District Potluck --- April 25, 2015

Imagining the Image of God
District Potluck --- April 25, 2015

Naperville Church of the Brethren
1020 W Jefferson, Naperville, IL 60540
9:30 a.m. – 3:15 p.m.

Worship * Workshops * Fellowship * Food

Schedule
8:30 – 9:30 -------------- Registration & Fellowship
9:30 – 10:15 ------------ Opening Worship (childcare will be available during sessions)
10:15 – 11:45 ---------- Workshop Session 1 – See next page for choices
12:00 – 1:00 ----------- Potluck Lunch and Fellowship
1:00 – 2:30 ------------- Workshop Session 2 – See next page for choices
2:30 – 3:15-------------- Closing Worship

Registration Fee - $10.00, max $20 per family, but no one will be turned away. Registration deadline is April 9.
Childcare will be provided for infants and toddlers. Sessions for elementary age children will also be provided. A field trip to Fermi Lab has been arranged for Middle School Students grades 6-8. Pre registration is necessary to secure a tour.
High School youth are encouraged to participate in workshops.

Each person should bring a potluck dish to enjoy with others from across the district. Drinks and table service will be provided.

Plan now to attend this exciting event. Share this information with others in your church.

Come enjoy time with sisters and brothers from across the district!!!!!!

This one-day event has been planned by your District Deacons on behalf of the Leadership Team of the District.

Please complete the bottom portion, detach, and return with the registration fee to the District Office at 269 E. Chestnut St., Canton, IL 61520. Make checks payable to the District of IL/WI. NOTE: If you know how many are planning to attend from your congregation but are unsure of who, please return the form with the name of the congregation and the number attending. This will help us plan for the day.

Thank you.

We look forward to seeing you and visiting on Saturday, April 25, 2015, at Naperville COB

Josh Brockway

Joshua Brockway serves as director for spiritual life and discipleship for the Church of the Brethren. As part of Congregational Life Ministries, he oversees a network of around 60 spiritual directors in the Church of the Brethren and interprets the Ethics for Congregations statement of Annual Conference. The remainder of his work focuses on the practices of the Christian life, including engagement with scripture, resourcing worship, and exploring ways Brethren can minister in the world around them. He often writes for Messenger and other denominational publications and has come to be known as the guy who broke the clay pot at National Youth Conference. In his time off, Joshua is completing his doctorate in early church history. Most of all, he and his wife have four fantastic children.

Morning Session: Deacons and the Ministry of Reconciliation
Afternoon Session: Prayer and the Life of the Deacon

Mandy Garcia

Mandy Garcia holds a degree in Worship Arts from Judson University and is passionate about using her education, gifts, and communication skills to serve the Church in a variety of ways. Mandy has most recently served as associate director of Donor Communications for the Church of the Brethren where, among other duties, she revamped a popular e-newsletter, launched the COB Instagram account, and acted as an administrator for denominational Twitter and Facebook accounts. She has led workshops about different aspects of social media at National Youth Conference and Church Planting Conference, and is excited to discuss a fresh angle of this popular topic. Mandy currently works as a freelance writer and designer and writes “Simple Living,” a monthly column featured in Messenger magazine. She is an active member of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church and lives with her husband, Dan, in Elgin, IL

Morning and Afternoon session: God's profile pic: Social media is often used to project an ideal image of ourselves into the world for others to see, but what if we re-imagined it as a tool to better imagine God--to project an image of our Creator instead of ourselves? Let’s explore how our faith might influence our use of social media and technology, and how social media might be used to bring new understanding to our faith, community, and ourselves as imagers of a beautiful God.

Peg Lehman

Peg Lehman has a long career as a folk singer, recording artist, workshop leader, and music educator. An accomplished autoharp & dulcimer player, she is known for her expressive voice and ability to engage audiences of all ages. Since 1997 she has been a featured performer at the annual Song and Story Fest. For nine years Peg was a Ravinia Festival teaching artist, partnering with teachers to create music residencies at inner city Chicago Public Schools. Peg has lived in Elgin for more than 40 years and been an active, long-time member of the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren. In 2001 she was honored with a Partner in Peace award for her volunteer work at Elgin’s Community Crisis Center. As a native New Yorker, Peg now enjoys leading small groups of women on a unique 5-day New York Adventure, a tailor-made, cultural and educational tour of New York City.

Morning Session:The Light of Love – lively songs that engage you, make you smile, inspire you to reflect on life and faith, and invite you to sing along and even dance a peace round.

Jim Lehman

Jim Lehman has been a writer since the mid-1970s, writing the anecdotal history, The Old Brethren, which was revised and expanded in 2008, producing a Dickensian 18-installment serialized novel sold by subscription, traveling across the country and the world scripting and producing audio-visuals, doing a weekly newspaper feature in the 1980s, and writing two children’s books. For more than 15 years Jim did assemblies, workshops, and author residencies for elementary school children, visiting more than 400 schools in 13 states. Since 1997 Jim has been a featured storyteller at the annual Song & Story Fest. In November, 2013, his novel, Ties That Bind, was published, and he is at work on a collection of short stories. Jim has been an active member of the Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren for more than 40 years and just concluded six-years of service on the district leadership team.

Morning Session: Some Friends of Mine: Stories about good people—tales that are true, whether they happened or not.

Afternoon Joint Song and Story Session: Gathering of the Spirits: Jim and Peg will weave together stories and songs about matters of courage and of the heart