Creating a Climate,
Creating Rituals
A One or Two Day Event for Clergy and Laity involved in Christian Education or Family Ministry. Can be organized by local congregations, conferences or synods.
Description of the Workshop
A blessing ritual is a time when an individual, family, or group intentionally invites and celebrates God's presence in the ordinary and extraordinary events of their lives. Such intentionality is a key factor in the faith formation of children and in deepening the faith of adults.
During our time together, we will experience one or two rituals, learn about the importance of the incorporation of blessing into the ordinary and extra-ordinary moments of life, explore the possible components of a blessing ritual and discover how rituals can be shaped for any occasion. Then we will work on writing rituals. Also, we will discuss ways to create a climate of blessing in our own families and among the members of our congregations.
For more information, contact Mary Nilsen at 1-800-996-2777 or maryenilsen@aol.com
These words of recommendation from Jessica Crist, Director of the Northern Rockies Institute of Theology
"I want to commend Mary Ylvisaker Nilsen as an excellent workshop leader. Mary is creative, organized and gracious. She is theologically informed, pastorally sensitive and pedagogically flexible.
"Those who attended our workshop were very enthusiastic in their response. Each found something significant in the workshop. One said, "It was absolutely seditious. She started off so safely, and in the end challenged our whole lifestyle." People who attended the workshop have told me that they continue to process its implications for their lives and ministries.
"What is so compelling about Mary? She dares to claim that everything that we are, everything that we have, everything that we experience is of God. And she dares to challenge us to express that of-God-ness through rituals. She dares ask us to consecrate the humble and the unnerving, the grand and the unsettling. In her workshop she gently guides the participants through the construction of a ritual, and opens the door into a whole new way of thinking about life."
