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SCD 2024

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The School of Congregational Development is returning to Chicago this summer as SEE//CREATE//DISCIPLE (SCD) after a hiatus due to challenges posed by COVID-19.

Save the Date: August 4-7, 2024
Hyatt Regency Schaumburg, Schaumburg, IL

With more than two decades of providing exceptional learning and networking experiences for United Methodist Church leaders, nationally and internationally, SCD is set to empower and inspire again.

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SCD Programs & Activities:

Sunday, August 4, 2024

  • 1-5 p.m. - Arrival and registration; Ministry Resource Fair (SCD sponsors and UMC General Agencies)
  • 3 p.m. - Sponsor set-up begins
  • 5-6:15 p.m. - Dinner (participants on your own); SCD leaders' dinner fellowship (from 4-6 p.m. at Our Savior's United Methodist Church, 701 E Schaumburg Road, Schaumburg, IL 60194)
  • 6:15-6:30 p.m. - Transition break.
  • 6:30-7 p.m. -Welcome remarks – Jeffrey M. Campbell & Bishop Dan Schwerin; General orientation – Bener B. Agtarap
  • 7-8:30 p.m. - Opening worship with Bishop Dan Schwerin; Felicia Patton, Worship Leader, featuring Rev. Clark and the Heirs of Joy. Sponsored by the Junius B. Dotson Institute for Music and Worship in the Black Church and Beyond.

Monday, August 5, 2024

  • 8-9 a.m. - Gathering and worship with Bishop Ruben Saenz, Jr.; Felicia Patton, Worship Leader
  • 9-9:15 a.m. - Intermission/announcements
  • 9:15-10 a.m. - Plenary session (See) with Micheal S. Pope
  • 10-10:30 a.m. - Roundtable conversation. Panelists: Michael S. Pope, Bishop Dan Schwerin, Bishop Ruben Saenz Jr., Haw-Young Chong, Vanesa Cisneros, Mimi Luebress; Moderator: Motoe Yamada Foor
  • 10:30-10:40 a.m. - Reflection & Integration - Facilitator: Stephane Brooks
  • 10:40-11 a.m. - Transition Break
  • 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Ministry Track Session 1 - Group A (Scroll down for a full list of breakout sessions)
  • 12:15-1:30 p.m. - Networking/lunch
  • 1:30-2 p.m. - Intermission/Announcements
  • 2-2:45 p.m. - Plenary session (Create) with Michael A. Beck
  • 2:45-3:15 p.m. - Roundtable Conversation - Panelists: Michael A. Beck, Bishop Lanette Plambeck, Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez,
    Candace M. Lewis, Lori Valentine de Segovia, and Precious Mangubat; Moderator: Jessica Taylor
  • 3:15-3:25 p.m. - Reflection & Integration - Facilitator: Stephane Brooks
  • 3:25-3:45 p.m. - Transition Break
  • 3:45-5 p.m. - Ministry Track Session 2 - Group A (Scroll down for full list of breakout sessions)
  • 5 p.m. - Networking/Self-care
  • Free evening

Tuesday, August 6, 2024

  • 8-9 a.m. - Gathering and worship with Bishop Carlo Rapanut; Felicia Patton, Worship Leader
  • 9-9:15 a.m. - Intermission/announcements
  • 9:15-10 a.m. - Plenary session (Disciple) with Jeffrey Campbell
  • 10-10:30 a.m. - Roundtable conversation - Panelists: Jeff Campbell, Bishop Carlo A. Rapanut, Stephanie Moore Hand, Michelle Oberwise Lacock, Nura Zaki, and Sifa Hingano; Moderator: Mike Bowie, Jr.
  • 10:30-10:40 a.m. - Reflection and Integration - Facilitator: Stephane Brooks
  • 10:40-11 a.m. - Transition break
  • 11 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. - Ministry Track Session 1 - Group B (Scroll down for full list of breakout sessions)
  • 12:15-1:30 p.m. - Networking/Lunch
  • 1:30-2:45 p.m. - Ministry Track Session 2 - Group B (Scroll down for full list of breakout sessions)
  • 2:45-3 p.m. - Transition Break
  • 3-4:30 p.m. - Workshop (Scroll down for full list of workshops)
  • 4:30-4:45 p.m. - Transition break
  • 4:45 p.m.-Onward - Experimental Learning Opportunities (Option 1: FXUM Discovery; Option 2: Teaching church/ministry; Option 3: Affinity Group Networking)
  • Free evening

Wednesday, August 7, 2024

  • 8-9 a.m. - Gathering and worship with Bishop Tracy Smith Malone; Felicia Patton, Worship Leader, featuring Rev. Clark and the Heirs of Joy
  • 9-9:15 a.m. - Intermission/Announcements
  • 9:15-10:15 a.m. - Moving Forward (World Cafe) - Moderator: Owen Ross
  • 10:15-10:30 a.m. - Acknowledgement and evaluation - Scott Hughes & Naomi Annandale
  • 10:30 a.m. - 12 noon - Communion and consecration service with Bishop Héctor A. Burgos Núñez
  • 12 noon - Homeward bound

Breakout Sessions / Workshops:

Monday, August 5

Ministry Track - Group A

  • Ministry Track 1: Dare to Shift—Challenging Leaders to See, Create, and Disciple in a New Way - Michael Bowie, Jr.
  • Ministry Track 2: Courageous Church - Blair Boyd Zant
  • Ministry Track 3: Let's Get it Started - Curtis Brown
  • Ministry Track 4: Expresiones de amor: Fresh Expressions - Chris and Jaidymar Alicea Smith and Lori Valentine de Segovia
  • Ministry Track 5: Intentional Discipleship Systems and Community Engagement - Scott Hughes and Bryan Tener
  • Ministry Track 6: Equipping Leaders to See, Create, and Go Make Disciples in a Relevant and Transformative Way - Stephanie Moore Hand
  • Ministry Track 7: Casting and Living into a God-given Vision - Rodrigo Cruz
  • Ministry Track 8: Becoming a Listening Church - Luke Edwards
  • Ministry Track 9: Worship and Disability: Anti-Ableist Practices for the Body of Christ - Lisa Hancock and Mimi Luebbers
  • Ministry Track 10: The Futuring Church: Believing into Tomorrow Today - Rob Hutchinson
  • Ministry Track 11: A Theological Framework for Trauma and Resilience - Ronald Bell
  • Ministry Track 12: Digital Ministry for Everyone - Nicole Reilley
  • Ministry Track 13: Integrated Discipleship: Honoring Faith, Feelings, and Actions - Charity Goodwin
  • Ministry Track 14: Hopeful Together: Reimagining Cooperative Ministry Partnerships - Susan Arnold
  • Ministry Track 15: Lay Leadership and Vocational Imagination - David Teel

Tuesday, August 6

Ministry Track - Group B

  • Ministry Track 1: Ver – Discernir – Actuar: A Model for Congregational Development - Lydia Munoz
  • Ministry Track 2: Dreaming, Embodying, and Leading a Young, Diverse, and Inclusive Church - Kristopher Sledge
  • Ministry Track 3: Fruitfulness in Every Season of Leadership - Candace Lewis
  • Ministry Track 4: Reviving the Movement: Embracing Fresh Expressions for Transformative Church - Jessica Taylor
  • Ministry Track 5: Discipleship Coaching to Reignite Your Ministry - Ken Willard
  • Ministry Track 6: Bold and Courageous: Taking Risks for the Sake of Love - Kipp Nelson
  • Ministry Track 7: Funding Ministry Year-Round through Discipleship - Joe Park
  • Ministry Track 8: Creating a Culture of Discipleship: Tongan UMC's Approach of Connecting Faith and Culture to Church Growth - Kalesita Tuifua
  • Ministry Track 9: Good Grief for Change - Jonathan Page
  • Ministry Track 10: Funding Fresh Ministry Initiatives - Brett Dehart
  • Ministry Track 11: Churches Adopting Churches: New Life for Healthy and Struggling Churches - Dirk Elliott
  • Ministry Track 12: I Refuse to Lead a Dying Church! - Paul Nixon & Jane Voigts
  • Ministry Track 13: Unlocking Hope: Paving the Path to a Future Beyond Mass Incarceration - Toska Medlock Lee and Devron Jerome Crawford
  • Ministry Track 14: Church Planting: We Put the Fun in Dysfunction! - Ellen Thornburg and Luis Ramirez
  • Ministry Track 15: From Nice to Meet You to Welcome Home - Digital Relationship Management - Jeremy Scott

Workshops

  • Workshop 1: Public Theology: Engaging Bicultural Communities and Demographics - Lydia Munoz
  • Workshop 2: Sharing Good News in a Bad-News World - Owen Ross
  • Workshop 3: Online and Hybrid Small Groups for Churches - Abigail Browka
  • Workshop 4: See New People, Build Community, Make Disciples - Mighty Rasing
  • Workshop 5: Hey Preacher – Rethinking Preaching for a Greater Impact - Derek Weber
  • Workshop 6: Writing Grants for Ministry - Naomi Annandale
  • Workshop 7: Harnessing AI for Good - Blake Davis
  • Workshop 8: Reaching New People Through Effective Marketing - Steven K. Adair
  • Workshop 9: Philippians 4:8: Unlocking the Power of Appreciative Inquiry - Claudine Leary
  • Workshop 10: Making the Blended Ecology Work in a Traditional, Established Church - Brett Dehart
  • Workshop 11: Generation Alpha is Not the Church’s Generation Omega - Chris Wilterdink
  • Workshop 12: The Way of Integrity - Denise Sears
  • Workshop 13: Why Do I Have to Engage in Anti-Racism as a Disciple of Jesus? - Enger Muteteke
  • Workshop 14: How Financial Well-being Empowers Strong Leaders and Stronger Congregations - Dorlimar Lebron and Ryan Macqueeney
  • Workshop 15: Brand Identity in Ministry: Defining Your Brand to Guide Your Ministry Story - Melissa Jackson
  • Workshop 16: United Women in Faith Transforms the Mind and Soul - Francine Davis & Amanda Hutchinson

Please contact Bener Agtarap if you have any questions about this event.