About our upcoming time together, Dr. Lyons reflects: "Do we believe in the stark contrast of feasting in a time of famine? We do feast in times of famine. We feast now. Life in Christ is the Feast that is our life in God in real-time, even this time and forever."

About the conference

Sunday, April 28– Tuesday, April 30

Schoodic Institute, Winter Harbor, ME

Brought to you by the Clergy Formation Committee

Join fellow clergy and the Rev. Dr. Patricia Lyons at the beautiful Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor for our 2024 Clergy Conference.

Passionate political divisions, post-Covid exhaustion and dislocation, an epidemic of loneliness, crushing student and personal debt, disparities in healthcare and education, an ongoing opioid crisis and other shared cultural traumas continue to depress the public square and stifle the imaginations of people in all age groups. Narnia is frozen. Three centuries of mainline American church assumptions about sturdy membership, sustaining tithes, weekly attendance and other pillars of the Episcopal Church have slowly but surely been shifting, drifting, and weakening. Is hope in and for Episcopal faith communities naïve or a form of denial? In our time together we will survey data on the spiritual landscape of northern New England, focusing on the de-institutionalized spiritual curiosity and desire for authentic faith community that polls higher and higher every year. Mindful of clergy exhaustion and burnout, we will engage current models of ministry from across the country to mine the wisdom of faith communities that are finding renewal, formation, and joy right now. Aslan is indeed on the move.

This will be a thoughtful and stirring time of prayer, truth-telling, challenge, and growth. We will enjoy the blessings of fellowship, worship and prayer, rest and quiet in the wonderful natural setting of the Schoodic Peninsula.

About our keynote presenter

The Rev. Dr. Patricia Lyons (she/her/hers) is currently serving as Affiliative Faculty and Director of Evangelism at the Virginia Theological Seminary in Alexandria, VA. Prior to her current teaching at VTS, Tricia served in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington as Canon for Evangelism. Dr. Lyons is one of the most sought-after teachers, speakers, and preachers across many mainline denominations.

Tricia is an honors graduate from Harvard College in the Comparative Study of Religion. She holds a Master of Divinity degree from the Harvard Divinity School, with a focus on Biblical languages and systematic theology. Also at Harvard, Tricia was captain of the Women's Varsity Track and Field Team and the founder of the C.S. Lewis Society of Harvard, an organization of theological study and evangelism thriving to this day. She received her doctorate from the Virginia Theological Seminary in 2004. She has published numerous articles, sermons, and book chapters, including three acclaimed books, The Soul of Adolescence, Teaching Faith with Harry Potter, and What is Evangelism?



Dr. Lyons' unique mix of Ivy League academic training in theology with genuine humor and a contagious love of Jesus Christ has made her a national leader among the next generation of professors and preachers in American Christianity.

Registration

Registration closes on April 12. Act now!

Please note: No late registrations will be accepted.

Registration is in two parts:

1. Event registration - $150
2. Schoodic Institute lodging registration - Per Person, $207.10, Shared Apartment

Check-in is at 3 p.m. on Sunday. An event agenda will be posted here next week and distributed prior to the event.

Your registration is not considered final until you have completed both parts.