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Pastoral Care and Theology in Response to Catastrophic Disaster Denver, June 15-17, 2006 PLACE OF CONFERENCE Location - Denver, Colorado Brown Palace / Comfort Inn
June 2006 Conference. Members of the Steering Committee are pleased to present the program for this year's Annual Study Conference in Denver, Colorado at the Brown Palace Hotel and Comfort Inn June 15- 17:
THEME AND PLENARY PRESENTATIONS
The theme for this year's conference is “Pastoral Care and Theology in Response to Catastrophic Disaster.” Plenary presentations and our immersion experience will provide multiple opportunities to consider pastoral responses to sudden public tragedy and methods of preparing students and practitioners for such events. Opening the Conference will be Dr. Larry Graham of Iliff School of Theology and Dr. Paula Dobbs-Wiggins, M.D., of Perkins School of Theology. They will provide theological and clinical frames of reference for our conversation.
On Friday, June 16, we will travel by bus to Columbine United Church in Littleton , Colorado for a program on religious and community responses to the Columbine High School shootings on April 20, 1999. Since there are very few resources available to help ministers and local communities understand public tragedy and corporate grief, we believe that it would be very helpful for teachers to learn from those who responded to the Columbine school shootings. It is our hope that this immersion in the Columbine context will assist teachers to prepare pastoral leaders who may face similar challenges or who are called upon to participate in a community's response to other crises.
The first panel, “The Impact of Faith in a Time of Crisis: Reflections of Columbine Families,” will be comprised of parents of Columbine students and a student who was wounded during the shootings. This panel will be moderated by Dr. Carrie Doehring, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling at Iliff School of Theology in Denver , Colorado . A second panel will address “The Impact of the Community Network in a Time of Crisis: Reflections of Columbine Community Leaders.” The principal of Columbine, the Jefferson County District Attorney, a local minister, and other crisis responders will share with us what they did at the time of the shootings, and identify what they drew upon from other responders that helped them fulfill their roles in the crisis. Reflections on what was helpful and unhelpful from the media will be addressed, including some guidelines to clergy who might be asked to engage the media in times of crisis. The panel will be moderated by Ms. Lori Hoffner, a staff member of Columbine United Church and a community leader during the Columbine crisis.
Following the panels, Dr. Jeannette Sutton of the University of Colorado will address the participants on, “Convergence of the Faithful – Spiritual Care Response to Disaster and Mass Casualty Events.” Dr. Sutton is a research associate at the Natural Hazards Center , University of Colorado at Boulder where she studies the social effects of disaster and disaster response. She received her Masters of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and her Ph.D. in Sociology at the University of Colorado at Denver . Jeannette served as the coordinator of victim services for Columbine High School following the school shooting in 1999. Her dissertation research focused on the spiritual care response to victims of the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.
At Clement Park , we will have a Service of Remembrance and Hope at the site established as a memorial to Columbine. Clement Park is adjacent to Columbine High School and was one of many spontaneous sacred sites that emerged at the time. It serves as a destination site today for various forms of ‘pilgrimages' to commemorate the event. The Service of Remembrance and Hope will be followed by a picnic lunch at the park.
WORK IN PROGRESS Dr. Jeanne Hoeft, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, MO has been invited to present this year's Work-in-Progress. “Toward a Pastoral Theology of Resistance to Violence” will draw on narrative accounts of violence as told by victims and perpetrators, with the aim of identifying practices of resistance. The working title of her book is Ambiguous Choices, Ambivalent Resistance: Caring Responses to Violence .
SOCIETY LUNCHEON Dr. Andy Lester, Professor Emeritus of Brite Divinity School , Ft. Worth TX , has accepted our invitation to present the Society Luncheon address.
SOCIETY CONVERSATION The Society Conversation will be used for discussion of the ideas presented and provoked by the plenaries and workshops.
THEOLOGICAL STUDY GROUPS Each of our study groups focuses on a particular area, though the specific themes evolve from year to year. Under the leadership of two Society members, and with a continuing core of participants, groups welcome anyone attending the conference to visit and participate in conversation. Study groups meet annually, providing a small support community for ongoing research and related interests on theological themes. In this regard they differ from workshops, which are one-time contributions during which members present and lead discussions on specific topics. Theological study groups can disband if they have served their purpose, and new study groups can be formed. Anyone interested in becoming involved in a group is encouraged to contact a co-chair person at any time. These groups are not closed; everyone is invited to drop into a group of their choice to "test the waters," or to contact study group co-chairs during the year.
Study groups convene on Friday, 2:00-3:30.
Faith and Health Karen Scheib 404-727-2423 kscheib@emory.edu Keith Meador 919-660-3507 keith.meador@duke.edu
The Faith and Health study group reviews new research/scholarship in faith and health while considering upcoming opportunities for pastoral theologians within the field.
The Church and Christian Formation Roslyn Karaban 585-271-3657 ext 280 rkaraban@stbernards.edu Charles Scalise 206-284-9000 cscalise@fuller.edu
The Church and Christian Formation study group enjoys the opportunity to hear and discuss a wide range of case studies on its theme. Sessions present and engage contemporary and historical case studies that critically examine ways in which the church impacts Christian formation of diverse individuals and groups.
Embodiment Glenn Asquith 610-861-1521 asquith@moravian.edu Carrie Doehring 303-765–3169 cdoehring@iliff.edu
The Embodiment group provides an arena for participants to talk in depth about research projects involving the theme of embodiment--issues of body image as well as issues of sexuality. Participants are welcome to bring handouts (outlines, excerpts, bibliographies, etc.) that describe their work and receive comments and feedback from the group. Anyone having research projects, resources, or other handouts for the meeting should contact the conveners.
Religious Practices and Commitment Leonard Hummel 717-334-6286 ext. 2157 Lhummel@Ltsg.edu Jane Maynard 510-204-0717 jmaynard@cdsp.edu
The Religious Practices and Commitment group invites all SPT members to join us to discuss: “Pastoral Bearings: Lived Religion and Pastoral Theology.” The meeting will focus on presentations from group members who are preparing chapters for an edited volume that will address the beliefs and practices that arise in the ongoing, dynamic relationship of religion and everyday experience.
Theological Anthropology J.F. Wickey 817-370-8806 jfw3rd@yahoo.com.
For the past two years the group has met with no clear agenda, but with the intention to offer a supportive and critical ear to those who were working on particular projects, such as dissertations, articles, papers.
Theological Dimensions of Family Herb Anderson 510-550-2709 handerson@plts.edu Bonnie Miller-McLemore 615-343-3970 bonnie.miller-mclemore@vanderbilt.edu
Since its beginning, the group has engaged in a rich variety of activities from paper presentations, syllabi discussions, shared reading, family manifesto composition, and research-in-progress reports. The successful and desired practice of the past three years has centered around an open invitation to participants to come prepared to discuss current research interests and projects. After brief introductions, those who want more time for discussion and feedback on their work identify themselves and the remaining time is divided up accordingly. Members of the Society who are interested in joining the group and presenting should contact Herb Anderson.
Pastoral Theology and Brain Sciences David Hogue 847-866-3983 david.hogue@garrett.edu Pam Cooper-White 800-286-4616 x7375 pcooper@ltsp.edu
The Brain Sciences and Pastoral Theology study group attempts to bring contemporary findings in the neurosciences into dialogue with pastoral theology and pastoral psychology. Areas of interest include topics such as the mind/brain relationship, biological processes underlying human suffering and healing, the relational brain, and theological anthropology. This year Jim Emerson will present a paper on ‘The Dynamic of Forgiveness in the Light of Current Brain Studies,” and Paul and Cathleen Shrier will present a paper titled, “What Does It Mean that I Care? An Integrated New Testament Theology and Neuroscience Study of Empathy.”
Economics and Pastoral Theology Jim Poling 847-866-3985 james.poling@garrett.edu Pam Couture 816-245-4828 pcouture@spst.edu
Call for Papers:
We have long realized that pastoral theology, including the practices of care and counseling, always occur in social contexts. Many people are increasingly concerned about the present globalization of the economy as a context that is destroying care of individuals, families, and communities. The subject of this working group will be two-fold: 1) to help pastoral theologians “retool” so that they have a basic understanding of the global economy, something they may not have studied in graduate school, and 2) to discuss how pastoral theology might respond to economic globalization and how it might promote practices of care in this context. Jim Poling ( james.poling@garrett.edu ) and Pamela Couture ( pcouture@spst.edu )
WORKSHOPS Workshops focus on a particular topic that reflects the current research interests of the presenter. On Saturday, 11:00am - 12:30pm there are several workshops from among which to choose. (Use the registration form to indicate which workshop you plan to attend.)
Transfiguring Loss: Julian of Norwich as a Resource for Survivors of Traumatic Grief.
Growing out of research on AIDS Bereavement, this workshop focuses on responses to the tsunami, 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina.
Presenter: Jane F. Maynard. Priest-in-charge, Good Samaritan Episcopal Church, Sammamish , WA
Women and Terrorism: Interactions Between Psychological and Theological Hope.
This workshop is based on a study (completed in the months following September 11 th ) of the interactions between theological and psychological hope during times of terrorism. Fifty women completed biweekly questionnaires measuring their levels of psychological hope, theological hope and general symptoms of pathology in the 8 weeks following November 11, 2001. It was found that theological hope contributed toward ameliorating the symptoms of phobic anxiety (which includes in its definition “feelings of terror”).
In this workshop, participants will learn about the development of the Leyva Theological Hope Scale, and how to use it in a clinical setting to assess a client's ability to access transcendent elements of hope. This discussion will also include how varying levels of phobic anxiety may affect different populations, how threats of terrorism uniquely affect women, and the impact of domestic terrorism on family functioning.
Content: 50 % theory, 50% practice; Pedagogy: 35 % lecture, 65% discussion
Presenter: Valerie Lester Leyva, Assistant Professor of Social Work at California State University, Stanislaus and a pastoral counselor in private practice.
Demystifying the War in the Democratic Republic of Congo .
The war in the Democratic Republic of Congo claimed three million lives between 1996 and 1999, thus by any standards causing more damage than Katrina, Columbine, or 911. Having visited the southern DRC and seen the overwhelming poverty and attempt at reconstruction and reconciliation by the church there, Dr. Couture will share the story of the church's response to that disaster.
Presenter: Pamela Couture, Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean and Professor of Practical Theology, Saint Paul School of Theology, Kansas City, MO
Religious Coping and Catastrophic Disasters How do people draw upon their religious faith and spirituality to cope with stress in the immediate aftermath and the long-term process of making sense of a catastrophic disaster? This workshop will draw upon empirical research on religious coping to examine religious coping styles (deferring, collaborating and self directing) and how these styles relate people's images of God and experience of the sacred, their religious traditions, and whether they use premodern, modern and/or postmodern approaches to knowledge.
Presenter: Carrie Doehring, Associate Professor of Pastoral Care and Counseling, Iliff School of Theology
Healing Communities: A model for teaching pastoral leadership in the midst of traumatized communities
Religious practitioners and spiritually oriented health and human services practitioners have a unique role to play in the community as healers and counselors. They are at the crossroads of integrating science and spirituality within a world that increasingly approaches the recovery of human suffering in a materialistic and value-free context. The isolated body in physical medicine has joined the isolated mind in psychiatry; i.e. each has become decontextualized from the inner and social world of the sufferer. Yet, scientific methodology (including many of its empirical methods) can be of considerable benefit in creating an effective healing practice for religious professionals. This workshop will reflect on a Divinity school course that was team-taught by a Pastoral Theologian and a Psychiatrist, both committed to healing communities that have been traumatized. Using a James' radical empiricism, we used a phenomenological method to help students develop a leadership action plan that could attend to specific community traumas.
Presenter: Kristen Leslie, Yale Divinity School
Promoting Life in the Body of Christ: A Pastoral Theology of Congregational Care . In developing theory to guide the care of a congregation as a whole (using Bowen Systems Theory), the workshop leader has been looking at congregations facing internal challenges as well as external challenges. She is interviewing and videotaping several pastoral leaders from congregations in New Orleans , asking about the impact of Katrina on their congregations as systems, on themselves and their families. The shaping questions are "How has Katrina impacted your congregation as a whole and your ministry?", and "What is your thinking about how to care for a congregation in this situation?" In addition, she is gathering information on pastoral longevity in the aftermath of disasters, and interviewing at least one pastor who served in the area devastated by Hurricane Andrew.
Presenter: Carol Jeunnette, PhD Candidate, Iliff School of Theology/ University of Denver
Severed Connections: Using Theological Imagination to Explore Youth's Response to Violence at Port Arthur .
Workshop participants will be invited to walk around an “ Art Gallery ” of 20 pictures drawn by 13 and 16 year old students at two state high schools in Tasmania . These drawings are selected from 160 in research that explored student responses to one of the worst peace time tragedies in Australia when a lone gun man killed 35 people at Port Arthur , Tasmania , an island state of Australia . Reactions from workshop participants will be explored in open discussion. Finally, theological and pastoral insights will be offered with particular reference to school and local church ministries. Issues of theodicy, ritual, sacrament and theological reflection in times of crisis will be considered.
Presenter: Christine Gapes, Former Lecturer in Youth Ministry and Education, United Theological College, North Parramatta , Australia
A Teaching Process to Help Shape Ministry in Times of Natural and Catastrophic Disasters.
Douglas Purnell has significant experience in the offering of practical pastoral care in times of disasters and catastrophic events both ‘on the ground' and with field workers (such as bushfires, earthquakes, and a series of violent deaths in a state housing community.) His most recent book is Conversation as Ministry: Stories and Strategies for Confident Caregiving , Pilgrim, Cleveland, 2003. Doug is also a professional artist who uses the creation of images to enable people reintegrate their lives following tough events. While a seminary teacher he devised a process for preparing ‘would be' ministers and pastoral carers to prepare for pastoral ministry in times of natural and catastrophic events by breaking into the normal curriculum (as the event breaks into life) and immediately processing a theological reflection to shape strategies of care. Doug.'s model uses the creative act to bring integration in times of disintegration. This workshop will document and practice that process for our corporate learning. Doug.will give some emphasis in the workshop to the integrating and healing role of creating images with the people.
Presenter: Douglas Purnell, Minister St Ives Uniting Church, Sydney Australia and faculty member of the School of Theology, Charles Sturt University, Canberra, Australia.
SOCIETY PARTY The Society Party will be held at the home of Carrie Doehring on Friday evening. A light dinner will be available, though conference attendees are also free to have dinner on their own. A party will follow at Carrie's home.
PLACE OF CONFERENCE Location Our conference this year returns to the site of the Society's earliest years - the Brown Palace Hotel with lodging available at the Comfort Inn in Denver , Colorado . Information is available at www.denvercomfortinn.com, and reservations may be made by calling (303) 296-0400. Be sure to let the hotel know you are attending the SPT Annual Study Conference. Rooms are $125 per night, single or double.
OTHER MATTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST Nominating Committee Chris Schlauch the most recent Steering Committee member to complete his term of office, chairs this committee, which has responsibility for bringing a nomination for the Steering Committee to replace Teresa Snorton who rotates of this June. The Nominating Committee would very much like to receive suggestions. Please send them to Chris or to any member of the committee. Other members include Emmanuel Lartey, Karen Scheib, Lee Butler, and Kate Billman. The Nominating Committee cannot nominate its own members.
Journal of Pastoral Theology and the ATLA Project The Journal of Pastoral Theology is no longer a publication fed primarily by material from its Annual Study Conference. In the year 2002 it became a two-issue-a-year journal that depends upon its total membership--not just conference presenters--for its contents. The co-editors of the Journal, Glenn Asquith and Karen Scheib, are encouraging members of the Society to submit articles for upcoming editions. Carrie Doehring, the book review editor, is always looking for reviews. Please forward those to her.
Dues Dues include the Journal and semi-annual newsletters; $50 for regular members and $25 for students, retirees, and persons on low, fixed incomes. International members are not required to pay dues; but they have to pay the registration fee. Canadian members are not regarded as international members. Checks are payable to "Society for Pastoral Theology," mailed with any new or corrected membership contact information, to Society for Pastoral Theology, c/o Teresa Snorton, ACPE, Inc., 1549 Clairmont Rd., #103, Decatur, GA 30033. Dues are payable by calendar year. You are encouraged to pay dues upon the receipt of this newsletter to ensure the timely receiving of the Spring issue of the Journal of Pastoral Theology (if applicable). Please keep your dues current!
Society Bibliography All members in good standing (with dues paid through the previous year) are invited to submit entries. Please note Guidelines for Submission, posted on the website. Send submissions to Kathy Lyndes at kalyndes@yahoo.com. Contributions to the Society for Pastoral Theology Members of the Society participate in one another's lives, professionally and personally. We share manuscripts, solicit references, seek and provide referrals, celebrate achievements, provide support and care through transitions, and mourn losses.
Gift donations can be made to the Society for Pastoral Theology in the form of memorials or tributes in honor of someone. This is a wonderful way to commemorate retirements, books, births, promotions. There will be a form provided at the registration table in Denver . All memorials and tributes will be acknowledged at the Saturday lunch, and acknowledgements will be mailed later to recipients. If a member cannot come to the Denver meeting, a monetary gift can be mailed to the Treasurer: Dr. Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner SMU - Perkins School of Theology P.O. Box 750133 Dallas , TX 75275-0133
Graduate Student Lunch Convener J.F. Wickey will be the convener of this group that will meet on Saturday morning over breakfast. Watch for the room assignment at registration.
Conference Photography Would someone be able and willing to serve as photographer at this year's conference? Expenses for film and development will be covered by the Society.
Displays at the Annual Study Conference The Steering Committee has adopted a policy that commercial displays of goods for sale by members are not appropriate at our Annual Study Conferences.
Directory of Graduate Programs A fine, useful directory of graduate programs in pastoral theology has been prepared by Sam Lee and Bonnie Miller-McLemore. The directory is available on the website. Persons responsible for writing the accounts of these various programs are requested to send Sam updated information as appropriate, as soon as possible.
CEU's The Steering Committee has decided that it cannot provide CEU's for those who attend our meetings. However, Teresa Snorton, Recording Secretary and Conference Registrar, can provide a certificate confirming one's attendance at the meeting to anyone who needs it.
Future Meeting Site: The June, 2007, conference will convene in San Juan , Puerto Rico , so mark your calendars and begin planning now. Please bring your copy of the Newsletter with you to the conference. You will be able to use the enclosed materials, and we will all contribute to saving trees. Schedule for Study Conference , Society for Pastoral Theology, June 15-17, 2006
Thursday, June 15, 2006
10:00-7:00 Book Exhibits Open 10:00-5:00 Registration
1:00-1:45 Orientation, Opening Liturgy
1:45-3:45 Plenary Presentations: Dr. Larry Graham, Iliff School of Theology and Dr. Paula Dobbs-Wiggins, M.D., Perkins School of Theology Questions and Answers
4:00-6:00 Workshops Transfiguring Loss: Julian of Norwich as a Resource for Survivors of Traumatic Grief – Jane Maynard Women and Terrorism: Interactions Between Psychological and Theological Hope – Valerie Lester Leyva Demystifying the War in the Democratic Republic of Congo - Pamela Couture Religious Coping and Catastrophic Disasters – Carrie Doehring
Healing Communities: A model for teaching pastoral leadership in the midst of traumatized communities – Kristen Leslie
Promoting Life in the Body of Christ: A Pastoral Theology of Congregational Care – Carol Jeunette Severed Connections: Using Theological Imagination to Explore Youth's Response to Violence at Port Arthur – Christine Gapes A Teaching Process to Help Shape Ministry in Times of Natural and Catastrophic Disasters – Douglas Purnell
6:00-7:00 Social Hour
7:00-10:00 Banquet
Friday, June 16, 2006
7:45 Gathering/Load busses
7:45 – 1:45 Contextual Workshop
2:00-3:30 Theological Study Groups
Faith and Health (Scheib and Meador) The Church and Christian Formation (Scalise and Karaban) Religious Practices and Commitment (Hummel and Maynard) Embodiment (Asquith and Doehring) Theological Dimensions of Family (Anderson and McLemore) Pastoral Theology and Brain Science (Hogue and Cooper-White) Theological Anthropology (J.F. Wickey and TBA) Economics and Pastoral Theology (Poling and Couture)
4:00- 5:00 Society Conversation
7:00 – 10:00 Dinner/Society Party Light Dinner available at the home of Carrie Doehring, followed by Society Party. Participants are also free to eat dinner on their own, and then attend the party.
Saturday, June 17, 2006
7:30-8:30 Breakfast(s) Special Interest Groups Journal of Pastoral Theology Graduate Programs in Pastoral Theology Graduate Students Publishers' Workshops
8:30-8:50 Memorial Service for Steering Committee member Richard Wallace
8:50-10:30 Work-in-Progress – Jeanne Hoeft, Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, St. Paul School of Theology
10:30–11:00 Coffee Break in memory of Richard Wallace
11:00 -12:30 Table Conversations: Reflections on the Conference, Implications for the Field
1:00-3:00 Society Banquet Speaker: Andy Lester, Professor Emeritus, Brite Divinity School
3:00-4:30 Business Meeting
4:30-5:00 Closing
SPT QUICK REFERENCE, 2006
Steering Committee
Teresa Snorton, Chair, 404-320-1472 teresa@acpe.edu
Jeanne Stevenson-Moessner, Treasurer, 214-768-2433 jmoessne@smu.edu
Esther Acolatse, Recording Secretary 919-660-3573 eeacolatse@div.duke.edu
David Hogue, Corresponding Secretary 847-866-3983 David.Hogue@garrett.edu
Journal of Pastoral Theology Editors
Karen Scheib, Co-editor 404-727-2423 kscheib@emory.edu
Dues Dues include the Journal and semi-annual newsletters; $50 for regular members and $25 for students, retirees, and persons on low, fixed incomes. International members are not required to pay dues; but they have to pay the registration fee. Canadian members are not regarded as international members. Checks are payable to "Society for Pastoral Theology," mailed with any new or corrected membership contact information, to Society for Pastoral Theology, c/o Teresa Snorton, ACPE, Inc., 1549 Clairmont Rd., #103, Decatur, GA 30033.
New Member Information The Society welcomes the membership of any person with professional interests in the field of pastoral theology. On our website at www.societyforpastoraltheology.org , see the Mission Statement of the Society for Pastoral Theology which includes a definition of pastoral theology, and the Journal of Pastoral Theology 's Statement of Purpose. One joins the Society and remains in good standing by paying dues; participation in the annual conference is strongly encouraged. New members: please include institutional or home address, e-mail address (if you have two email addresses, please choose one), where you prefer Society mailings to be sent (whether email or U.S. mail), and as much of the following contact information as you wish to provide: office phone, home phone, fax number.
MEMBERSHIP DIRECTORY UPDATE When registering for the Annual Study Conference, please check one of the copies of the Membership Directory to confirm that your name, address, and e-mail address are up-to-date. You may wish to supplement the information there with a fax number. Those unable to attend the meeting should contact Teresa Snorton (Membership Secretary) at teresa@acpe.edu, to ensure that the data recorded in the Directory are accurate and complete. A registration form is included with this newsletter and should be returned to Teresa Snorton Conference Registrar, ACPE, Inc., 1549 Clairmont Road, #103 , Decatur , GA 30033 by May 10th . (After 5/10 the registration fee will increase from $110 to $145.) The form provides information regarding conference fees (including the luncheon and annual dues) and requests additional information. Hotel arrangements are made individually, directly with the hotel (see below).
Please note: International participants : Membership dues are waived for persons traveling to the conference from outside the United States or Canada . These participants need to pay their registration fees. They may return their conference registration form at this time and pay any amounts due in U.S. dollars at the time of the conference. Graduate Students : A limited number of graduate student scholarships is available. These scholarships are offered in the form of hotel accommodations for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights in a double room. Scholarships will be allocated on a first come/first served basis. If you wish to apply for a scholarship room please indicate your interest in the space provided on the registration form, completing all the information requested there.
For information on other Annual Meetings, please visit the following links:
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