“Ministory” is a project in development by Wayne Walder. After a single session this spring, Wayne has plans for a larger presentation in the fall.
Wayne has long been fascinated by the power of stories, especially those stories that we know from our time in ministry. He believes our stories deserve a degree of reverence and that they can teach us about our selves and our ministries.
Strangely, though, Wayne found it difficult to coax us into telling our stories. He said, “I was surprised to notice some reluctance among us for telling our personal stories. I think I understand. We have been servants, and servants don’t tell stories. We don’t tell them because serving others, by its very definition, is not about us. We keep stories about our ministry to ourselves.”
But Wayne believes we are no longer servants, “Remembering our ministry and its stories, can help us remember the goodness of our lives, the goodness of our work, the love we shared, the confusion we experienced, the insight we felt and the pain we grieved.”
Wayne found a few of us who were willing to share their story, so he recorded Jake Morrill, Jan Carlsson-Bull, Colleen McDonald and Jane Rzepka, and will present a segment on April 22nd, the second day of our conference.
He said, “We hunger for stories, even the telling of our own. They comfort us, remind us of our work, and they hold up the life we shared. Our work was, is, bigger than we remember.”
To register: uurmapa.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/2752248
Of course we’d love for you to attend every session, but if your time is limited, you can check out the schedule at our website, uurmapa.org/Activities. More information about the theme presentation, odysseys, the service of remembrance and a concert with Melanie DeMore is posted on our website, and on our Facebook page.
The conference will Zoom right to your desktop computer, laptop, tablet, smartphone, or you can listen in with a cell phone or landine. Registration is $45, a bargain these days, and scholarships are readily available. To apply for a scholarship, send a message to treasurer@uurmapa.org but do this before you attempt to register.
In–person gatherings, AKA, pods, are organized in Wilmington DE and Kingston MA. Please indicate your desire to attend a pod when you register. Additional financial aid is available to cover pod costs, and you can apply for that after the conference with a message to treasurer@uurmapa.org
After you register, please send a selfie to jeffbriere@gmail.com for inclusion in the slide show.