Tag: Harambee Auditorium

Scarritt-Bennett Center hosts “Draw the Circle Wide” conference

NASHVILLE, Tenn.  – Scarritt-Bennett Center will host Draw the Circle Wide, a conference to help Christian communities navigate the tensions of sexual orientation and gender identity, April 20-21. The conference is based on the conviction that only risky conversations can help communities deal with these issues. The goal is to promote honest communication among participating groups.

The event format will differ from that of a typical conference in that there are no solo speakers; instead, in the spirit of dialogue, presenters will converse with each other. Smaller break-out sessions will explore more specific scenarios like theology, pastoral care and family relationships.

The weekend will end with a performance of the one-man play, “Transfigurations,” by Peterson Toscano. The performance will take place Saturday, April 21 from 7-9 p.m. in Benton Chapel at Vanderbilt University and is free and open to the public.

Draw the Circle Wide is sponsored by Scarritt-Bennett Center and the Carpenter Program in Religion, Gender, and Sexuality at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Draw the Circle Wide Conference, Friday and Saturday, Scarritt-Bennett Center, Harambee Auditorium in Fondren Hall, located at 1008 19th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37212.

Registration Information:
$20 for the weekend / $15 for students with ID (includes Saturday lunch). Register online at  http://www.scarrittbennett.org/programs/dtcw.aspx or call 615-340-7557.

SCHEDULE

APRIL 20 – (Harambee Auditorium on the Scarritt-Bennett campus)

7:00-9:00 p.m.: Sexuality 101 & Bible 101: (A Dual Credit Course) – Dr. Lori Messinger, Professor and Director, School of Social Work at University of North Carolina – Wilmington and Dr. Annaliza Azzoni, Assistant Professor of Hebrew Bible & Ancient Eastern Cultures, Vanderbilt Divinity School.

APRIL 21 – (Harambee Auditorium on the Scarritt-Bennett campus)

9:30 a.m. – Coffee & Mingling

10:00 a.m. – Talking Sex in Church: Panel Discussion – Rev. Pam Hawkins, Associate Pastor, Belmont United Methodist Church; Rev. Martin Espinosa, Pastor and Founder, Ray of Hope Community Church; Instructor of Religious Studies, American Baptist College; Lyndsey Godwin, Director of Education, Planned Parenthood of Middle and Eastern Tennessee; Robbie Maris, Co-founder, Belmont University Bridge Builders; Holling Smith-Borne, Director of Wilson Music Library; Pianist, Glendale Baptist Church; Assistant Accompanist, Nashville in Harmony; Dr. Monique Moultrie, Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies, Western Kentucky University.

11:00 a.m. - Break!

11:30 a.m. – Help / Hurt: Effects of the Coming Out Process on Community Members – Dr. Lori Messinger, Professor and Director, School of Social Work at University of North Carolina – Wilmington, and Dr. Brian Hooper, Minister of Pastoral Care, First Lutheran Church, Nashville; Integrative Pastoral Counselor.

12:30 p.m. – Lunch – (Susie Gray Dining Hall on the Scarritt-Bennett campus)

1:30 p.m. – Break-out Sessions I:

• Building a Welcoming Church: Kelley Frances Fenelon and Anthony Fatta – Reconciling Ministries Network, Jurisdictional Organizers.
• LGBTQ People in the Black Church: Kristin Kelly M.Div., Vanderbilt Divinity School), Monique Moultrie (Visiting Assistant Professor, Western Kentucky University.
• A Space for Family and Friends of LGBTQ People: Melissa Gordon Social Worker and Community Organizer-Community Theology Group and Helen Willis Social Worker.
• Queering Theology: Brandy Daniels Ph.D. Candidate in Theological Studies, Vanderbilt University.

2:30 p.m. – Break!

3:00 p.m. – Break-out Sessions II: same as the 1:30 session

4:00 p.m. – Closing Meditation (Harambee)

7:00- 9:00 p.m. - Peterson Toscano’s Transfigurations. Open to the public – $5 donation requested. Download performance flier.
(This performance will be held at Benton Chapel at Vanderbilt, 411 21s6 Ave. S., Nashville, TN 36240).

REGISTER: Online: http://conta.cc/dtcwide, ?call 615.340.7557 or email aelliott@scarrittbennett.org.

MORE INFO: sarah.f.porter@vanderbilt.edu.

Hosted by Scarritt-Bennett Center (Harambee Auditorium in Fondren Hall), 1008 19th Ave S • Nashville, TN 37212.

Please note: All events will be held on the Scarritt-Bennett campus with the exception of Toscano’s closing performance, which will be held in Benton Chapel on the Vanderbilt campus.