Eastern Mennonite Seminary at Lancaster (PA) is offering its first ever cross-cultural experience to the United Kingdom.
“Struggle and Hope in Post-Christendom,” led by Stephen Kriss and Stuart Murray Williams, will explore Christian presence and witness in Bristol and London, England.
Kriss is director of communication and leadership cultivation with Franconia Mennonite Conference in eastern Pennsylvania and an adjunct instructor for EMS Lancaster, and Williams is a trainer and consultant with the Anabaptist Network in the United Kingdom.
“Post-Christendom is a new understanding of the place of the church and Christian life in a world of multiple faiths, multiple perspectives and spirituality that is not tied to a particular religion,” said Kriss.
“We want to give people a glimpse into both the possibilities and awkwardness that exist in post-Christendom context,” he continued. “What I have learned from my connections in the United Kingdom is that there is the real possibility for Anabaptism to thrive as church is decentralized.
“I hope that by listening to the stories of leaders in the United Kingdom the class would gain a sense of the possibilities in our present and future.”
Orientation for the course will begin May 1 at EMU Lancaster. The group will travel in the United Kingdom May 16-24. The group will reassemble June 25-26 to reflect on their experience and to discuss how to apply what they’ve learned to congregations in the United States.
Students may earn three hours of graduate credit. Travel, lodging and fees cost $2,750; credit tuition is $1,100 and non-credit tuition is $495. Priority will be given to students taking the course for credit. The deadline for registration is Mar. 15, 2010.
For more information, visit www.emu.edu/lancaster/seminary/cross-cultural or contact Mark Wenger, director of pastoral studies, at (717) 397-5190 or wengermr@emu.edu.
The opinions expressed in articles posted on Mosaic’s website are those of the author and may not reflect the official policy of Mosaic Conference. Mosaic is a large conference, crossing ethnicities, geographies, generations, theologies, and politics. Each person can only speak for themselves; no one can represent “the conference.” May God give us the grace to hear what the Spirit is speaking to us through people with whom we disagree and the humility and courage to love one another even when those disagreements can’t be bridged.