Extraordinary
Leadership Seminars
Roberta M. Gilbert, MD, develops and directs seminars on the Bowen family
systems theory. Her interest in society and her enthusiasm for the pivotal
place of the clergy make her a natural leader for the Extraordinary Leadership
Seminars.
The seminar is open to clergy of all denominations as well
as pastors in training, lay leaders and leaders of any organization. Each
session includes 9 seminar days with group training and individual coaching.
For more information, please contact :
Ms. Pat Elliott, Registrar
Center for the Study of Human Systems
313 Park Ave, Ste. 308
Falls Church, VA 22046
703-532-3823 / www.hsystems.org
Virginia Interfaith
Center Goes Green
By Wesley P. Hester
Richmond Times-Dispatch Staff Writer
The Virginia Interfaith Center for Public Policy -VICPP -has gone green.
With Virginia first lady Anne Holton lending a helping hand,
the nonpartisan coalition of 21 faith groups and individual members celebrated
the opening of its new headquarters in Richmond. The group hopes the Shockoe
Bottom building will become the first in the city to achieve commercial interior
certification under the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy
and Environmental Design program.
"Moving to the 3,600-square-foot red brick building on East
Franklin Street from the three Sunday school classrooms it previously operated
out of at Centenary United Methodist Church on East Grace Street was a giant
leap forward for the organization," said the Rev. C. Douglas Smith, the group's
executive director.
"Clearly, we're very excited to have our own home," Smith
said. "There's a lot of life in the Bottom, and we wanted to make a statement
that the Bottom is back. We're very committed to downtown."
Part of that commitment, he said, is to be responsible stewards
of the environment.
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The staff of 12 is now operating
out of an office with low-electricity lighting, recycled carpet and chairs,
energy-efficient heating and air conditioning, extra insulation, and even
a locally fabricated conference table made from recovered sorghum.
"Everything is recycled except the staff," Smith said after
the ribbon cutting. He said LEED certification could take up to a year.
Shenandoah Presbytery is a partner member of the VICPP. Our
own Ramona Sanders is our presentative on the Board of the Center. For more
information, visit their website at www.virginiainterfaithcenter.org
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Who Will Lead our Church Tomorrow?
With fewer than seven percent of today's clergy under the age of 35, many
congregations are asking that very question.
The Fund for Theological Education (FTE) offers grants to
congregations and church-related organizations who want to raise the next
generation of leaders for the church.- involving youth and young adults in
programs and partnership with adult mentors who nurture their gifts and the
call to leadership.
The next round of Grants is scheduled for October 2008. Letters
of intent for the fall cycle are due September 8, 2008.
For information about FTE's Cultures of Call grants, go to
their website at www.thefund.org/programs/congregations
or email jgoodman@thefund.org.
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