Pacific School of Religion

SPRING 2010

Putting Faith into Action: Marriage Equality One Month at a Time

Tuesday, February 16, 2010, 10am-12pm     PSR Ecumenical Center

The faculty-led follow-up conversation is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 18, 12:45, with Jay Johnson. Location to be announced.

This gathering is co-sponsored with California Faith for Equality, a statewide network of over 6000 clergy, laypeople, and congregations. This training has been developed jointly by CA Faith for Equality, the Institute for Judaism and Sexual Orientation, and the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a training to provide resources and skill-development for faith leaders to: integrate LGBT equality into their regular congregational life and celebrations; reach undecided members of their faith communities with a message of justice for LGBT people; and mobilize their members toward winning LGBT legal rights.

For too long, the rhetoric of religion has been hijacked and faith has been used as a weapon to deny lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) people the basic legal freedom of marriage equality. In order to win full equality, the work is to take back the power of religion and harness faith as a force for justice.

Please note: Students wishing contextual education credit for this event must only attend the morning session. If interested in attending the entire program, 10:00am-4:00pm, please let Roland Stringfellow know by emailing him at rstringfellow[at]psr[dot]edu. Lunch will be provided for those attending both sessions.The afternoon session will focus more deeply on action plans within a congregation.

Why a Ramp Into a Church is Not Enough: Religion and the Differently-Abled

Friday, March 12, 2010, 9:00am-12:30pm    Dining Board Room, GTU Library

The faculty-led follow-up conversation is scheduled for Thursday, March 18, 12:00-1:00, with Bill McKinney. Location to be announced.

The Differently Abled Student Union at Pacific School of Religion along with the GTU Office of Student Affairs are co-sponsoring this unique conference on disability and the church. The contextual encounter requires attendance from 9:00am-12:30pm. The keynote speaker is Rev. Dr. Kathy Black, who is an author and theologian in the theology of disabilities and Dean and Professor of Homiletics at Claremont School of Theology. Black’s presentation will be followed by a time for questions and your choice of workshops.

Africa Continuum: Sacred Ceremonies and Rituals

April 16, 2010, 11:30am-1:30pm    Museum of the African Diaspora, 685 Mission St, San Francisco

The time and date for the faculty-led follow-up conversation is Monday, April 19, 12:45-1:45, in Mudd 101. Professor Rossitza Schroeder will accompany the group at the museum and lead the discussion.

Artist Bryan Wiley is a photojournalist who has traveled the Atlantic Black Diaspora, documenting altars and ritual practices by African descendents. In doing so, he illuminates the continuities in beliefs and customs of descendents of former slave populations. His work is on display at the Museum of the African Diaspora as the Special Exhibit, “Africa Continuum: Sacred Ceremonies and Rituals.” Our visit will include spending time with the permanent exhibits which include a collection of slave narratives.

Please note: Museum costs $4 for students. Students are responsible for transportation to the museum. The tour begins at 11:30.