Sunday, March 3, 2024, 4:00-7:30pm
Keynote Speaker and Facilitator: Rev. Joy Fenton-Jones
Rev. Joy Fenton-Jones is an Authorized Minister in the United Church of Christ and a creative thinker about how congregations and their buildings may best serve the community. She serves two churches (DOC/UCC) in Cuyahoga Falls and devotes much time to navigating creative building reuse and church building redevelopment projects with congregations around Greater Cleveland and Akron.
Each one of us desires to make positive change. Whether in our personal lives, in our churches, or in the wider community, we want to leave circumstances better than we have found them. The biblical witness affirms this story: ordinary people, called by God, are catalysts for realizing God's Kingdom right in their own neighborhoods. Using the tools of grassroots organizing, this seminar will make the case that with God's help and the partnership of our neighbors, we can participate in the transformation of our churches, our neighborhoods and the broader community. We will discover and practice the art of relational meetings; we will unearth the power of community listening; and we will develop a toolkit for breaking down seemingly intractable problems into manageable tasks. This seminar will draw on the work of Robert Linthicum's book,“Transforming Power: Biblical Strategies for Making a Difference in Your Community,” and will also include the voices of interfaith community leaders and organizers from Cleveland and Cuyahoga County.
On March 3, there are two ways to attend: in person, meal provided, at RRUMC or on Zoom, with breakout discussion groups and a break. There is no cost to attend. Registration opens in mid-January online. Questions? Contact cavicchichristianed@gmail.com.