BEYOND BELONGING
BRANCH OUT – BRING IN – BUILD TOGETHER
WORKSHOPS
PARTICIPATE IN SMALL GROUP WORKSHOPS WITH OUR PLENARY & WORSHIP LEADERS & OTHER COLLEAGUES IN MINISTRY
and
A ‘BOOK OF BELONGING’ PANEL DISCUSSION WITH PEERS
BREAK-OUT WORKSHOPS & LEADERS
CHOOSE FROM TWO OF OUR BREAK-OUT WORKSHOPS
LED BY COLLEAGUES CREATING BELOVED COMMUNITY IN MINNESOTA CONTEXTS!!
A SONG IS SOMEWHERE TO BEGIN
Sara Thomsen
Sara Thomsen is a singer-songwriter from the Twin Ports of Duluth/Superior. Increasing wonder and awareness, deepening spiritual connection, and widening social engagement through song is at the heart of her work.
Sara‘s ability to get people singing magically transforms gatherings into communities empowered with possibility. Sara’s songs carry you inward and outward—in, to the particulars of your own life, and out—into the shared humanity of us all.
Thomsen and her spouse Paula Pedersen love spending time at their home gardening and enjoying the outdoors alongside Athena the dog, Eva the cat, a dozen chickens and two beehives.
Harmony happens in community. Songs sow solidarity. The art and practice of community singing draws us outside of ourselves and at the same time deepens us within.
Come join in singing songs of justice and peace, songs of hope and longing, and songs that are simply fun and full of celebration. Singing opens the heart and re-enchants the spirit.
Harmony brings harmony! No previous singing experience necessary and don’t worry, you won’t have to sing all by yourself! Come reclaim the joy of singing as a human birthright, and sing ‘the change you want to be in the world’.
MINISTRY WITH NEURODIVERGENT CHILDREN & TRAINING FOR YOUTH & ADULTS
Rachel Casper
Rachel Casper became the Director of Children and Family Ministries at Eden Prairie United Methodist Church in 2019. Rachel finds joy in working with children and helping them grow in their faith, and at EPUMC she has created a space where kids can be themselves and find support for their spiritual well-being. With her experience working with the Hopkins Special Education Advisory Committee, Rachel has been an advocate to help parents and school staff work together to support families, advise decision makers and advocate for students. With this experience, she started an adaptive vacation bible school in 2021. Since then, EPUMC has added this adaptive mission to all aspects of the church’s ministry.
We will learn different concepts to create a more inclusive Sunday school classroom for neurodivergent or special needs children. The discussion will include different strategies to help kids that may struggle with certain activities and how to train volunteers to provide the support that the kids may need. We will also discuss how to have a conversation with guardians about what a child might need when you don’t know how or what to ask.
CREATING GENDER INCLUSIVE MINISTRIES
Rev. Nora P. Elliott
Rev. Nora P. Elliott is an ordained minister with the United Church of Christ, serving Union UCC in Elk River, MN. As an openly trans woman she is dedicated to supporting gender expansive people in finding the resources they need to thrive and supplying allies with the education they need to be safe contacts for queer people.
“Neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come…can separate us from the love of God” – Romans 8:38.
So why do we think gender or sexuality can? Pastor Nora leads a workshop to answer your questions and give tools to create or enhance existing gender inclusive ministries.
CULTIVATING AN ANTIRACIST YOUTH MINISTRY FROM THE GROUND UP
Elsa Kendig
Elsa Kendig the Director of Youth and Families Ministries at House of Hope Presbyterian in St. Paul. She is a third generation presbyterian through the Mexican side of her family and a Ruling Elder who has worked in youth ministry for over 15 years in both small and large congregations. Also, a trained middle and high school educator, her emphasis is history and cultural studies. Elsa currently serves on the presbytery‘s Leadership Team and the Institutional Race & Equity Self-Assessment working group. She was also the co-curator of the presbytery’s anti-racism spiritual pilgrimage from 2020-present. In her free time, Elsa enjoys fixing up and riding bicycles and enjoys a good road trip or used book store.
We can sometimes struggle to talk about antiracism in church beyond explicit conversations about race. Certainly, race is something we want to be unafraid to talk about and engage with, but antiracist youth ministry design goes far beyond that. This workshop will give participants an opportunity to make a brief assessment of their own church/community context (“the soil”), as well as think about the seeds that want to begin to nurture, not just doing justice out in the world, but undoing some of the unhealthy patterns that our own church and youth communities can fall into that don’t serve the course of justice in or outside of our doors.
LET’S TALK ABOUT SEX!: ADVOCACY FOR INCLUSIVE FAITH-BASED SEX ED CURRICULUM
Anna Belz-Brock
Anna Belz-Brock (she/her) is the Children and Youth Minister at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Minnetonka and serves as the Youth Camp Program Director for the Episcopal Church in Minnesota. She is currently pursuing her Masters of Divinity at Luther Seminary, in hopes of ordination in the ELCA. As a Gen Z leader in the church, Anna is passionate about exploring what it means to be the church in today’s context, creating safe and affirming spaces for Queer and neurodivergent youth, and rediscovering Sabbath in today’s urgent culture. Anna serves on this year’s ConNext planning team and is excited to explore what it means to be Beloved Community with all of you!
Ariel Johnson
Ariel Johnson (she/her) is the Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries at Lake Harriet UMC in South Minneapolis, Minnesota. She is also the acting president of the Children’s Ministry Collective, an action team of the Minnesota Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church that unites and equips CYF folk for their ministries across the conference. Ariel is also proud to be on the ConNext planning team and is a freelance Dance Cardio Instructor and Theater Artist in the metro area.
Join us as we discuss different faith based sexual education curriculums for all ages and ministry settings. We will discuss how to advocate for implementation in different ministry settings and talk about different ways to use the curriculum in your setting.
DISABILITY THEOLOGY, DISABILITY JUSTICE, AND ACCESS IN FAITH FORMATION
Allison Connelly-Vetter
Allison Connelly-Vetter (she/her) holds a Master of Divinity with a concentration in disability theology from Union Theological Seminary. She currently serves as the Interim Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries for First Universalist Church of Minneapolis. She also serves on the Executive Team of the United Church of Christ Disabilities Ministries Board, on the Board of Directors for Benincasa Community Catholic Worker Farm, and is co-founder and co-leader of the Disability Theology Discussion Group. Allison lives with her partner, Brooklyn, in South Minneapolis.
It’s a fact: disabled kids, youth, and adults are participating in faith formation in our congregations, whether we’re aware of them or not. It’s also a fact that some disabled kids, youth, and adults are not participating in our faith formation ministries — or are participating and experiencing harm or exclusion — because our ministries are not as accessible, inclusive, or welcoming as they could be. Join Allison, a disabled, queer woman in ministry, to explore some basics of disability theology and the Disability Justice movement, and to workshop together in real time how to make our ministries more accessible and inclusive for our disabled, neurodivergent, and chronically ill community members.
MENTAL HEALTH: DIGGING DEEP FOR GREATER BALANCE
Rev. Rachael A. Keefe
Rachael A. Keefe (DMin, Andover Newton Seminary at Yale, formerly Andover Newton Theological School) is the pastor of Living Table United Church of Christ in South Minneapolis, Minnesota. She frequently writes and speaks on the intersection of faith and mental health as well as in queer and trans advocacy. She has written several books and her most recent book, The Lifesaving Church (Chalice Press, 2018) focuses on suicide prevention with an emphasis on faith and practical support for mental well-being. She is committed to church growth, vitality, and inclusivity using technology to bring the church into the current century. She is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ.
At some point in life, everyone struggles to maintain mental health. The reality is that church has historically contributed to the stigma and silence around mental health and mental illness. Join in this discussion as we exam out-dated theology and develop spiritual practices that help maintain balance. Together we can envision and embody a more hopeful, inclusive, and open church.
