Neighbor News
January 16, 2017 MLK Day A Day On for Learning and Engagement
with Wellspring Church in Ferguson and The Gathering in Clayton featuring Will Willimon
For Martin Luther King Jr Day on January 16, 2017, Wellspring Church in Ferguson and The Gathering in Clayton, in partnership with The Walker Leadership Institute at Eden Theological Seminary have created a day of learning and engagement centered on conversations to generate positive social engagement.
Participants will have the opportunity to discuss issues of justice in order to prepare ourselves to commit acts of justice. Retired Bishop and contemporary theologian Will Willimon, professor of the Practice of Christian Ministry and former dean of chapel at Duke University will be the featured speaker at Wellspring Church at 6:30 p.m. Bishop Willimon is considered by many to be one of America's most influential mainline Protestantism preachers. A white Southerner who describes himself as a “recovering racist," Willimon is a frequent collaborator of Theologian Stanley Hauerwas. His 2016 release, Fear of the Other: No Fear in Love, is regarded as an essential book for Christians called to love others, even when we see the world in very different ways.
A series of community dialogues are planned across St. Louis in people’s homes and centers of worship. Particular attention will be given to the role of clergy and faith practitioners in shaping, modeling and facilitating practices in light of a divisive democratic and global reality.
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- A special morning session for students (middle grades and above) will be held at Wellspring Church at Ferguson.
- An ecumenical cross-racial clergy and faith leaders 90 minute learning/sharing experience is scheduled for 3p.m. at the The Gathering in Clayton, 101 N. Bemiston Ave., 63105. Educators and leaders interested in attending must reserve spot in advance by contacting: WellspringChurchSTL@gmail.com or -521-4217.
- At 6:30 p.m. an open ecumenical service at Wellspring Church, 33 S. Florissant Rd., 63135, featuring Will Willimon, retired bishop, former dean of chapel, and professor of practice of Christian ministry at Duke Divinity School in Durham, NC.