Chicago Convocation 2016 showcases new perspectives
March 9, 2016 ♦
Twice a year, each spring and fall, Bexley Seabury gathers alums, students, faculty and supporters in prayer, study and fellowship. We meet next on Thursday, April 28, 2016 starting at 2 p.m.
All events will take place on the St. James Commons campus at 65 East Huron (700 North, one block west of Michigan Avenue), Chicago, home to the Episcopal Diocese of Chicago and St. James Cathedral. Scroll down for a schedule recap and information on parking and travel by CTA.
ALL ARE WELCOME. To help us plan hospitality, please RESERVE by APRIL 21 via email to Lynn Bowers.
TWO WORKSHOPS
2 P.M.—Forming Leaders for a Re-forming Church
Observations and insights from Bexley Seabury President Roger Ferlo on challenges and opportunities for emerging church leaders and all who are helping them to prepare for ministry.
3 P.M.—Authority and Power: Things Seen and Unseen
Two of the more provocative theologians of our time, Bexley Seabury Professor Ellen Wondra and University of Chicago Professor David Tracy, look at how authority and power operate tacitly, informally and symbolically. This dialogue will be moderated by Bexley Seabury Associate Professor and Acting Academic Dean Jason Fout.
KEYNOTE ADDRESS
4 P.M.—Of Pearls and Prodigals: Hearing Jesus’ Parables
Professor Amy-Jill Levine of Vanderbilt Divinity School and College of Arts and Sciences is a self-described “Yankee Jewish feminist who teaches in a predominantly Protestant divinity school in the buckle of the Bible Belt,” who is known for her dedication to eliminating anti-Jewish, sexist and homophobic theologies. In her keynote address, Professor Levine will shine light on how parables were heard in the first century, how misunderstandings of Jesus’ Jewish culture create misinterpretations of the parables, and how imagining their original meaning provides new, provocative and challenging messages applicable for today.
FESTAL EVENSONG
5:30 P.M.—Join us for Festal Evensong in the nave of St. James Cathedral, offered in thanksgiving for Ellen Wondra and her scholarship, pedagogy, leadership and service to the church on the occasion of her retirement as Bexley Seabury Research Professor of Theology and Ethics.
St. James Cathedral was restored in 1985 to bring back the English Arts and Crafts stenciled interiors introduced in 1888-1889. The Cathedral also features notable windows from the Victorian and later periods. Virtual tour here
RECEPTION immediately following at St. James Commons, 65 East Huron, Chicago
ALL ARE WELCOME. To help us plan hospitality, please RESERVE by APRIL 21 via email to Lynn Bowers.
We look forward to welcoming you on April 28.
Schedule recap
♦ 2 P.M. Roger Ferlo workshop
♦ 3 P.M. Ellen Wondra and David Tracy in dialogue, moderated by Jason Fout
♦ 4 P.M. Amy-Jill Levine keynote address
♦ 5:30 P.M. Festal Evensong in thanksgiving for Ellen Wondra
♦ RECEPTION immediately following Festal Evensong
GETTING THERE
St. James Commons, 65 East Huron, Chicago
PARKING
The Diocese of Chicago offers parking validation for two nearby lots:
♦ Millennium Centre Self Park, 33 W. Ontario ( 312.274.0411)— $9.00
♦ Rush-Ohio-Wabash (ROW) Self Park , 50 E. Ohio (312.986.3390)—$14.00 for up to 8 hours
CTA OPTIONS
St. James Commons is close the El and multiple bus routes.
♦ EL: Take the Red Line to the Chicago Avenue station. Walk 2 blocks south on State Street and 1 1/2 blocks east on Huron.
♦ BUS: Routes with stops on Michigan Avenue, Chicago Avenue, State Street or Clark are all good options.
♦ Consider planning your CTA trip at transitchicago.com
Bexley Seabury is an Episcopal center for learning and discipleship offering theological education in a generous spiritual and intellectual tradition. Our mission is to equip lay and ordained leaders for bold inquiry in service of the Gospel and active engagement in congregational and community life. In July 2016, Bexley Seabury will consolidate from its current two sites, in Chicago and Columbus, to a unified campus within the eco-friendly Chicago Theological Seminary campus at 1407 East 60th Street, Chicago, Ill., 60637. Bexley Seabury will be the sixth (sole Episcopal) seminary in the ecumenically and theologically diverse Hyde Park/Woodlawn area. Learn more at bexleyseabury.edu and follow us on Twitter @bexleyseabury and
on Facebook.