Preaching Forgiveness & Reconciliation Conference & Mark Abbott Lecture

Preaching Forgiveness & Reconciliation

Tuesday, November 7, 2023 | 8:30 AM
First Free Methodist Church | 3200 3rd Ave W, Seattle, WA 98119

Join us for a special all-day conference. The conference will take place at First Free Methodist Church (right by SPU’s campus) from 8:30 AM – 4:00 PM, with a public lecture following the conference at 6:00 PM. Our Keynote Speaker for the conference and evening lecture is Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore, an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church and the Professor of Biblical Preaching at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. We will have an additional keynote message from Rev. Dr. Scott Dudley, Senior Pastor at Bellevue Presbyterian Church, preaching from Rev. Peter Chin, Senior Pastor at Rainer Avenue Church, and a panel discussion framed by Rev. Michael Thomas, Senior Pastor at Radiant Church. Additional breakouts will be led by Dr. Stephen Newby and Rev. Ashley Skinner Creek.

Registration Details

There are three different options for conference participation:

  1. Register for Conference Only: If you’d simply like to attend the conference for a day of learning, networking, and growing in your knowledge of preaching, you can register for the conference here through Eventbrite. The cost for attendance is $30 and registration is required to attend the all-day portion of the conference. Registration includes a light breakfast and lunch. If you register before October 1, registration is only $15! Use the promo code earlybird23 to receive the discounted price.
  2. Register for a Preaching Learning Community: If you’d like to be a part of a learning community during November to workshop a sermon and receive feedback on a sermon manuscript or recording pertinent to the topic of Preaching Forgiveness and Reconciliation, you can register as a "Participant Learner" for our Fall Seminary Course, “Preaching Reconciliation and Forgiveness.” Participant learners will be able to fully participate in the course for a discounted rate of $95 (which includes conference registration) but will not   receive formal credit for the class. Register for the course via Eventbrite as a "Participant Learner" by selecting that option at checkout. Participant Learners must be registered for the course by October 20th, 2023 to receive pre-conference reading assignments. Registering as a participant learner automatically registers you for the conference.
  3. Register for THEO 6950 - Preaching Reconciliation and Forgiveness: Current students and anyone interested in receiving formal credit for their participation in the conference and associated learning community can register for THEO 6950 at the normal Seminary tuition rate of $595. Registration for the course includes registration for the conference. Current students can register online through Banner and community members interested in taking the course for credit can email Zach Jacobsen (jacobsenz@spu.edu), Assistant Director of Seattle Pacific Seminary, for information on how to register as a non-matriculated student. Registering as a student for THEO 6950 automatically registers you for the conference.

Attend Evening Lecture Only: If you would like to attend only the Mark Abbott Lectureship on Preaching at 6:00 p.m., you are welcome to come hear Rev. Dr. Joy J. Moore lecture on "Preaching Forgiveness in an Age of Contempt.” There is no cost and no need to register.

If you have any questions about the conference or need assistance with registration, please contact Seminary Director, Rev. Ashley Skinner Creek (skinnera3@spu.edu) or Assistant Director, Zach Jacobsen (jacobsenz@spu.edu). We are looking forward to welcoming you to SPU in November!

This conference will be live-streamed and video-recorded (link pending).

Conference Schedule

8:30 AM – Coffee, Snacks, and Check-In
9:00 AM – Welcome, Worship, and Keynote, “Preaching from a Flawed Legacy” by Joy Moore
10:00 AM – Breakout #1
     Ashley Skinner Creek - “Preaching Through the Storm: Speaking in Times of Internal Conflict and Division”
     Mike Thomas - “Being a Reconciling Voice in a Relevant World”
     Scott Dudley - “Making Reconcilers in the Church”
11:00 AM – Break
11:10 AM –  Livestream Link - Chapel & Keynote, Musical Worship led by Stephen Newby, Sermon by Peter Chin “Reconciliation and Revival: The Centrality of the Holy Spirit's Role in
the Work of Reconciliation” 
12:00 PM – Lunch
1:00 PM – Breakout #2
     Peter Chin - “From Mass Shootings, Riots, to Insurrections: Leading Congregational Response to Turmoil and Tragedy”
     Joy J. Moore - “Preaching Forgiveness in the Old Testament”
     Stephen Newby - “Hope Sounds, Sounding Hope: Singing Songs of Reconciliation”
2:00 PM – Break
2:15 PM – Panel on Forgiveness & Racial Reconciliation (all presenters)
3:15 PM – Large Group, Keynote #2 by Scott Dudley – “Hope, Healing, and the Cross in Genocide: Reconciliation in Rwanda”
4:00 PM – Break for Dinner
6:00 PM – Livestream Link - Mark Abbott Lecture on Preaching, Stephen Newby leading in worship, "Preaching Forgiveness in an Age of Contempt” by Joy J. Moore 

Posted: Thursday, July 13, 2023