of the highlights of any EEWC conference is the chance for participants to learn from a diverse group of presenters in small group situations.

Confirmed Workshops

Sister Mary Baird & Janet Lundblad

Conversations About Sacred Longings and Radiating Possibilities

What do you really want? Participants in workshop will be encouraged to get in touch with their deepest desires and re-instill a spiritual quest as an element in the transformation of desire lived out in Christian community.

Sister Mary Baird, PHJC and Janet Lundblad are committed to helping all people realize their deepest desires. Mary has touched numerous lives at many levels as a Catholic Sister of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ. Janet, an ordained pastor in the Evangelical Covenant Church, now serves as a chaplain in a Catholic hospital in the Chicago. She became acquainted with EEWC through friends in Daughters of Sarah.

Mary Bell

Dancing to the Table

Dance can be an expression of prayer and worship. Experience holy movement in this workshop by learning characteristics of liturgical dance incorporating our conference theme - A Place at the Table.

Mary Bell has a BA in dance from Butler University. She choreographs and dances in the liturgical dance medium in Indianapolis. Her gifts and creative abilities are highlighted in the book Praising God Through the Lively Arts.

Helen Claire Ferguson, M. Div, LMHC

Drumming From the Heart with Body and Soul

Come and join the fun that will surely prove to be a meeting with the Sacred as we drum together! This workshop will offer a little history of drumming, a description of styles of drumming, examples of various instruments used in drumming, and an explanation of how this art expression may enrich your life. If you have your own drum, rattles or bells, please bring them with you!

Helen Claire Ferguson, M. Div, LMHC, was a member of an informal drumming circle for nearly ten years and sometimes uses drumming in her work as a licensed mental health counselor.

Sarah Forth, Ph.D.

God, Gods, & Goddesses

What's behind the Hebrew Bible's models of God? Together we will discover this answer including how the Israelites borrowed liberally from their polytheistic neighbors as they struggled to express their monotheistic faith. By knowing this history, participants will feel freer to draw upon the deep wellsprings of their own experience in re-conceiving and drawing closer to their God.

Sarah Forth, Ph.D. earned her doctorate in theology in a joint program at Northwestern University and Garrett Seminary, and is currently a university lecturer in religion and women's studies. She is the author of Eve's Bible: A Women's Guide to the Old Testament.

Dorothy Gerner

Can There Be Peace Between Israel and Palestine? Is There a Role for U.S. Citizens?

The turmoil in the Middle East is complex and often seems overwhelming. Yet, there is a Prince of Peace. Together we will explore the history, root causes, and present obstacles to peace. We will gain an understanding of what needs to happen if peace is to come and learn what our own roles can be in this hopeful process.

Dorothy Gerner is a longtime peace and social justice activist. She serves as a retired Diaconal Minister of the South Indiana United Methodist Conference. She worked closely with her late husband, Henry Gerner, Th.D. who served as president of Christians for Peace and Justice in the Middle East.

Phil Gulley

Living in Harmony

Meet with one of our keynote speakers, Phil Gulley, in this lively workshop as he shares his experiences with faith, fiction, storytelling, publishing and of course, life in Harmony.

Author and pastor Phil Gully's books include If Grace Is True: Why God Will Save Every Person and If God Is Love: Rediscovering Grace in an Ungracious World (coauthored with James Mulholland), and the popular Harmony series of novels. His show "Porch Talk with Phil Gulley" won an Emmy award and can be seen on the Indiana PBS affiliate WFYI.

Jennifer Halterman-Schrock, M.Div

Just Eating: Practicing our Faith at the Table

There is more to eating than a full stomach. Topics discussed in this workshop include food sharing as sacrament hunger food and the environment creating community with food food to nurture the body

Leave with a grab bag of ideas that can help a congregation, women's group or supper club discern God's call to action and think more deeply about the faith related to food.

Jennifer Halterman-Schrock, M.Div. coordinates public programs for Merry Lea Environmental Learning Center of Goshen College, a natural sanctuary guided by a Christian theology of earthkeeping. She is former English teacher and a freelance writer and editor.

Merri Leffel, M.S.

Exploring and Experiencing the Practice of Meditation: Sitting in Silence

Our busy, noisy lives often shut out the peaceful voice of God. This workshop offers concise instruction and enlightening discussion regarding the practice of meditation including an optional participation in a 20-minute session of sitting in silence.

Merri Leffel, M.S. has a Master's degree in counseling and has a private practice in Zionsville, IN. She is a member of the World Community of Christian Meditation an organization committed to teaching meditation and restoring the contemplation dimension of Christian faith in the life of the church.

Carrie Newcomer

Writing Mindfully: Exploring the Sacred Ordinary with Creative Writing

In addition to her Saturday evening concert, Carrie Newcomer will present a workshop for songwriters, poetry and prose writers of all experience levels who are all welcome to explore writing with a spiritual current. This workshop will focus on the power, value and healing in telling our stories from our authentic voice and experience.

Musician and songwriter Carrie Newcomer has led workshops across the country. Coming from a rich and creative discipline, Carrie has released nine critically acclaimed recordings, performed throughout the United States and Europe, and earned a BA in fine art and education. Carrie has facilitated workshops and been artist-in-residence within the public schools, at various colleges and spiritual retreat centers. She is an activist and a Quaker.

Visit Carrie's website by clicking here.

Beverly Jane Phillips

Learning a New Language: Speech About Women and God

Discover the history of how and why feminine language for God was deemed inappropriate. Find out how the names we use for God are metaphors. We will learn a wide range of names for God that give value to women, children, and the environment - something that is denied when exclusively male language is used for God.

Beverly Jane Phillips is a retired Minister of Word and Sacrament in the Presbyterian Church (USA). She is a graduate of Hastings College and San Francisco Theological Seminary. She was ordained to the position of Hunger Action Enabler for the Presbytery of Chicago and later served as an organizer for Bread for the World. She is the author of Learning a New Language: Speech About Women and God.

Nicole Sotelo, M. Div.

Healing Ourselves to Heal the World

This revealing workshop will look at and heal the wounds we have received from abuse in order to become better healers/advocates for justice within our churches. We will learn the stages of healing through a faith and feminist lens. This workshop will also be helpful for those who minister to women healing from abuse.

Nicole Sotelo, M. Div. is a writer and speaker on the topic of faith and the healing journey. She holds a BA in Religion and Literature from Wellesley College and a M. Div. from Harvard Divinity School. She is the author of The Hidden Wars: Just War Theory and Domestic Violence and Women Healing from Abuse: Meditations for Finding Peace.

Nancy Wilson

What's on the Table? Setting an Agenda for Women and the Future of "Church"

At this workshop, join one of our keynote speakers, Reverend Elder Nancy L. Wilson - who will also give the sermon at our Sunday worship - as we contemplate together what the next 20 to 40 years will be like in the world. How will this impact women who identify as Christian and who are part of the "church?" What will our future focus need to be?

Rev. Wilson was elected to the position of Moderator of MCC in 2005. Her published works include: Our Tribe: Queer Folks, God, Jesus and the Bible, with Fr. Malcolm Boyd, and Amazing Grace. She is a popular preacher and speaker; has been honored with the first "Lazarus Award" from the Presbyterian Church.