2019 Fall HNGR Symposium
Radical Discipleship; Loving Jesus in All of Life
Inaugural John Stott Lecure - Dr. Laura S. Meitzner Yoder
Loving God's World: Proximity and political ecology within the Lordship of Christ was the HNGR Inaugural John Stott Lecture presented by Dr. Laura S. Meitzner Yoder, Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of Human Needs and Global Resources program at Wheaton College (IL).
Recital
Musical works by Shawn Okpebholo performed by Joelle Lamarre
Symposium Speakers
Rev. Dr. Christopher J .H. Wright
LANGHAM PARTNERSHIP
Rev. Dr. Christopher J.H. Wright serves as International Ministries Director of Langham Partnership, founded by John Stott. An author, priest, and teacher, Dr. Wright has also worked as the chair of the Lausanne Theology Working Group and Academic Dean and Principal of All Nations Christian College. He has a PhD in Old Testament Economic Ethics from Cambridge University.
Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst
RESONATE GLOBAL MISSION
Dr Ruth Padilla DeBorst serves with Resonate Global Mission, leading the Comunidad de Estudios Teologicos lnterdisciplinarios (CETI), the International Fellowship for Mission as Transformation (INFEMIT) and leadership development initiatives of the Christian Reformed Church. She lives with her husband, James, as a member of Casa Adobe, an intentional Christian community in Costa Rica concerned about living in right relations as part of the creation community. She has an MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Wheaton College and a PhD in Theology from Boston University.
Dr. Mark Labberton
FULLER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
Dr. Mark Labberton serves as the president of Fuller Theological Seminary and the Chair of John Stott Ministries. An author, speaker, and teacher, Dr. Labberton has spent over 30 years in ministry searching out justice, love, and grace at the intersection between the academy, church, and culture. He has an MDiv from Fuller and a PhD in Theology from Cambridge University.
Dr. Myrto Theocharous
GREEK BIBLE COLLEGE
Dr. Myrto Theocharous serves as a professor of Old Testament at Greek Bible College. An author and teacher, Dr. Theocharous trains Christian leaders in Greece. She has a MA in Biblical Exegesis from Wheaton College and a PhD in Hebrew Studies from Cambridge University.
Ms. Lalbiakhlui (Kuki) Rokhum
EFICOR
Ms. Lalbiakhlui "Kuki" Rokhum serves as the Director of Training and Mobilization with the Evangelical Fellowship of India Commission on Relief (EFICOR). A leader in the Micah Challenge campaign in India, Ms. Rokhum focuses on seeking solutions to issues of justice by working with the poor and marginalized. She has a BA in lntercultural and Biblical Studies from All Nations Christian College.
Dr. Ruth Valerio
TEARFUND
Dr. Ruth Valerio serves as Global Advocacy and Influencing Director for Tearfund UK. A speaker and author, Dr. Valerio writes on justice, environment, and lifestyle. She has a PhD from Kings College London on simplicity and consumerism.
Mr. Jason Fileta
TEARFUND USA
Mr. Jason Fileta serves as the Vice President of Tearfund USA. An author, speaker, and editor, Mr. Fileta was also the Director of the Micah Challenge USA. He has a BA in Sociology and International Development from Calvin College.
Mr. Wes Crawford
CHRIST CHURCH ANGLICAN
Wes Crawford serves as Worship Pastor of Christ Church Anglican in Austin, Texas. He previously helped plant a church in Kansas City, Missouri, and before that served as a missionary in Monterrey, Mexico. He has been married to Melissa for 20 years, and they have four beautiful daughters.
Workshops on Whole-life Discipleship
PLENARY SESSION I 9:00-9:45 AM
Loving Jesus in All of Life
Facilitators: Mr. Jason Fileta (BGC, Barrows Auditorium). The Tuesday morning workshops invited students to think practically about the core themes of the Fall 2019 Symposium. This opening plenary offered a general framework and vision for the workshop sessions by exploring the following questions: What does our pursuit of God's kingdom and justice look like in the everyday and ordinary affairs of learning and living?
How are we to practically obey Jesus in the vocations we develop, the aspirations we pursue, the lifestyles we adopt, the communities we inhabit, and the relationships we sustain with our neighbors and with God's creation?
WORKSHOP SESSIONS A 110:00-11:00 AM
Radical Hospitality and Global Trafficking
Facilitator: Dr. Myrta Theocharous (Wilson Suite/BGC 432; Hosted by Dr. George Kalantzis, Professor of Theology). Learn with a theologian, author, and participant in anti-trafficking work in Greece about how we, the church, are to develop ears and eyes to hear, see, and respond to the suffering of those who are trafficked in communities nearby and faraway. How does our following of Jesus direct us to become a people who open our lives, homes, and communities to neighbors in need of hospitality and refuge?
Creation and Worship: An A Rocha Workshop
Facilitator: Mr. Wesley Crawford and Dr. Mark Purcell (Kresge Room, Edman Chapel; Hosted by Dr. Mandy Kellums Baraka, Student Support Coordinator, HNGR). Learn with a worship leader, A Rocha advocate, and musician from Austin, Texas, about how we can celebrate and express God's redemptive work for all of creation in the music and liturgies of worship we share and create as followers of Jesus. How can our worship liturgies and practices reflect and celebrate God's love and care for His creation? And how can these liturgies shape and inspire our practice as disciples who are called to care for God's creation?
WORKSHOP SESSIONS B 111:15 AM-12:15 PM
Living Simply and Creation Care
Facilitator: Dr. Ruth Padilla DeBorst (Blanchard 339; Hosted by Dr. James Huff, Associate Professor of HNGR and Anthropology). Learn with two theologians, authors, and community activists from the UK and Costa Rica about what a well-lived, Christian life looks like in today's globalized, consumerist society. What does discipleship to Jesus mean practically for how we live, work, and worship in contexts that are shaped powerfully by the forces of globalization and consumerism? What does following Jesus have to do with sustainable living?
Prayer, Justice, and Spiritual Community
Facilitator: Mr. Jason Fileta (Blanchard 222; Hosted by Dr. Christine Jeske, Assistant Professor of Anthropology). Join in discussion with an author, speaker, and activist from Portland, Oregon about how our practices of spiritual formation, prayer, and community can embody and give witness to God's love for justice and shalom. How can our habits of spiritual formation and prayer enable and energize us to become people who ordinarily pursue justice?
Creation Groans: The Church, Climate Change, and Displacement
Facilitator: Ms. Kuki Rokhum (Wilson Suite/BGC 432; Hosted by Dr. Kent Annan, Director of Humanitarian and Disaster Leadership). Learn with an organizational leader and expert in disaster management from India about how the church can embody compassion and justice by accompanying vulnerable peoples in building community-based practices to respond and adapt to the adverse effects of climate change. How can we, the church, come alongside, listen to, and be in solidarity with people and communities who are being negatively impacted by climate and environmental change?