At the recent annual conference of the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators (APCE), more than 1000 of us read the following theme verse aloud each day:
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. Romans 12:2
Over the four days of the conference, called “But God Says…” and held in San Diego, CA, we contemplated the four parts of that message: Do not be conformed to this world, be transformed, renew your minds, discern the will of God. An excellent sermon during worship each day by Rev. Gail A. Ricciuti, associate professor of homiletics at Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School (Rochester NY), helped challenge us. For example, she said, “What God says is to pursue the problem Savior, the one who rocks the boat, as all nonconforming thinkers and deeply ethical characters do, but He exceeds even these. It’s not a convenient way to live. It upsets the rhythms of society…”
Plenary speaker Rodger Nishioka, associate professor of Christian education at Columbia Theological Seminary (Decatur GA), would follow with a talk on one of the four parts, reminding us that to be true disciples of Jesus Christ, we need to accept disruption, not to conform to a wealthy and powerful society, and as teachers, to insure that students encounter the “other.” Nishioka skillfully wove personal stories, movie clips, information from a wide range of authors, theologians and scientists, and his own convictions into lectures which held the large audience in rapt attention.
APCE 2008: These banners were the backdrop for the worship service and plenary session each day.
I was happy to represent LAC at the Northeast regional meeting and talk to other educators from our general area. I attended multiple workshops, on such topics as electronic tools, print design, family ministry, adult education in a post-modern context, Dietrich Bonhoeffer and children, and how to say “No” without feeling guilty. As always, a highlight for me was spending time in the Spirituality Center, which was a little different this year, with a guided walk (by personal CD player) and a Lenten focus, called “Sacred Space: The Last Week.”
I also attended the denominational breakfast as well as the Presbyterian Publishing Corporation breakfast, and toured the marketplace and bookstore, all of which help educators keep up with news and resources. Another important way for me to do that is to attend the POINT (Presbyterians Organized In Nurture & Teaching) meeting that precedes the APCE event each year, as one of two POINT representatives for the Hudson River Presbytery. That meeting allowed hands-on curriculum review and interaction with other educators, and provided a few free resources that I brought back to LAC! I look forward to sharing those and other information about the APCE experience with you all.
Louise Moore Williams
Director of Christian Education
