Representatives of congregations trying to understand their roles in these turbulent times are invited to a free online workshop hosted by the Center for Community Transformation and the Center for Anabaptist Studies at Fresno Pacific University.
“A Church Discerning It’s Time and Place,” part of the New Skills for a New Era series of convenings for Valley congregations, will be from 10:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2022. The first 50 to sign up and attend will receive a $10 lunch voucher. Register at a-church-discerning.eventbrite.com
The webinar is aimed at members of churches looking at their gifts, their core identity, their historic role, their assets and what would make a relevant difference in their community. On the program will be biblical foundations, key tools and questions, as well as examples of how some churches have been successful. Participants will have an opportunity to interact with other church leaders wrestling with their role. The event is generously funded by the Lilly Endowment Inc.
Leading the workshop will be Tim Soerens and Coté Soerens:
- Tim Soerens is the co-founding executive director of the Parish Collective (parishcollective.org), author of Everywhere You Look: Discovering the Church, Right Where You Are and co-author of The New Parish. He and wife Coté are helping to start South Park Neighborhood Church in Seattle. Tim is also a co-founding owner of Resistencia Coffee, as well as the South Park Idea Lab.
- Coté Soerens is a neighborhood pastor focused on discerning God’s dreams for the South Park community since 2014. This journey led her to see the neighborhood as an endless source of inspiration for community-based projects and community enterprises such as Resistencia Coffee, The Urban Fresh Food Collective, El Mercadito Farmer’s Market, The South Park Arts & Culture Collective and South Park Neighborhood Christian Church (South Park Neighborhood Church (resonateglobalmission.org).