Better Together 2022

The Diocese of Olympia is made up of more than 26,000 Episcopalians in more than 100 worshiping communities through Western Washington. Our geographic area stretches south from Canada to Oregon and west from the foothills of the Cascade Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.Through worship we:Affirm our faithPray togetherReconcile togetherShare peace and thanksgiving togetherGain strength and renewal through EucharistPrepare ourselves to minister to the world.

The Episcopal Diocese of Olympia

Join your friends and colleagues from around the Diocese for this inspiring conference-in-a-day!

<h1>Better Together</h1>Speakers * Workshops * Faith in ActionJoin your friends and colleagues from around the Diocese for a day of music, ideas, conversation, prayer and poetry. $25 includes your choice of book or come for FREE with the &quot;guest&quot; ticket. All proceeds and donations go directly to our ministry partners.<h2>Schedule:</h2>9:00 – Opening Service – Welcome, Prayer &amp; Music coordinated by Ann Strickland with a Slide-Show: “Glimpses of God in Western Washington” featuring photos from all of us, curated by the Rev. Berto Gándara9:45 – Featured Conversation: “Lifelong Faith for All Ages &amp; Generations” with authors John Roberto and Canon Wendy Claire Barrie10:30 – Break10:45 – Workshop Breakout #1:<ul><ul><li>Beyond Sunday: Creating Meaningful Worship &amp; Devotions with the Rev. Dianne Andrews</li></ul><ul><li>Self-Compassion for Weary Givers with the Rev. Emily Tanis-Likkel (UCC)</li></ul><ul><li>Picture Book Theology for All Ages with Hanna Schock</li></ul><ul><li>Spiritual Direction: An Invitation to Deeper Discovery and Connection with Tom Cashman and Carla Orlando</li></ul></ul>11:45 – Lunch Break12:30 – Featured Conversation: “The Work of Racial Healing &amp; The Church” with Iyabo Onipede, Daniel W. Jones, Sylvia Sepulveda and the Rev. Nat Johnson1:30 – Workshop Breakout #2:<ul><ul><li>Becoming People of Refugia: Adapting our Faith for the Age of Climate Crisis | A Roundtable Author Dr. Debra Rienstra (Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth, 2022) in conversation with Lindsay Bell, Josh deLacy, Emily Meeks &amp; Justin Shelley</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Letting Go of Bad Theology In A New World – Theodicy For Teens with author Bryan Bliss (Bad Things, Good People, and God: A Guide for Teens, 2022)</li></ul></ul><ul><ul><li>Gathering Community and Growing Relationship through Meaningful Movies with The Rev. Kay Flores, Anne Miller, Sylvia Sepulveda &amp; Hayley Stockwell </li></ul><ul><li>Sacred Hospitality: Setting the Table for Transformation at Retreats and in Churches with Alida Garcia, Dan Oberg, and moderated by Ashley Graham-Wilcox</li></ul></ul>2:30 – Break2:45 – Featured Conversation: “Spirit Runner: A 6,000 Mile Pilgrimage for Justice” with author Noé Álvarez and the Rev. Rich Weyls3:30 – Closing Service – Featuring music and poetry with Bishop Greg Rickel<h3>Please visit the <a href="https://ecww.org/faith-formation/better-together-2022/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Better Together 2022</a> website for more workshop details.</h3>

<h2>More Details on our Featured Conversations</h2>MORNING ~ Lifelong Faith for All Ages and Generations - How do we re-build and strengthen our church communities in a post-pandemic world? Authors John Roberto (Lifelong Faith: Formation for All Ages and Generations, 2022) and Canon Wendy Claire Barrie (Faith at Home: A Handbook for Cautiously Christian Parents, 2016) believe the intergenerational church provides a way forward. MID-DAY ~ The Work of Racial Healing &amp; The Church - Iyabo Onipede continues the conversation she started last year at Better Together which evolved into a 10-part series on racial healing in the Diocese. This year she'll check-in with leaders representing Ethnic Ministries Circles of Color, Daniel W. Jones and Sylvia Sepulveda, as well as the Rev. Nat Johnson, part of the Circles Allies, to see what is evolving in the Diocese around racial healing and where challenges still remain.AFTERNOON ~ Spirit Runner: A 6,000 Mile Pilgrimage for Justice - Born to Mexican immigrant parents and the first in his family to attend college, author and inspirational speaker, Noé Álvarez (Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land, 2020) felt pressure to succeed from all sides. It wasn't until he followed his spirit, running from Canada to Guatemala to bring attention to indigenous rights, that he found his voice and purpose. Hear about his transformative journey in conversation with family friend, the Reverend Rich Weyls. * See speaker bios below.

<h2>Opening &amp; Closing Services...</h2>We'll open with prayer &amp; music coordinated by Ann Strickland and with a slide-show: "Glimpses of God in Western Washington," featuring photos from all of us, curated by the Rev. Berto Gándara. We'll close with a simple service -- complete with music and poetry selected and read by our own Bishop Greg Rickel -- to send you back into the world, refreshed and ready to take on the rest of 2022!

<h2>Registration includes a gift book...</h2>$25/person includes a gift book of your choice related to our program, speakers and workshop presenters. This year choose from:<ul><li>Lifelong Faith: Formation for All Ages and Generations, by John Roberto (2022)</li><li>Spirit Run: A 6,000-Mile Marathon Through North America’s Stolen Land, by Noé Álvarez (2020)</li><li>Refugia Faith: Seeking Hidden Shelters, Ordinary Wonders, and the Healing of the Earth by Debra Rienstra (2022)</li><li>Prayers for the People: Things We Didn't Know We Could Say to God by the Rev. Terry J. Stokes (2021) </li><li>Bad Things, Good People, and God: A Guide for Teens by Bryan Bliss (2022)</li><li>The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by the Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama (2016)</li></ul>

<h2>Guests</h2>Come as our guest and attend for free! Upgrade to the "Participant" ticket ($25) to receive your choice of book with registration. Stay the whole day or choose the parts that interest you most. <h2>Musicians</h2>As always, musicians attend for free though we would invite your musical participation in our opening and closing services which would include a fun and interactive practice in advance. Scholarships are always available; contact <a href="mailto:faithformation@ecww.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">faithformation@ecww.org</a>.<h2>Students</h2>High school and college students attend for free.<h2>Scholarships</h2>Scholarships are always available; contact <a href="mailto:faithformation@ecww.org" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">faithformation@ecww.org</a> for more info.<h2>Ministry Partners</h2>Proceeds from your registration and all donations will be directed to the following ministry partners:&gt; Chaplains on the Harbor/Harbor Roots Farm&gt; Edible Hope&gt; La Iglesia Episcopal de la Resurrección &gt; Mission to Seafarers&gt; Refugee Resettlement Office&gt; Underhill House<h2>Pre-Conference Movie Screening</h2>As an added bonus to Better Together and to celebrate the Diocese of Olympia's joyful partnership with Meaningful Movies, we are offering a free screening of Mission: Joy: Finding Happiness in Troubled Times on Friday night, March 11 at 6:00 p.m. with a panel discussion to follow at 7:30 p.m.Mission: Joy "provides access to the unlikely friendship of two international icons who transcend religion: the late Archbishop Desmond Tutu and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Deeply moving and laugh-out-loud funny, the two holy men share science-backed wisdom of how to live with joy in troubled times." After the film, a follow-up conversation features esteemed panelists from around the Diocese and beyond. Registration is free; donations are welcome. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/mission-joy-encore-online-screening-better-together-2022-registration-234048704977" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Register here.</a><h2>Thank you for the art!</h2>Many thanks to Carla Orlando for lending her image to the background of the Better Together banner. Carla is currently leading a "Contemplative Creativity" series for the Diocese of Olympia. <a href="https://www.eventbrite.com/e/contemplative-creativity-way-to-being-registration-223645980147" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Click here</a> for more information on Carla's Contemplative Creativity offering.

<h2>BIOS </h2>(Featured Speakers in agenda order)JOHN ROBERTO - John has spent a lifetime working in Christian faith formation—teaching, writing, researching, consulting, and developing program resources. He founded LifelongFaith Associates, LLC in 2006 and the Center for Ministry Development in 1978 where he worked for 28 years. The author of many seminal books on faith formation, his latest has just been published: Lifelong Faith: Formation for All Ages and Generations (2022). John will be highlighting its key points including "The Seven Elements of Lifelong Faith Formation" before diving into a Q &amp; A with Wendy.CANON WENDY CLAIRE BARRIE - Wendy is the author of Faith at Home: A Handbook for Cautiously Christian Parents, and is finishing up her second book, The Church Post-Sunday School: How to Be Intergenerational and Why it Matters. A writer, editor, speaker, and Christian educator, Wendy has served several Episcopal congregations on both coasts over the last 30-plus years, including All Saints Church in Pasadena, California, and Trinity Church Wall Street in lower Manhattan. Wendy was recently named Canon for Intergenerational Ministries at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, Seattle.IYABO ONIPEDE - Iyabo is back by popular demand! After last year's presentation at Better Together, she led a 10-part series on Racial Healing in the Diocese of Olympia, reaching participants from over 30 churches with her trademark wit, vulnerability, and tough-love. Shaped by her biracial and multicultural immigrant background, Iyabo’s number one priority is dissolving the harm that BIPOC, as well as non-BIPOC people experience as a result of racism and white supremacist culture. She is a graduate of Georgetown University Law School (J.D.) and Candler School of Theology at Emory University (M.Div.). She currently serves as the co-director of the nonprofit organization, Compassionate Atlanta.DANIEL W. JONES - While relatively new to Seattle and trying out the various Episcopal churches of this region, Daniel also stays in touch with his prior church, Grace Memorial Episcopal Church in Portland, Oregon where he served on the vestry. He is an active member of Black/African-American Ethnic Ministries Circle of Color, and the PNW Union of Black Episcopalians. His background is in business, finance, organizational structure, internet marketing, and procedural documentation.SYLVIA SEPULVEDA is the Program Consultant for Adult Faith Formation in the Diocese of Olympia. A mother, wife, activist, and fledgling Spiritual Director, Sylvia currently serves on the Bishop Nedi Rivera Latino Ministry Fund Advisory Committee, the Diocesan Nominations Committee, the BIPOC Fund Working Group, the Underhill House Board, and is a member of Ethnic Ministries Circulo de Color. She also is actively developing Spanish language congregational resources for both clergy and lay leadership. She currently organizes and facilitates weekly Centering Prayer and Welcoming Prayer practices; monthly Mindful Poetry and Contemplative Creativity practices, and organizes Meaningful Movies Offered by The Episcopal Church in Western Washington. THE REV. NAT JOHNSON - Nat is both the Interim Rector and the Interim Pastor for Children &amp; Families at St. Paul, Seattle, enjoying the opportunity to cultivate Christian formation for all ages. Nat serves in leadership as part of the Circles of Color Allies and has hosted the Diocese-wide discussion on LGBTQ+ book selections since July, 2021.ETHNIC MINISTRIES CIRCLES OF COLOR - Ministry leaders in the Diocese of Olympia – both lay and ordained – created Circles of Color to provide regular opportunities for people of color to come together to experience support, develop networks across our diocese and communities, and consider the significant social issues that affect us. NOÉ ÁLVAREZ - Noé is the author of the 2021 inspirational book, Spirit Run: A 6,000 Mile Marathon Through North America's Stolen Land published last year to broad acclaim and a New York Times Book Review Editor's Choice. Noé was born to Mexican immigrant parents and raised working-class in Yakima, Washington. He holds degrees in philosophy and creative writing from Whitman College and Emerson College, respectively. He studied conflict analysis, peacemaking, and conflict resolution at American University and in Northern Ireland, received a fellowship at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School, and researched U.S. drug policy, military aid, and human rights issues in Colombia’s Putumayo jungles. He lives in Seattle with his wife and she just gave birth to their first child!THE REV. RICH WEYLS - Rich is Rector of St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, Seattle. He was ordained in 1992 and provided pastoral leadership to five congregations before being called to St. Andrew’s in 2017. Fr. Rich is also a board-certified chaplain with expertise in palliative care. He is a spiritual care educator, researcher, and contributor to the classic textbook for chaplaincy students, Spiritual Care in Practice: Case Studies in Healthcare Chaplaincy (2015). He and his husband, Mark, have three adult sons and five grandchildren. He and Noé are family friends.

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Better Together 2022

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Better Together 2022

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