www.spiritualbookclub.com is an on-line global community of kindred spirits who explore spirituality through books, music, discussion, and ways to get involved in doing good things globally. It’s a spiritual home on the web.

We’ve been here since 1999, and we work to feed the spirits of those who visit this site with:
*Books that nourish the soul, give deeper insights
*Music that moves you (or that just rocks and therefore moves you)
*Discussion that makes you think about what you believe
*Links that help you get involved in cool projects all over the planet

Check this out:

“A collection of inspirational videos and text featuring America’s finest religious thinkers, stories of personal faith, and reflections on spiritual topics, gathered from television broadcasts of 30 Good Minutes, a weekly ecumenical and interfaith program on WTTW 11 (PBS) in Chicago.”

www.thirtygoodminutes.org

Chicago

May 27-30, 2010

Pre-conferences May 26-27, 2010

The conference seeks to explore “growing the Christ’s church deep and wide” in an increasingly diverse world. The conference is a place of differences. People with varying languages, cultures, ethnicities, theologies, genders, generations and backgrounds will come together to recognize the amazing potential of differences and, through affirming and celebrating those differences, create something new.

Come and wade in the H₂O, that is the 2010 11th National Multicultural Church Conference and be nourished, sustained and reborn.

For more information, click here.

BookARetreat.com is a complete directory of all the Presbyterian camps and conference centers in the United States and Canada.  This new search engine will find the perfect place for your event based on your lodging needs and locaion.

**BookARetreat.com is brought to you by:

Presbyterian Church Camp and Conference Association www.pcca.net

Extraordinary Leaders in Extraordinary Times is an illuminating study of the most successful pastors of new churches in seven American mainline denominations. Four expert scholars — H. Stanley Wood, Carl S. Dudley, Darrell L. Guder, and Robert S. Hoyt—carefully analyze the results of a comprehensivesurvey of more than 700 founding pastors of new-church developments. The insights distilled here draw a blueprint for successful ministry to the unchurched in the twenty-first century.”

Click here to read more.

The Trailhead, a non-traditional ministry in Bend, Oregon, seeks summer intern(s) to participate in a groundbreaking opportunity in New Church Development of the Presbyterian Church (USA). The intern(s) will work with Rev. Zach Hancock to establish this ministry through entrepreneurial effort that involves creating and managing an organic, locally sourced, ‘common table’ café, that will serve food/beverage and be the site of live music, guest speakers, opportunities for service to the community, other events, etc.

The intern(s) will be person(s) desiring to be involved in active expression of the Kingdom of God, as well as the desire to experiment with what it means for Church to gather in alternative, unorthodox, meaningful, dynamic ways that does not look like religious rite but practical action, not leading with words as much as deeds and contribution to the community. The intern(s) will be passionate about the transforming good news of Christ, while pursuing and developing his/her spiritual life, and have a passion about the spiritual searching of people, especially young adults whose backgrounds include difficult experiences, or no experience, with the traditional church.

Bend, OR is a city of 80,000+, set in the high desert of Central Oregon, situated at the foot of the Cascade Mountain Range (Portland, OR is a 2 ½-3 hour drive). Bend is a hotbed for outdoor pursuits, including: rock climbing (Smith Rock), mountain biking, Nordic skiing, Alpine skiing, trail running, kayaking, fly-fishing, etc. Young adults tend to be drawn to Central Oregon for recreational pursuits and work in tourism and the outdoors. Bend is home to Central Oregon Community College and the Cascades branch of Oregon State University.

The intern(s) will have housing provided (but could opt to pay for their own housing). The intern(s) will need personal support or a part-time job to cover food and other expenses (transportation, entertainment, etc.).

For further information regarding the opportunity and information about the intern supervisor (Zach Hancock), please contact:

Rev. Zach Hancock

970-347-7457

zhancock@gmail.com

* Applications are available from Rev. Hancock, to be submitted by March 31^st, 2010. Selection(s) will be made by April 30^th, 2010. Dates of internship are negotiable, however the expectation will be two months or more.

Montreat Conference Center

For lay leaders, clergy, commissioned lay pastors, seminary students, and all who wish to take part in fashioning a new vision for the church.

If we believe God yearns to turn the church loose to be a Gospel force in the world, how can we partner in what God is doing? Differences – of culture and color, gender and generation, political perspective and theology – are gifts to be explored and celebrated as we live into a Church Unbound.

Click here for more information.

WCD is designed for young adults who are interested in discerning and preparing for Christian vocation, regardless of occupation (pastor, lawyer, teacher, church planter, aid worker, etc.). The program is non-traditional and experiential. Participants will live a simple life in community with others whole serving the East End neighborhood and select local churches. They will regularly reflect on Scripture and the great interpreters of the faith. The community of about 12 will be a diverse ethnic community from across the nation, committed to living according to a religious rule, remaining accountable to one another, while exploring the global needs of the Church.

Participants will work 15-20 hours per week in local business as a missional presence in the East End, and they will serve in an urban church plant or church in redevelopment.

Applications, Questions, and more info at:  www.worldmissioninitiative.org/wcd

Emotional Intelligence is important for healthy and effective relationships. Below is information from Roy Oswald, retired senior consultant with Alban Institute, about a series of educational events on this topic. This may be especially helpful for ministers and other church leaders.

This is an intensive and highly experiential one-week course, with the major amount of time being spent in small groups of 10-14 people with two experienced trainers in each group. As group life unfolds, participants are offered feedback on the impact they have on others in the group. Participants will learn both interpersonal and intragroup communication skills. The content of the course will focus on the four areas of emotional intelligence listed below as keys to improving leadership effectiveness for church leaders.

Click here for more information.