Dear Reformation,
I am so excited to be back with you in person since my medical leave and want to share with you an exciting update since I have been away. I am honored to be one of twelve ecumenical church leaders (and the only Lutheran) from across the country accepted into the inaugural class of WINKS Fellows through Auburn Theological Seminary. WINKS stands for Worshipping Intergenerationally and Nurturing Kids through Storytelling, and is also the name of Dr. Walter Wink, whose methods are the basis of this program. In October I was able to spend four days at the National Cathedral in Washington, D.C., learning the WINKS method of Transforming Bible Study – a way of reading Scripture that utilizes research from theology to neuroscience, prioritizes justice and social change, and incorporates intergenerational activities into worship to help bring Scripture alive.
Throughout the school year I will be working with these methods with our children and youth, as well as bringing them into worship! I may ask you to participate during a sermon with your whole self in a way you have never done before. We may practice asking questions that have no definitive answer, or it may look like people of all ages acting out a Scripture passage. I look forward to exploring these ideas with our congregation, continuing to learn alongside my cohort of Fellows this year, and finally attending the Heal the World Summit in Lake Tahoe to conclude
my Fellowship next summer. Thank you for welcoming me back and going on this
journey with me!
Pastor Eileen (she/her)