Lent Planner

Becoming Human: Called and Shaped by Jesus

Monday, January 24, 2011
Click Here To Register Online

What does it mean to be human?

Lent is the season of the church year in which we focus particular attention on foundational questions of our existence. This Lent season we ask:  What does it mean for us to be the created and recreated images of God? How may we become authentically human?

Surrounded by a host of pressures that squeeze and contort us into less-than-human, even inhuman, shapes and disfigurements, Lent invites us to let go of those pressures and distractions and to pay special attention to the Christian practices of prayer, solitude, Bible study, simplicity and service. Yet we also remember that we cannot reshape ourselves.  These practices simply open up space in our lives for God to work.  It is our Creator who will recreate us; it is Jesus whose own life, death, and resurrection calls us and transforms us into a new way of being human.  We become human, indeed we are reborn, as the Spirit breathes life into us, a life that bursts forth from deep within like a stream of living water.

Lent Planner is a day for equipping pastors, worship leaders and musicians to guide congregations through the renewal of the Lenten season to the new life of Easter.  The day offers creative ideas for scripture presentations, visual elements, movement and rituals, prayers, and music.  Participants will sample elements of worship for the Sundays of the season.  Using the Mennonite Church Lent 2011 theme, this workshop introduces the lectionary-based worship resources published in Leader magazine.  Participants should bring a copy of the magazine or order one when registering for the workshop.

The content of the Planner is focused particularly for congregations who are part of Mennonite Church USA and Mennonite Church Canada, but participants from other denominations and congregations that use the lectionary are welcome and have found similar events very helpful.

Leaders

Marlene Kropf, D.Min., is AMBS Associate Professor of Spiritual Formation and Worship and also Denominational Minister of Worship, Mennonite Church USA Executive Leadership.
Rosanna Eller McFadden is a free-lance artist and a part-time student at AMBS. She is a member of Creekside Church of the Brethren in Elkhart, Ind.
Rebecca Slough, Ph.D., is AMBS Academic Dean and Associate Professor of Worship and the Arts.

Schedule

Monday, January 24, 2011

Time Description Location
8:00 a.m. Registration; Hot drinks provided  
8:30 Welcome and introduction to the day  
8:50 Opening retreat  
9:15 Introduction to the Lenten theme, theology and resources  
10:15 Morning break  
10:45 Sample services for Lent  
12:00 p.m. Lunch in Lambright Dining Hall Dining Hall
1:15 Exploring music for Lent-Holy Week (Rebecca Slough)  
2:15 Afternoon break  
2:30 Spiritual formation during Lent and Holy Week  
3:15 Closing worship  
3:30 Evaluation  

Continuing Education Units

Participants earn 0.5 CEUs for attending Lent Planner.

Cost

$85 before January 5
$65 each for three or more from one congregation before January 5
$95 after January 5
Additional student discounts are available on the online registration form.

Lunch is available for an additional $6. Please pre-register for lunch or plan to eat off campus.

Registration

Click Here To Register Online

Questions?

Contact the Church Leadership Center
(574) 296-6269
ChurchLeadership@ambs.edu

3003 Benham Avenue, Elkhart, Indiana 46517 | Phone: (574) 295-3726 | Toll Free: 1 (800) 964-2627 | admissions@ambs.edu

© 2009 Associated Mennonite Biblical Seminary.

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