Learn more about these exciting workshops happening at Annual Celebration 2025!
The Annual Celebration Planning Committee is excited to announce that there will be a series of workshops led by local church pastors at Annual Celebration 2025! These workshops will be happening on the afternoon of Friday, June 21st, which is also the day that our keynote speaker, Rev. Cameron Trimble, will be joining us in-person! If there’s only one day that you can be at AC 2025, that Friday is your day (and we’ve got a special registration option for that — just visit the RMC’s Zeffy registration page to sign up).
To learn more about some of the workshop offerings that will be at AC 2025, we invite you to check out the descriptions below:
Rapid Response and Community Care for Contemporary Fascism
How do we organize when violent extremists threaten our communities and the most vulnerable among us? What do we do when policies are rooted in xenophobia and fear. How do we act courageously in love when we also face threats for doing what is right and just? Join Rev. Tracy Howe for a 2-part training addressing rapid response, community care and cultural organizing amidst contemporary fascism.
Congregational Land Stories: Unearthing Your Church’s Unique Call to Racial and Environmental Justice
Has your congregation been involved in racial and environmental justice efforts but maybe are not sure what to do next? Are you curious to find an intersectional approach that will resonate with more people in your congregation and community, and even connect to your own story?
Join this workshop led by Bry Brannan to learn about an approach that grounds these questions in Place-based relationships and storytelling. Through learning the Land stories of where your congregation is located, your church can unearth your unique call to be part of a movement for the liberation of the Land and all Peoples who have been impacted by systems of oppression and environmental racism.
The workshop will include practical pieces you can share with your congregation including: a small group storytelling practice, an earth-based embodied ritual, and an invitation for your congregation to join the first “Root & Reckon” Rocky Mountain Community of Practice in January 2026 that will be facilitated through Juniper Formation UCC by Bry Brannan, a Land Discernment Organizer.
Finding the Role of Faith Communities in Food Sovereignty
Faith communities have long been food assistance providers in their efforts to make food more available to community members. This workshop explores what it could look like for a faith community to shift from charity to solidarity and from food access to food sovereignty. We will ground ourselves in a shared understanding of vocabulary related to the food system; delve into looking at the food system from a food sovereignty lens that prioritizes people, the planet, and community self-determination; and envision how churches and their congregations can shift to a food justice or food sovereignty approach in their local activities. This workshop will be led by Rev. Dr. Olive Hinnant and Caitlin Matthews, the Executive Director of Food Justice NW Aurora.
Healing from the Wounds of Patriarchy by Bringing Mary Magdalene Back
As the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea approaches this summer, it is a perfect time to revisit some of their decisions from a broader perspective, including new biblical scholarship, reemerging views on the Divine Feminine, and how Christianity looks different with the full inclusion of Mary Magdalene. It’s time to heal from the wounds of patriarchy by reclaiming and reintegrating what was there from the start! It is time to bring Mary Magdalene back! This workshop will begin with some insights from Nicole Lamarche’s 2024 sabbatical pilgrimage to France and then bring us back into life in the local church. Participants will be given a chance to consider pieces of Christian teachings and stories that have been hidden. Guided by RMC clergy reflecting on different aspects, opportunities for individual and communal reflection will be provided. This workshop will be led by Rev. Nicole Lamarche, Rev. Mallory Everhart, Rev. Amelia Richardson Dress, and Rev. Jackie Hibbard.
Grounded for Justice: Embodiment, Resilience, and Collective Care
Justice work is demanding. We pour ourselves into tending the needs of our communities, often at the expense of our own well-being. In today’s climate of political division and uncertainty, it’s easy to lose touch with what sustains us. This workshop invites reflection on how fear shows up in the body—and how nervous system awareness and community connection can help us stay grounded, meet the moment with resilience, and not just survive, but thrive. This workshop will be led by Rev. Dr. Sarah B. Linn and Rev. Dr. Vincent Tango.
The Accessible-to-All (A2A) Transformation
Join Dr. Kevin Pettit and Rev. Kelli Parrish Lucas for a conversation about the A2A process. Kevin is the Director of Faith4All, and Kelli served a 6-year term with the Board of the UCC’s Disabilities Ministries. This is a great opportunity to ask questions about the A2A process and learn from Kevin and Kelli’s expertise.
Loving Our Fuzzy Neighbors: Creation Justice and Congregational Care
Our small town has a host of challenges. There are too many mosquitos because of our farming practices, a huge chunk of our industry relies on a coal power plant that is closing, and we have a lot of new neighbors moving in who are just a bit different. How can we talk about these things in a way that invites people in instead of putting them on guard? One answer has been to build bat homes. Learn more about what this project meant for us as we figure out how to extend our love to our neighbors, to people who make us feel uncomfortable, and to the rest of creation. Led by Rev. Dr. Jesse Ophoff.
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