Events

2025 Hybrid Teaching and Learning Workshop Benediction Schedule of Sessions January 29, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET February 26, 2025:6 - 8 pm ET March 26, 2025:6 - 8 pm ET April 30, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET Retreat: June 15 - 19 August 27, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET September 24, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET October 22, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET November 19, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET December 17, 2025: 6 - 8 pm ET Leadership Team Emilie Townes,Boston University Lynne Westfield,Wabash Center Participants Evelyn Parker,Perkins School of Theology SMU Renee Harrison,Howard University Claudia Highbaugh,Connecticut College Cheryl Townsend Gilkes,Colby College Pamela Lightsey,Meadville Lombard Theological Seminary Marcia Riggs,Columbia Theological Seminary Angela Sims, Colgate Rochester Crozer Carolyn Medine,University of Georgia Marsha Foster,Chicago Theological Seminary Mitzi Smith,Columbia Theological Seminary Wabash Center Staff Contact: Rachelle Green, Ph.D Associate Director Wabash Center 301 West Wabash Ave. Crawfordsville, IN 47933 greenr@wabash.edu Honorarium Participants will receive an honorarium of $1,500 for full participation in the hybrid workshop. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Travel and Reimbursement Guidelines Description Old lady, old maid, spinster, dame, elderly, elder, crone, granny, auntie, senior citizen, coffin dodger, retired person, old age pensioner, Golden Girl, old girl, OG (as in original gangster), etc. - these terms are commonly used, and yet, are rarely pleasing to a Black woman’s sensibilities. While the communal identity of older women scholars of religion is as unimaginative as this list of names, many of the women continue to care for and work on behalf of the community. This is a gathering of African American women who remain, despite old age, active in the academy, interested in their own scholarly endeavors, and possess rich know-how to be shared. They/we have a wealth of wisdom for the teaching enterprise. They/we have been on a vocational journey which has included much joy and accomplishment. The journey has also been fraught with treacherous, death-dealing, marginalizing experiences. We have survived hatreds, betrayals, invisabling, condescension, and disregard while finding ways or creating ways to teach, mentor, write, and stay enlivened. Many of the women have never felt at home in their own classrooms, nevertheless we have been productive – some have even known success, respect, and honor. Aims fortify ourselves; we gather because we need one another. reinforce community and to rehearse the dreams of our ancestors; we gather knowing our spirituality is more communal than individual. create a conversation for this season and the coming seasons of our careers. share knowledges and hone wisdom. remember our journeys and tell the stories of the ways we survived; we gather to explore the tools which we fashioned for our thriving. enjoy one another’s company and to delight in our current locale. remind ourselves that connection is needed for health. symbolize resistance, recognizing that a career of teaching toward freedom continues even for the oldest among us. Through freedom there is an opportunity for liberation and healing. explore forming an ongoing network of support. Communal Questions Who are we? Who have we become? Who is the self who teaches when she is the most senior scholar? What is our stake in higher education, in-general, and in our current institutions, specifically? What is the teaching life for those in theological education for more than 20 years? What has been the toll of employment in the academy upon our minds, bodies, spirits; upon our families and loved ones; upon our values and purposes? What is healing and how do we heal? What is “collective wisdom” among womanist scholars? Where are we located for our best life? What would it mean, at these later stages of our scholarly careers, to help one another and assist others? What is self-care for those who care for everyBODY? Where and when is there rest, renewal, or restoration? What is community, connection, reciprocity, care, respect and compassion for this group of women/us? What is at stake for these women at this stage in their careers? What is fulfillment, satisfaction, security, survival and persistence? What is the most important lesson our mothers taught us? What is next after the benediction?

2025 Racial Solidarity Roundtable Gathering February 13-16, 2025 The Whitley Hotel Atlanta, GA Leadership Team Willie James Jennings, Yale Divinity School Lynne Westfield, Wabash Center Participants Shari Mackinson,Texas Christian University Shatavia Wynn, Rhodes College Eric Williams,Duke University Carolyn Medine, University of Georgia Amey Adkins-Jones,Boston College Lakisha R Lockhart-Rusch, Union Presbyterian Seminary Adam Bond,Baylor University Wabash Center Staff Contact: Sarah Farmer, Ph.D Associate Director Wabash Center 301 West Wabash Ave. Crawfordsville, IN 47933 farmers@wabash.edu Description Nobody knows the trouble I see Nobody knows my sorrow Nobody knows the trouble I see {In-between space} Glory Halleluiah! These lyrics, from a well-known spiritual, depict a predicament that moves from despair to ecstasy, euphoria, praise without revealing what happened in the in-between space. For those without cultural knowledge or insider wisdom – the song might be glorifying trouble. For those who know the in-between space, the space without articulation, disclosure, or narration, resolves into a revelatory move of the Spirit, a remembering, a rescue, a healing, an intervening, an experience of having been snatched-out-the-fire. The lyrics tell the listeners that the person in trouble is able to “see.” If the person was able to see trouble – what else did the person see that moved them from despair to shoutin’, from sorrow to frenzy, from death dealing circumstance to safety? What was seen by the seer in the in-between space? Through storytelling, case study, and other artistic expression, the conversation will be at the intersection of Black imagination, racial solidarity, and spirituality. Reflecting upon our scholarly careers thus far, we will tell stories of moments of personal experiences of having seen, witnessed, and benefitted from miracles, interventions, intercessions, involvements, rescues, liberations, and salvagings which saved, freed, liberated, emancipated, healed us for continuation as Black scholars. Questions for Contemplation and Communal Consideration What is the alchemy of the people to turn the hollowness of suffering into the fullness of joy? Stories both reveal and conceal the truth of Black imagination, wonder, and possibility; what personal stories from the journey of our scholarly careers can be told to reveal the capacities of black imagination? What spiritual technology is accessed, utilized, applied, conjured by Black scholars between the suffering and the joy of resilience, survival and continued participation in scholarship? What material technology is known by Black scholars for survival, resilience, and justice? In moments of trouble and sorrow, what relationships, which communal habits, what kinds of networking allow Black scholars to survive and experience relief, grace, hope, and mercy? What are the personal experiences, narratives, and stories of healing, rescue, solidarity which might be mined for strengthening conversation between scholars about Black imagination? In accounting for ways Black scholars have defied the odds, thwarted the supremist traditions, and survived (a little bit), how do scholars tell the stories of mystery, mystical encounters, and luck? What is hope for those pursuing a life of scholarship? In what forms does it manifest for Black people working in the academy? When and why? For Black scholars of religion and theology, what is healing? How do we use Black imagination as a technology to unearth, remember, and create relevant ways of flourishing for Black scholars? What are the practices and strategies of healing, freedom, and resilience for Black scholars? What are communal approaches to Black imagination which can be learned, reaffirmed, and deployed for those in academic spaces? What are the spiritual assets which foster and nurture racial solidarity and the possibility of community in the academy? What kinds of imaginations are needed for the perpetuation of Black scholars? What happens in the “In between space” when the trouble gives way to joy that heals, restores, and preserves Black people? What kinds of spiritual, psychic, and otherworldly resources are available to Black scholars and are those resources adequate for the task of the scholarly career? Aim By extrapolating from personal stories of victory, to investigate the habits and practices of flourishing, resilience, and survival of Black people to strengthen teaching and our teaching lives To explore the meaning of and rekindle understandings of staying in-touch with spiritual truths and spiritual activity To define and redefine Black imagination for use in Black scholarship To connect the work of solidarity with personal experiences of healing and rescue To recollect personal experiences of solidarity and healing To collaborate on ways of incorporating life-giving habits and practices into our teaching habits and practices Honorarium Participants will receive an honorarium is $1,500 for full participation in this roundtable. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Travel and Reimbursement Guidelines

Breaking the Academic Mold: Liberating the Powerful, Personal Voice Inside You Important Dates Application Opens: January 13, 2025 Application Deadline: March 5, 2025 Event: July 20-26, 2025 Gathering Location Lake Lawn Resort Lake Geneva, WI Leadership Team Sophfronia Scott Director of the MFA in Creative Writing Alma College Donald Quist Assistant Professor of Creative Writing University of Missouri Participants Joseph Gordon, Johnson University Mark Chapman, Tyndale University Joy Ann McDougall, Emory University Adam Bond, Baylor University Wendy Mallette, University of Oklahoma Oluwatomisin Oredein, Brite Divinity School Renee Harrison, Howard University Melanie Dobson, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary Elissa Cutter, Georgian Court University Courtney Buggs, Christian Theological Seminary Nick Peterson, Christian Theological Seminary Application Closed For more information, please contact: Rachelle Green, Associate Director Wabash Center greenr@wabash.edu Stipend Each participant will be provided with travel expenses, meals, lodging, and a stipend of TBA. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Description This writing workshop is for scholars of religion and theology who have written exclusively or primarily in the scholarly genre for other scholars of religion but long to share their knowledge or personal experience in a more creative way with a wider audience. Many scholars yearn to speak to a broader audience through creative nonfiction, blogs, op-eds, and memoir. Many scholars want to write with more clarity and imagination. Participants in this workshop will develop their writing voice in service to topics they care about, and for which they have passion and curiosity. A combination of plenary, small group and individual instruction, our week together will help scholars free the creative spirit, structure their writing more effectively, and speak on the page in a truer, more engaging voice. Our focus will be on releasing the professors’ voice to the public square, giving permission to be imaginative, and finding new ways of being inspired. No previous experience publishing in creative writing genres is needed. Workshop Goals To create a collaborative learning cohort of teacher-scholarsto expand and deepen scholarly writing To navigate the intersectingchallenges of creative writing as an academic To develop new practices of creative writing in the service of teaching and scholarship of religion and theology To explore strategies for the authentic voice while thriving in institutional,politicaland personal contexts To write and receive feedback while also being in conversation with other creative writers Participant Eligibility Tenure track, continuing term, and/or full-time contingency teaching full time in college, university, or seminary Must be teaching in religion and theology or related fields Job description or contract that is wholly or primarily inclusive of teaching Teaching in accredited college, university, seminary in the United States, Puerto Rico or Canada Personal commitmentto participate fully in workshop with 100% attendance in all sessions Little to no experience with publishing in creative genres, but great interest in learning to write in creative genre

2024 Curiosity Roundtable Important Dates Event: Thursday, September 19, 2024 to Sunday, September 22, 2024 Gathering Location Kimpton Overland Hotel Atlanta, GA Participants Benny Liew, College of the Holy Cross Carolyn Medine, University of Georgia Rolf Nolasco, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Ruth Anne Reese, Asbury Theological Seminary Katherine Turpin, Iliff School of Theology Mai-Anh Tran, Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary Boyung Lee, Iliff School of Theology Mayra Rivera, Harvard Divinity School Eric Barreto, Princeton Theological School Roger Nam, Candler School of Theology - Emory Melinda McGarrah Sharp, Columbia Theological Seminary Gregory Cuéllar, Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary Richelle White, Kuyper College Richard Voelz, Union Presbyterian Seminary Samantha Miller, Whitworth University Aizaiah Yong, Claremont School of Theology Cristian De La Rosa, Boston University School of Theology Jesse Mann, Drew University João Chavez, Baylor University Joanne Solis-Walker, Candler School of Theology - Emory Alison Gise-Johnson, Claflin University Ryan Bonfiglio, Candler School of Theology - Emory Caitlin Reeves Greenamyre, Columbia Theological Seminary Sharon Fluker, Interdenominational Theological Center For more information, please contact: Lynne Westfield, Director Wabash Center westfiel@wabash.edu Stipend Each participant will be provided with travel expenses, meals, lodging, and a stipend of $2000. Additionally, a $5,000 non-competitive grant to support a project which has, directly or indirectly, grown out of this gathering is available. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation Description This conversation is a gathering of participant leaders of the Wabash Center. This gathering is meant to whet appetites, inspire new thinking, beckon the muse, provide new insights, rekindle the imagination, move us out of the constraints of boxed/hobbled ideas, and encourage new kinds of experiments in our classrooms and curriculum. Specifically, we gather as curious people to discuss this meta-question: What are the possible futures of teaching religion and theology, and how do we imagine and create those possibilities? The experts invited to present to the Curiosity Roundtable will be prominent leaders whose work is adjacent to or beyond the fields of religion and theology. In talking with colleagues in fields other than our own, our hope is that we will improve our own teaching performance, we will gain new insights about our own teaching, and we will be inspired in new ways for the future of teaching religion and theology. For each presentation or experience, our reflection questions are: (1) What does (this person or experience) teach us about teaching religion and theology? (2) What does (this person or experience) teach us about reconceiving theological and religious education? (3) What project might I/we develop to strengthen my own teaching? Deadline for non-competitive grant application is November 6, 2024. Goals To gather as religion and theological colleagues to network and learn about our own teaching and the teaching life. To invigorate the scholarship of teaching through new conversations and new conversation partners. To hear from colleagues beyond religion and theology about their approaches to their own work in hopes that we might be reinspired as we engage the complex challenges of our own work of teaching. To consider developing a project that might enhance or shift current teaching habits, practices, and approaches. To consider requesting grant funding for a project on teaching or the teaching life (deadline November 6, 2024). To unearth and imagine possibilities for new strategies and directions for better teaching. To consider the use of collaborative ingenuity to strengthen teaching.

2025 Hybrid Teaching and Learning WorkshopAfrican Diaspora WorkshopRe-sourcing Joy in Africana Teaching and LearningApplication Dates:Opens: August 1, 2024Deadline: October 1, 2024Schedule of SessionsAll Virtual Sessions – 12:00–2:00 ETIn-Person: January 8–12, 2025: Atlanta, GASession 1: Friday, February 21, 2025Session 2: Friday, March 21, 2025Session 3: Friday, April 18, 2025Session 4: Friday, June 20, 2025Session 5: Friday, September 19, 2025Session 6: Friday, October 17, 2025Leadership TeamLynne Westfield, PhDSharon Higginbothan, PhDParticipantsEric Williams, Duke UniversityMichele Watkins, St. John's UniversityVelma Love, Interdenominational Theological CenterEricka Dunbar, Baylor UniversityRenee Harrison, Howard UniversityTaurean Webb, DePaul UniversityLeonard McKinnis, University of IllinoisFatima Siwaju, University of VirginiaKimberly Russaw, Pittsburgh Theological SeminaryJoi Orr, Interdenominational Theological CenterJames Kwateng-Yeboah, Saint Mary's University, HalifaxJoshua Bartholomew, Saint Paul School of TheologyAshley Coleman Taylor, The University of Texas at AustinWabash Center Staff Contact:Rachelle Green, Ph.DAssociate DirectorWabash Center301 West Wabash Ave.Crawfordsville, IN 47933greenr@wabash.eduDescriptionThis hybrid workshop invites faculty of African descent from diverse religious specializations to participate in an intergenerational community of early, mid and later stage faculty. Centering our Africana identities, spiritualities, histories, and knowledges, this community seeks to co-create conditions for our renewed imagination, vocational alignment and agency. As a relational and creative community, this hybrid workshop will offer an experience in which were-member the joy, wonder, awe, and purposes of our teacher-scholar-artist vocations;explore the stories and re-craft the narratives that shape our personal and vocational trajectories;access play, humor, and fun as core resources for creativity, connection, and well-being; andco-create a relational container that facilitates support for healing and resilienceGoalsTo unearth and curate a repository of our indigenous knowledges and resources for our teaching styles, specializations, and tools.To define what thriving means and describe the necessary conditions for our thriving to occur, personally and collectively.To interrogate the institutional reward systems that shape our agency, desires, and imaginations.To examine the dynamic, evolving relationship between our vocational formation and community-focused aspirations toward wholeness and liberation.EligibilityAny person who identifies as a person of African descent including all aspects of the African diaspora and the continent.Tenure track, continuing term, and/or full-time teaching contingencyAt least two years of full-time teaching experienceTeaching in accredited seminary, college, or university in United States, Puerto Rico, or CanadaInstitutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in all workshop sessionsApplication MaterialsPlease complete and attach the following documents to the online application (available August 1):Application Contact Information formCover letter:[300 word max] Introduce yourself and share what animates your vocation as a teacher-scholar-artist? In light of that, why are you applying to this 2025 African Diaspora Wabash workshop?Brief essay:[500 word max] What practices and rituals do you use to facilitate your healing and resilience? What are the sources of your practices? How might these practices contribute to your teaching?Academic CV (4-page limit)A letter of institutional support for your full participation in this workshop from your Department Chair, Academic Dean, Provost, Vice President, or President. Please have this recommendation uploaded directly to your application according to the online application instructions. HonorariumParticipants will receive an honorarium of $3,000 for full participation in the hybrid workshop.Read More about Payment of Participants Important InformationForeign National Information Form Policy on Participation 

2025 Hybrid Teaching and Learning Workshop African Diaspora Workshop Re-sourcing Joy in Africana Teaching and Learning Application Dates: Opens: August 1, 2024 Deadline: October 1, 2024 Schedule of Sessions All Virtual Sessions – 12:00-2:00 ET In-Person: January 8-12, 2025: Atlanta, GA Session 1: Friday, February 21, 2025 Session 2: Friday, March 21, 2025 Session 3: Friday, April 18, 2025 Session 4: Friday, June 20, 2025 Session 5: Friday, September19, 2025 Session 6: Friday, October 17, 2025 Leadership Team Lynne Westfield, PhD Sharon Higginbothan, PhD Participants Eric Williams, Duke University Michele Watkins, St. John's University Velma Love, Interdenominational Theological Center Ericka Dunbar, Baylor University Renee Harrison, Howard University Taurean Webb, DePaul University Leonard McKinnis, University of Illinois Fatima Siwaju, University of Virginia Kimberly Russaw, Pittsburgh Theological Seminary Joi Orr, Interdenominational Theological Center James Kwateng-Yeboah, Saint Mary's University, Halifax Joshua Bartholomew, Saint Paul School of Theology Ashley Coleman Taylor, The University of Texas at Austin Wabash Center Staff Contact: Rachelle Green, Ph.D Associate Director Wabash Center 301 West Wabash Ave. Crawfordsville, IN 47933 greenr@wabash.edu Description This hybrid workshop invites faculty of African descent from diverse religious specializations to participate in an intergenerational community of early, mid and later stage faculty. Centering our Africana identities, spiritualities, histories, and knowledges, this community seeks to co-create conditions for our renewed imagination, vocational alignment and agency. As a relational and creative community, this hybrid workshop will offer an experience in which we re-member the joy, wonder, awe, and purposes of our teacher-scholar-artist vocations; explore the stories and re-craft the narratives that shape our personal and vocational trajectories; access play, humor, and fun as core resources for creativity, connection, and well-being; and co-create a relational container that facilitates support for healing and resilience Goals To unearth and curate a repository of our indigenous knowledges and resources for our teaching styles, specializations, and tools. To define what thriving means and describe the necessary conditions for our thriving to occur, personally and collectively. To interrogate the institutional reward systems that shape our agency, desires, and imaginations. To examine the dynamic, evolving relationship between our vocational formation and community-focused aspirations toward wholeness and liberation. Eligibility Any person who identifies as a person of African descent including all aspects of the African diaspora and the continent. Tenure track, continuing term, and/or full-time teaching contingency At least two years of full-time teaching experience Teaching in accredited seminary, college, or university in United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada Institutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in all workshop sessions Application Materials Please complete and attach the following documents to the online application (available August 1): Application Contact Information form Cover letter: [300 word max] Introduce yourself and share what animates your vocation as a teacher-scholar-artist? In light of that, why are you applying to this 2025 African Diaspora Wabash workshop? Brief essay: [500 word max] What practices and rituals do you use to facilitate your healing and resilience? What are the sources of your practices? How might these practices contribute to your teaching? Academic CV (4-page limit) A letter of institutional support for your full participation in this workshop from your Department Chair, Academic Dean, Provost, Vice President, or President. Please have this recommendation uploaded directly to your application according to the online application instructions. Honorarium Participants will receive an honorarium of $3,000 for full participation in the hybrid workshop. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation

Storytelling-Based Pedagogy Roundtable Application Dates: Opens: August 16, 2024 Deadline: January 7, 2025 Gathering May 19 - 22, 2025 Atlanta, GA Leadership Team Richelle White,Kuyper College Almeda Wright,Yale University Participants Monique Moultrie, Georgia State University Matthew Lynch, Oregon State University Jamal-Dominique Hopkins, Baylor University Meg Richardson, Starr King School for the Ministry Molly Greening, Loyola University Chicago Dannis Matteson, Saint Mary's College Seth Gaiters, North Carolina State University Mareike Koertner, Trinity College Sharon Jacob, Claremont School of Theology Grace Ji-Sun Kim, Earlham School of Religion Ashlyn Strozier, Georgia State University Joseph Tucker Edmonds, Indiana University Indianapolis Wabash Center Staff Contact: Sarah Farmer, Ph.D Associate Director Wabash Center 301 West Wabash Ave. Crawfordsville, IN 47933 farmers@wabash.edu Application Closed Description This roundtable will explore the intersection of storytelling and pedagogy. Teachers have been sharing stories throughout the ages. African griots preserve oral histories of entire communities through storytelling. Indigenous storytellers connect the past, present and future tightening familial and tribal bonds. Culturally, storytelling is important for passing on oral tradition, knowledge, history, and moral lessons. Pedagogically, storytelling serves as a tool to educate, increase knowledge, create meaning and improve society. Stories serve multiple purposes in the classroom. This storytelling immersion invites participants to engage the following pedagogical purposes for the classroom: Storytelling for creative expression Storytelling for empathy Storytelling for influence Storytelling for coming to voice Storytelling for collective communal wisdom sharing Participants will be asked to bring a course syllabus or assignment in which they have already been exploring storytelling and pedagogy or a course in which they are curious about how storytelling could enrich the classroom experience. Questions Our work together will be guided by questions such as: What is the role of storytelling in course design? How do you define storytelling? What is the purpose of storytelling (in general and in the classroom)? What are the ways that storytelling and narrative can positively transform course design and classroom engagement How do we develop the skills to tell stories and invite storytelling in our classrooms, as opposed to only critically dissecting/reflecting on/analyzing stories? How do we cultivate new storytelling skills/practices in our teaching, scholarship and service? What is the value of curating a list of resources on storytelling and pedagogy? What items are on your list? What resources would you recommend to the roundtable? Of the storytelling purposes mentioned above, which ones resonate with you? Which ones present an area for growth? How are learning activities or assignments that use storytelling or narrative approaches developed or implemented? Eligibility Tenured, tenure track, continuing term, and/or full-time contingency. Doctoral degree awarded by the time of application Teaching religion, religious studies, or theology in an accredited college or university in the United States, Puerto Rico, or Canada Institutional support and personal commitment to participate fully in all roundtable sessions. Application Materials Application Contact Information form Cover letter An introductory letter that describes your teaching context and addresses why you want to be part of this collaborative community, including what you hope to get out of it and what you might contribute to it. (Up to 500 words) Brief essay Tell us a story about your most memorable teaching and learning moment. This can be written from the perspective of you as a teacher or as a learner. You can choose to tell the story in first person or third person. It can draw from experiences across the full spectrum of your life and from formal or informal educational settings. We welcome your creativity and imagination in how you tell this story. (Up to 500 words) Academic CV (4-page limit) A letter of institutional support for your full participation in this workshop from your Department Chair, Academic Dean, Provost, Vice President, or President. Please have this recommendation uploaded directly to your application according to the online application instructions. Honorarium Participants will receive an honorarium is $1,500 for full participation in this roundtable. Read More about Payment of Participants Important Information Foreign National Information Form Policy on Participation