VBWIM, along with BTSR, is partnering with the Virginia Baptist Ministers’ Discussion Group to promote their yearly event at Roslyn Retreat Center in Richmond, VA.  VBWIM will cover half the $80 cost for any woman in ministry who wishes to attend.  Current seminary students can receive an additional $30 discount making their final cost just $10 if both categories apply!  Spread the word!!

Visit the discussion group’s website to register and pay online.  Be sure to click “VBWIM Member” to receive the $40 discount!

Facilitator: Dr Bill Leonard (bio)

God’s New Day in Post-modern America: Rethinking Church and Kingdom of God

American religious communions across the theological spectrum are in a time of permanent transition when the
traditional ways of organizing faith communities and declaring faith perspectives in the church and the public square are changing dramatically. What might that mean for the church’s message and future?

The focus of that gathering involves a reexamination of Jesus’ earliest message in sending out his first followers, as discussed in Luke chapter 10. “As you go,” Jesus says, “tell them this: The kingdom of God—God’s New Day—has come near you.”

Conversations will explore such questions as:

· What does it mean to speak of and engage with God’s New Day in the world?

· How do we understand that most basic aspect of Jesus’ message and its implications then and now?

· In what ways might faith communions engage in that dynamic through their own ministries and in shared ministries in the community?

· Is the meaning, message, and action involved in recognizing that God’s New Day continues to come near an appropriate guide for renewing faith, ministry and congregational life?