On January 19 – 20, the Rev. Canon Mark Eldredge spoke at the Pastoral Responses Institute of Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, PA. The seminar was called Congregational Renewal: Inside Out, consisting of material from Canon Mark’s Revive workshop, a part of Anglican Revitalization Ministries. There were over 50 participants in the seminar: seminary students, clergy, and other leaders from local area churches. It was well-received, and attendees expressed their encouragement due to the practical insights and strategies they received in grappling with the process of revitalization in a local context. They were given a road map of how to move forward, and they enjoyed the opportunity to talk with others who are on the same mission.
On Thursday evening, the first day of the seminar, the school held an open forum workshop, open to all in the community who wanted to attend, even if they did not attend the seminar. For this workshop, Canon Mark invited the Rt. Rev. Alec Cameron, Bishop of the Diocese of Pittsburgh, to speak and minister to those who came. They both led an evening of renewal based on the principle that “there is no revitalization without renewal.” Their main focus in teaching was the importance of restoring passion in the Lord by the Holy Spirit in order to lead well. The teaching was followed by about an hour of prayer ministry, and almost all seventy attendees came up for prayer after hearing about the work of the Spirit in keeping church leaders refreshed.
The Rev. Amy Howard, a priest from the Anglican Diocese in New England, attended the seminar and remarked that it was “engaging, practical, and timely. It was extremely helpful,” she said, “to do the work of locating our own congregation in the lifecycle of churches and to leave with renewed vision for mission, personal growth in leading change, and a fresh strategy for revitalization.” For more information on Anglican Revitalization Ministries, and to see how you can get involved with the Revive, Renew, and Reframe programs, please visit www.churchrevive.org.
