Seminar Success

Matthew Johnstone
Published 03 October 2012

We here at the CLBSJ are delighted to report that our Fall Seminar was a smashing success, with well-attended sessions led both by Dr. Gottwald and Dr. Hendricks. Hear a rundown in Dr. Gottwald’s own words:

“The seminar was attended by 30 people; it was evident that most, if not all, attendees are seasoned activists in peace and justice projects, local and denominational. The discussion after each presentation focused on how the biblical resources can be appropriated to serve social justice today, precisely as we have conceived our mission.”

In lecture, discussion, and post-seminar conversation, our efforts had obviously struck a chord with a significant number of thinkers and activists in the greater New York metro area, from as far away as Connecticut and Pennsylvania. Many of our notes from the event itself are available (for now) on our Twitter feed. Also available is the video of the live recording of the first part of the seminar. Technical issues prevented the sound from recording in the second half, but you can hear Norman’s thoughts and reflections on Ustream. We are all thoroughly delighted with the seminar and its outcomes, and hope to see more of you at future events.

What’s next for the CLBSJ, we hear you ask? Well, for a start, we will soon be kicking off our winter stewardship campaign - more news on that to follow. For now, the news is about future programming. For that, we turn again to the reflection of Dr. Gottwald:

“Particularly important was the response when we asked for recommendations of topics for future seminars. As I recall ten or more suggestions were offered, and they probably should be the starting point for our planning the next seminar.”

The passionate sharing of topics and ideas for future events was inspiring, and the Board is looking forward to sharing our thinking with you all. Keep following this space for further updates on that topic. In the meantime, we will open the doors to you - before the seminar participants ideas are finalized for report, what events or topics would YOU like to see out of the CLBSJ? Find us on Twitter, Facebook, or the comments page here, and let us know!