Upcoming FaithLife Connection Events Across Local Regions

Tulsa, Okla., September 4, 2012 – A new topical, weekend lecture series titled FaithLife Connections (FLC), will begin across five Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) covenant regions this fall.  Created by Phillips Theological Seminary, this workshops series program, featuring PTS faculty members, will bring topics of relevance and interest to local communities for understanding and conversation. 

“Persons seeking to follow the way of Jesus in today’s world face profound challenges. At PTS, we believe that faculty and students – including both laity and clergy – should seek to understand the challenges, to relate resources from Christian traditions to develop creative, hopeful individual and communal strategies for ways in which Christians could respond to those issues. PTS has developed FLC to reach out to people of faith who seek similar ends,” said John Imbler, Coordinator of FLC.

Designed to run for three years, seminary faculty with topics of expertise and interest, will rotate to participating congregations so seven different topics will be discussed over the course of the program.  FLC will be hosted by seven congregations in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) covenant regions, those include: Denver, CO; Columbia, MO; Wichita, KS; Kansas City, MO; Fayetteville, AR; Edmond, OK; and Tulsa, OK.  Within the three year span, a congregation will host a weekend event twice a year, once in the fall and once in the spring. 

A PTS faculty member will make a presentation on Friday night, a second presentation on Saturday morning, and then lead a local panel on responses and perspectives along with conversations from the attendees.  After lunch together, a training session will be held for those interested in teaching or leading study groups including offering recommendations on materials and resources. The program is intended to be ecumenically and multi-faith oriented.

Upcoming FaithLife Connection events include:

• September 14-15 at Broadway Christian Church in Columbia, MO – Presenter: Dr. Lisa Wilson Davison; Topic: Keepers of the Covenant: Women of the Hebrew Bible. (2601 W. Broadway, Columbia, MO 65203)

• September 28-29 at Hillside Christian Church in Wichita, KS – Presenter: Susanna Southard; Topic: Cycling the Seasons of the Five Festival Scrolls: Songs of the Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes, Esther. (8330 E. Douglas, Wichita, KS 67206)

• September 28-29 at Southern Hills Christian Church in Edmond, OK – Presenter: Dr. Mindy McGarrah Sharp; Topic: Sustainable Faith: Communities of Care in a World Under Stress. (3207 S. Boulevard, Edmond, OK 73013)

• September 28-29 at Community Christian Church in Kansas City, MO – Presenter: Dr. Nancy Claire Pittman; Topic: Revelation for the Rest of Us. (4601 Main St., Kansas City, MO 64112)

• September 28-29 at Yale Avenue Christian Church in Tulsa, OK – Presenter: Dr. Sarah Morice Brubaker, Topic: What is the Good Life? How Christianity Informs and Sustains It. (3616 S. Yale Ave., Tulsa, OK 74135)

• October 5-6 at First Christian Church in Fayetteville, AR – Presenter: Dr. Richard Ward, Topic: Enabling the Word in Work and Worship. (220 N. College Ave., Fayetteville, AR 72701)

• October 12-13 at South Broadway Christian Church in Denver, CO – Presenter: Dr. Joe Bessler, Topic: Religion and Politics. (23 Lincoln St., Denver, CO 80203)

About PTS
Established in 1907, Phillips Theological Seminary is dedicated to learning the way of Jesus in order to cultivate vital communities, vital conversations, and the public good.  Affiliated with the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), Phillips provides an ecumenical education, with students representing more than 20 denominations.  The mission of PTS is to learn and teach how to be: attentive to God; responsible biblical and theological interpreters; faithful individuals and communities acting with God to transform the world. In addition to serving the church’s need for an educated ministry, the seminary also welcomes students who are not pursuing ministerial degrees but who want to explore their faith through courses in the curriculum and through programs designed for larger publics.  www.ptstulsa.edu.

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