At this year’s annual conference, we will provide numerous learning opportunities in the evening and during lunch breaks on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday. 

Join a group of annual conference members to go a little deeper in your engagement with the history of Memphis during our off-site Immersion Experiences! Register for a box lunch to grab on your way.

You won’t want to miss the many opportunities for learning and growth during our lunch breaks! Register for a box lunch and gather to learn with other members of the annual conference at the Renasant Center. Enjoy becoming introduced to a new spiritual practice or discipleship practice as you meet other members of the annual conference. Some of the Lunch and Learns will be offered on both Monday and Tuesday as indicated.

Sunday Immersion Experience:

Civil Rights Museum After Hours Tour with the TWK UMC Anti-Racism Coalition

Join us for an immersive, tour-guide led journey and reflection through the Civil Rights Museum. Through our learning about the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr’s prophetic work as a pastor, we will explore what it means to serve as justice-seeking disciples of Christ in our churches, communities, and world.

Day/Time: Sunday,  6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. We will gather afterwards for a debrief.
All spots on this tour are filled (5/17/23)

Cost: $18

Monday:

1. Connecting Neighbors - The content in this session provides an overview of preparedness and response for households, congregations, and community ministry. If you or your church want to prepare for disaster response ministry in your community, this will help you determine the best next steps to accomplish that.
2. Retreat as a Spiritual Practice: Discover the ways retreat can help you connect with God, practice Sabbath, and abide with Christ. Learn also about the resources in the TWK Conference that can help you with this practice!
3. An Introduction to Centering Prayer: Centering Prayer is a receptive method of Christian silent prayer which deepens our relationship with God. It is a prayer in which we can experience God’s presence within us, closer than breathing, closer than thinking, closer than consciousness itself. Come to learn and practice!
4. An Introduction to Spiritual Direction: Are you curious about what Spiritual Direction is and how it can help you on your faith journey? Come learn about this practice from a certified spiritual director.
5. Caring for God's Creation: Starting Where You Are - Being stewards of God's creation is an important part of our tradition. Learn practical ways to include this into the life of the congregation. This learning opportunity will be particularly useful to those caring for buildings and grounds and for those involved in Christian Education leadership.

Monday Immersion Experience Option: Church Health at Crosstown Concourse

Church Health is a faith-based healthcare not-for-profit that is committed to making the highest quality healthcare accessible to more Memphians — especially those facing social and economic challenges — so everyone can live their lives with dignity, vitality and joy. Church Health was founded in 1985 by Scott Morris, MD, M.Div., as a solution to help solve a fundamental injustice: that hardworking Memphians were going without the critical healthcare they needed and deserved. With services that span all ages, Church Health now conducts an average of 60,000 patient visits a year in Memphis and serves as a model for countless communities across the nation. This immersion experience includes an onsite presentation and tour of Church Health's 150,000-square-foot facility at Crosstown Concourse — a former Sears warehouse converted as a mixed-use vertical urban village.

Monday Immersion Experience: Slave Haven Underground Railroad Museum Journey with the TWK UMC Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC)

On Juneteenth, join the ARC for a journey and reflection through Slave Haven, an immersive look at a pre-Civil War estate where the main house once served as a shelter for enslaved peoples. Through our learning about the conditions of enslaved people and Jacob Burkle, a leader in the anti-slavery movement, we will explore what it means to serve as justice-seeking disciples of Christ in our churches, communities, and world.

Day/Time: Monday, lunch, buses will transport to and from Renasant Center
All spots on this tour are filled (5/17/23)

Cost: $12, plus optional $15 boxed lunch

Tuesday:

1. Early Response Teams - Are you called to actively respond when disaster strikes? Early Response Teams prepare for and respond to disasters within the TWKUMC. This ministry is more than chainsaws, tarps, and heavy equipment. In this brief introduction to ERT ministry, you will learn how people of varying abilities and ages can provide a caring Christian presence for disaster survivors.  
2. Trauma Informed Ministry: How do we abide in Christ and with one another through pain from life’s difficult experiences? In this workshop, you will learn how to connect the effects of trauma to coping skills that bring understanding and more peace-filled lives. Go to TriumphOverTrauma.info to learn more. This class will also be offered in Spanish.
3. An Introduction to Lectio Divina: Lectio Divina, literally meaning “divine reading,” is an ancient practice of praying the Scriptures. During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if he or she is in conversation with God, and God is suggesting the topics for discussion. Come to learn about lectio divina and practice together!
4. An Introduction to Signposts: Gather to learn from a member of the Signposts leadership team about the discipleship group experience founded by the late Rev. Dr. Autura Eason-Williams. Signposts is a journey toward anti-racism that fosters and shepherds exploration, introspection, and deep connection with a small group.
5. An introduction to Sabbath/Dreams as spiritual practice. There is a scriptural precedent for the practice of listening for God's voice and wisdom in our dreams. While we may often be tempted by the urgency of ministry work to forego the spiritual practice of sabbath rest, what if that rest space is exactly where God meets us and offers wisdom and guidance we need as God does a New Thing?  In this session we will discuss the spiritual practices of rest and interpreting the wisdom of our dreams.
6. Caring for God's Creation: Starting Where You Are - Being stewards of God's creation is an important part of our tradition. Learn practical ways to include this into the life of the congregation. This learning opportunity will be particularly useful to those caring for buildings and grounds and for those involved in Christian Education leadership.  

Tuesday Immersion Experience: Prayer Journey Towards Justice in Downtown Memphis with the TWK UMC Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC)

Join the ARC and Rev. Tom Fuerst as we explore the history of slavery and Civil Rights through a walking journey in Downtown Memphis. We will walk Auction Street and stop to pray over and ponder how we can be moved into justice-seeking action as disciples of Christ in our churches, communities, and world.

Day/Time: Tuesday, lunch
All spots on this tour are filled (5/31/23)

Cost: optional $15 boxed lunch