Festival of Wisdom and Grace

Led by Professor John Oswalt, Asbury Seminary
When we think of the contributions of Judaism to our Christian faith, there is none more central than our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Messiah of the Old Testament. In this workshop we will look at the prophetic predictions of the Messiah in the Old Testament and will see the remarkable way in which those predictions were fulfilled in Jesus. Our survey will cover the entire testament from Genesis to Malachi.

Led by Professor Ellen Davis
We will look at the traditional Jewish Practice, rooted in the Psalms, of blessing God for specific gifts, common or rare, that come to us multiple times each day.  We will also practice composing and reciting new blessings and consider how that may itself be an empowering practice for people of faith.

Led by Dr. Bob Rambo
The 5th Gospel: The Geography of Israel will introduce you to the important geographical regions of Israel/Palestine and enhance our understanding of how the geography of Israel/Palestine played a major role in shaping the biblical story. The biblical story unfolds in a particular place with unique characteristics that the prophets, Jesus and Paul used to share the message of the Gospel. You will will come away from this workshop with a realistic view of the land, its challenges, and its influence.

Led by Rabbi and Senior Scholar Shana Goldstein Mackler
Living a life of love opens us up to loss, and there is much to be learned through our grief. Jewish wisdom offers healing guidance as we each must walk through the shadow of death. As the sages say, “There is nothing more whole than a broken heart.” Together, we will explore Jewish traditions and rituals around grieving, mourning and the sacred act of remembering.

Led by Doc Hall, Upper Room
How do our children and grandchildren hear us talking about our life stories, and especially our faith stories? It is important for us to be able to talk about how we came to our beliefs and faith with those who will follow behind us. Are we clear in what we are saying? Are we talking about the facts and timelines of our faith, or are we speaking from our hearts, sharing the true relationship we have with our personal Savior and friend, Jesus Christ? We will share about the different types of stories and how to think through the ways we tell them.

Led by Paul Ervin
As we look to our retirement years, how should we hope to grow spiritually and live generously in our family, the local church and community? Where do we see ways to encourage our family, friends, and church in sharing of their time, talent and treasure?

In many of our local churches and communities the fifty-and-over-age group is growing.  Much has been written about how we should live out our “second half of life”. In this workshop we will consider some of those writings, but we will mainly share and explore attempts by individuals and churches to put gratitude and generous living into action. I will bring personal examples of ways people have given back in their retirement years and created a positive influence on the next generation.  We hope participants will share their examples of individual and corporate expressions of generous living and attitudes of gratitude that are and can take place in our family, church and community relationships.

The workshops will be led by Paul Ervin, who for years 72 to 82 served as the first Director of Generous Living at Long’s Chapel UMC in Waynesville, NC.

Led by the Rev. Sue Eaton
How will people remember you?  How can you be sure that the things that you are passionate about will live on in the lives of others?  What can you do to make things easier and less stressful for your family?  This workshop will give you an opportunity to think about these questions and others at this stage of your life.  You will also be provided with resources to hold a 6-session workshop in your local church on end-of-life issues, such as funeral planning, financial and legal planning, medical issues and planning your Service of Celebration.