Monday, July 12, 2010

It's the Worldveiw!

St. Albans, Richmond, Virginia

Invites

the Clergy and Interested Laity of the Diocese of the Mid-Atlantic States, ACC,

to the first of a planned three-part program

“Evangelism-A Discussion and Exposition of Basic Issues”


When: Short notice: Saturday, July 31, 2010 from 9:00 am until 4:00 pm.

Format: An informal discussion and “brainstorming” session in large and small groups.

Details:

As we pass mid-summer, a new fall “church season” is on the horizon. As usual, our parishes face the practical problems of ordinary evangelism such as introducing the Anglo-Catholic expression to practicing Christians yearning to lead a fuller faith life. More importantly, though, is the question of reaching increasing numbers of un-churched, particularly young people, in a world in which there is a rejection of any and all truth claims. How do we speak to those for whom even basic truth is a wholly individual matter, dependent upon personal feeling for validation? How does an incarnational faith reach those who have been taught to “question reality”, yet are yearning for that which is larger than themselves?

Recent discussions on American Family Radio and in other venues have admitted that Anglicanism, even in its currently fragmented form (as well as the Orthodoxy and the Roman Church), offer concrete notions of truth to a generation weary of doubt and flux. The overarching question is how, then, do we speak to such a generation? What is the basic message we need to convey to convince the un-churched to come in the door and learn more?

Who:

This is a workshop for clergy and laity—with a special invitation to young lay people in the parishes to share their reasons for becoming and/or remaining catholic Anglicans.
If you have an idea or presentation you think will further the goals of the conference, please let us know.

Goals:

To identify the large issues and questions for the non-Christian or “post-Christian”, and to set out what has worked and what has not in reaching this increasingly large demographic. The focus will be on the practical, rather than the academic, and participants are encouraged to present concrete examples of experiences and efforts in evangelism and outreach including those which have failed. The goal of the first session is to provide attendees ideas to further discuss and develop at the parish level, and for further development is subsequent sessions.

We also hope that the session will mark the formation of a broad group of individuals throughout the diocese who will regularly focus on evangelism and engage in ongoing sharing of new ideas and innovations for showing forth the light of Christ in a darkened world.
As a third goal, we look forward to having two more sessions in the coming year-one at mid-year with a national speaker/leader involved in evangelism and apologetics, and a third next summer to wrap-up of the year and kick-off the next year of evangelism.
Please expect a rough agenda several days before the conference with the proviso that we will adjust the schedule if a particular topic is yielding a particularly good insight.

Logistics:

Sessions will be held at St. Albans, Richmond, Virginia. Those traveling Friday are encouraged to contact Canon Nalls (804) 262-6100 (church) or (202) 262-5519 (duty/cell) if they wish to seek private lodging with volunteer hosts. Lunch on Saturday will be on your own, but with a pizza and soda option for those who wish to chip in.

We hope to see you all there because a single soul is a terrible thing to lose.

In Christ,

Canon Charles H. Nalls

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