Saturday, May 16, 2020, 10 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. via online webinar
Easter Learning Day is about telling the unique stories of each parish in our diocese.
Jerusalem Greer, Staff Officer for Evangelism for The Episcopal Church, will lead us in identifying the unique ministries and gifts that our congregations bring to this region and the world. She will help us narrate how our individual parishes, united together in the diocese, tell the story of God.
Specifically, she is going to teach us how to develop a unique way of telling these stories using a tool called 20×20: 20 images connected with 20 points of a single story. There will be examples of this engaging means of storytelling and you will receive coaching and support in developing a 20×20 for your own parish – a useful gift for you, your church, for the diocese, and beyond.
Why is this important?
Our diocese is deeply invested in equipping and encouraging all of our people to articulate what they believe and why it matters. Evangelism is simply that: sharing the gifts and promises of God with others.
One concrete way we can do this is by telling the story of our church: how we came to be part of it, the meaning the community brings to our lives, and the ministry we’re called to accomplish. We can offer these meaningful stories with family members, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and more. Easter Learning Day this year will help us develop these brief, focused stories to share.
Now we’re coming to a unique time in the life of our diocese with the upcoming search for our next bishop. We’re learning to tell specific stories of our parishes to offer our next bishop so that s/he can have an helpful, brief introduction to the unique charism and ministries of our congregations. Greer and others at the national Episcopal Church believe that the Diocese of Pittsburgh may be able to demonstrate that developing individual stories, as we will do on Easter Learning Day, is among the best gifts a diocese can give both to itself and to candidates for bishop during a transition.
This workshop will be presented in two online sessions, the first on Saturday, May 16 starting at 10 a.m., and a second one at a soon to be announced date and time.
Tentative agenda for May 16:
10 a.m. Welcome and gathering (bring your morning coffee and shuffle toward your Zoom screen)
10:15 a.m. Introductions and Session I
11:30 a.m. 5 Minute Break
11:35 a.m. Session II and Small Group Conversations
If you have questions, please contact the Rev. Canon Natalie Hall, Canon for Evangelism and Faith Formation, at nhall@episcopalpgh.org