by Allison Winter
Allison Winter is a journalist, catechist and mother. She has been on the board for the Center for Children and Theology since 2015 and is delighted to step into a new role this year as the communications director for CCTheo’s work on the Christian Parenting and Caregiving Initiative. She lives in Washington, DC.
“Jesus entered as he did, where he did, doing what he did because God needed us to finally comprehend the truth: God is not a sky king who heads an empire. God is the love that gives itself away for the sake of more love.”
― Stephanie Spellers, The Church Cracked Open: Disruption, Decline, and New Hope for Beloved Community
What will American churches look like in 50 years? What is the place of children in a changing church landscape? How can our faith communities become places of radical welcome, beloved community and reconciliation? And how does children’s faith formation intersect with this?
We have a wonderful opportunity to explore these questions with the renowned speaker, author, pastor and leader Rev. Canon Stephanie Spellers at CCTheo’s Weaving our Gifts conference in October. Register before September 1 for a discounted rate!
Join us to hear Canon Stephanie’s keynote and other breakout sessions– either by joining the conference virtually from your own home or by gathering with others to watch in a local satellite group.
Canon Stephanie has many gifts and a rich perspective to add to our tapestry. She is one of the Episcopal Church’s leading thinkers and consultants on 21st century ministry and mission. She serves as one of three canons to the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church, the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry. In this role (similar to an executive vice president) she guides the church’s work around evangelism, reconciliation and creation care.
A graduate of Harvard Divinity School and Episcopal Divinity School, Spellers has published five books including Radical Welcome and The Church Cracked Open, and is listed as one of the world’s greatest TEDx speakers on the art of listening. She has spent years studying religion and social change movements. We have the unique opportunity to hear her speak on the intersection of her research and thinking with children’s formation.
Canon Stephanie is passionate about walking with church leaders on the path to become a beloved community of reconciliation and love. In a recent podcast interview, when asked about the phrase “becoming the beloved community,” she emphasized that it is always a process of “becoming,” that none of us have already arrived. But we can join the long and grace-filled process to reckon with the pain racism has inflicted in our personal lives, our churches and institutions, and society as a whole
“We are on the road and God is with us on the road,” Canon Stephanie said. “Nobody is asking you to have the answers … this is not something we master, this is something to heal over time together.”
Join us on the road as we learn from Canon Stephanie in October! Register now! The early bird discount ends soon- register by July 31!
Weaving Our Gifts: a Conference of Catechists, will be held Friday, October 27 and Saturday, October 28, 2023. We are introducing a new format for this year’s conference, with both online participation and in-person events at satellite locations around the country.
Our format for Weaving Our Gifts 2023 will be to livestream keynote talks to online groups and satellite locations around the country, creating an opportunity for in-person meals, networking, discussions and breakouts. Register to join us online, or at 11 different locations across the country on the registration page, or volunteer to host!
