Conference News & Views

Art Imitates Life with the age-old art of puppetry

By Ima Puppet, Special to Conference News and Views blogsite

GALLATIN, TN - The audience is enthralled. Children and adults alike are hanging onto Taffy the Duck’s every word. They erupt in laughter as she explains with confidence that “God must love ducks best…’cuz he made them so cute!” Taffy is the alter ego of Liz VonSeggen, professional ventriloquist and co-founder of One Way Street, a puppetry and children’s ministry training and supply company based in the metro area of Denver, CO. According to Liz, “Puppets are dynamic tools to grab attention, helping people laugh, pretend, dream, empathize and learn unforgettable truths!”

Puppetry has been used in ministry applications for many years and is growing in popularity with school educators and community education programs. One Way Street specializes in training and equipping ministry leaders in areas of puppetry, creative ministries and Christian music. Their “RPM Series” which stands for Righteous Pop Music is a series of Christian parody music and one of their most popular products. Ministry leaders enjoy using the music to tell biblical stories in new and interesting ways. Adding puppets to the music adds visual interest, creating excitement and interest for the audience and increasing memory retention in children. The art of puppetry is used extensively throughout the United States and the world as a tool in children’s church programs, Vacation Bible Schools, missions programs and outreach events. It is effective for reaching a wide range of audiences and is especially effective with children in the impressionable 4-14 year old age range.

Organizations outside of church ministry are also finding puppetry effective for communicating to this age group. Fire departments, police departments and other agencies utilize puppetry in their safety programs with positive results. South Metro Fire Rescue in Centennial, CO has effectively used puppets in their safety training presentations and videos. Their live safety presentations utilize puppetry, drama, and music to teach children important safety lessons. Hurricane relief workers in the Houston Astrodome utilized puppets to reach out to children in shock. The puppets brought laughter and a welcome break from the thoughts of disaster, uncertainty, and painful loss.

Puppetry is also an effective tool in cross-cultural communications. Ted Stoner of Bongo Bi-Lingo Buddy uses puppetry to teach important educational and moral lessons in English and in Spanish, bringing two cultures together. When contacted, Ted Stoner stated, “We love to celebrate both languages and both cultures through compassion, friendship and “alegría”, a Spanish word for joy. We use puppets because our target audience is three to seven year olds. It’s a non-typical age group to hit and puppetry helps us to bridge this unusual target. The puppets allow us to be interactive and interpersonal with our audience.” One Way Street is also committed to bridging these two cultures. The company sponsors bilingual training events and offers a line of Spanish products. Ana Griffitts, a bilingual representative from One Way Street Events states, “We reach new people by bridging cultures and overcoming language barriers through creative ministries such as puppetry. Everyone loves puppets!”

A large group assembling in the Nashville region in August certainly loves puppets. Puppeteers, ventriloquists, illusionists and other creative ministry performers will come together for one Saturday to gather new ideas, increase their skill level and gain inspiration in their craft. The One Way Street SummerFest training workshop is scheduled for Saturday, August 12th and will be held at 1st United Methodist Church in Gallatin. Event organizers are planning a fun-packed day of puppetry training, performances and competitions. Dale VonSeggen, co-founder of One Way Street is enthusiastic about returning to the Nashville region. “We have been coming to Tennessee for a number of years to train and encourage young people to use puppets effectively in their churches and schools and we are excited to be returning this year,” the company President stated.

This event is designed to inspire and equip educators, ministry leaders, community awareness groups, homeschool groups and any individual interested in learning the exciting and fun art of puppetry. Workshops will include basic and advanced puppetry manipulation, blacklight effects, choreography and leadership training, among others. Teams and individuals can enter competitions and compete for “The People’s Choice Award”. Each competition participant receives valuable feedback from industry experts. Liz VonSeggen commends today’s teens “Who demonstrate their willingness to serve, rather than be served when they give so much time, effort, and talent to creating excellent puppet presentations!”

Staff for the weekend training event includes seasoned professionals from various locations throughout the country. Dale VonSeggen explained, “We do our best to bring in talented performers and teachers to challenge and inspire the workshop attendees.” The VonSeggens are strong proponents of education. Liz graduated with a BA Degree in secondary education from Olivet Nazarene University with a major in Spanish and continued her education with a Master's Degree in Drama/Communication from Western Michigan University. She has taught on every level from preschoolers to college in public and private schools. Dale graduated from Olivet Nazarene University, with a degree in mathematics and coaching, and received his Master's degree in Educational Leadership at Western Michigan University. After ten years teaching public school mathematics in Illinois and Michigan, and nine years as children's pastor in Denver, Colorado, Dale has been working full time as President and CEO of One Way Street, Inc. since 1987.

The puppetry-training event begins Saturday morning, August 12th at 1st United Methodist Church, 149 Main Street in Gallatin. Registration opens at 8:30 a.m. and the first presentation beginning at 9:00 a.m. Events include general sessions featuring high quality performers, workshop sessions and an inspiring closing session complete with an exciting giveaway drawing. The event runs until approximately 4:30 p.m. Registration rates are $30 per person, with a discounts available for groups and early bird registrations. More information on rates and schedules can be found on the company’s website at http://www.onewaystreet.com/ or by calling 800-569-4537, extension 4.

Dear Colleagues in Ministry,

Joyfully, I share this good news with you! While the following statistics are somewhat shocking, there is help available for all of our congregations:

- Eighty-four percent of all congregations have conflicts or dysfunctional energy preventing or impeding critical ministries due to the dysfunction of one person or family.
- In the majority of larger congregations, there is an unhealthy and toxic influence of persons who use money, threats of leaving the church and other power plays to control the flow of ministry.
- Ninety percent of congregations are ill-equipped to deal with difficult persons and thus, they pretend difficult people are not there, or they avoid the conflict, or they tolerate difficult people on the grounds that “it’s the Christian thing to do.”

Our church is offering a training event titled “Healthy Congregations” on Saturday, August 12, 9 – 4:30. This event’s design helps congregations develop truly healthy responses in dealing with such people and in taking healthy steps forward in mission and ministry. What’s even better is that instead of costing $89 as in other places, we are offering this event for $30 for one person and $45 for two who share a manual.

If you are like me, in my past there have been certain people in some congregations with whom I wanted help. They may have openly created conflict or acted passive aggressively. They may have been starters or conduits of gossip. They have other unhealthy dysfunctions and, like me, you’d wish the leadership of the church would deal with them. Sometimes, they are the leadership!

The leadership for this event is the best in Bob Williamson of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center (LMPC), Lombard, Illinois. The Peace Center teaches principles that really do work from what I’ve experienced in my training with them.

So, our congregation invites you, your church leaders, and yes, even your difficult people (so they can see themselves) to this training event. More details about this event are in the enclosed flyer. If you have questions for me, call me at 931-647-2249.

May Christ’s grace and peace always flow in and through you,



Skip Armistead
Pastor, Hilldale UMC

Workshop Location:
Hilldale United Methodist Church
1751 Madison Street
Clarksville, Tennessee 37043
(Across from Chic-fil-A)

For additional information and registration form go to the website www.hilldaleumc.org and select "Healthy Congregations."

A group of UM pastors in the Nashville area will be meeting every other week in August and September to discuss the book The Myth of the 200 Barrier: How to Lead Through Transitional Growth by Kevin E. Martin. Interested lay and clergy are invited to participate starting Tuesday, August 1, at 1:00 p.m. at Aldersgate UMC, 512 Rosebank Ave. in Nashville.

Each session the group will discuss a section of the book and look for applications for their churches. Future meetings will be rotated among participating churches and are scheduled for August 14, 29, and September 12. Participants should have read the first section in preparation for the August 1 meeting.

For more information contact either Ed Britt (799-0250), Jim Norton (847-5067), or Jim Clark (226-2781).

Nashville, TN – A support group for parents who have placed a child for adoption will hold its next meeting on Tuesday, August 8, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the office of Miriam’s Promise, located at Tulip Street Methodist Church, 522 Russell Street in east Nashville. Guest speaker for the evening will be Dr. Richard Glenn, who will discuss the stages of grief. The group, which meets monthly, is jointly sponsored by Catholic Charities of Tennessee and Miriam’s Promise.

The meeting is open to any birthparent in the community who has placed a child for adoption -- whether recently or many years ago. The session begins with a light supper, followed by a group discussion. To participate in the group, individuals are asked to RSVP their attendance and their need for transportation or childcare by contacting Megan Stack at Catholic Charities at 615-352-3087, extension 269, or nashvillebirthparents@yahoo.com.

“Our agencies handle domestic adoptions that are possible because of a decision made by a birthparent,” said Donna Thomas, director of Caring Choices program of Catholic Charities.

“This informal meeting allows birthparents to share and discuss their experiences and receive support, information and understanding.”

Catholic Charities of Tennessee provides family services on behalf of the Diocese of Nashville and is a licensed child-placing agency of the State of Tennessee. Miriam’s Promise is a program of the Tennessee Conference of the United Methodist Church.

GALLATIN, TN - The One Way Street SummerFest One Day Training in Puppet Ministry will be held Saturday, August 12th at First United Methodist Church, 149 West Main in Gallatin, Tennessee.

This fun-packed training event is perfect for youth leaders, children’s ministry leaders, teachers, homeschool educators, ministry teams, church workers, community awareness and education programs and anyone interested in learning the art of puppetry. The registration cost is $30 per person, with discounts offered for early registration and groups of six or more.

The One Way Street SummerFest is filled with workshops, performances, competitions, demonstrations, and a comprehensive resource store. Puppetry techniques such as lip synchronization, rod arm manipulation, eye focus, believable movement, action and reaction, and choreography basics are explored. Event organizers are expecting hundreds of attendees from states throughout the region.

One Way Street, Inc. is an inter-denominational children's ministry resource publisher and supplier, specializing in equipping and training children's workers. They are located in Centennial, CO. For more information and to register for the event, visit the company's website at www.onewaystreet.com or contact One Way Street Events at 303.790.1188, ext. 4 or via e-mail at events@onewaystreet.com.

Hermitage, TN -- McKendree Village will host a Support Group meeting for Parkinson’s disease patients and their caregivers on Tuesday, August 1st, at 10:00 a.m. The meeting will be held in the 2nd floor meeting room in McKendree Towers at McKendree Village, Hermitage. Parking is free.

Caryn Crenshaw, who works with the American Parkinson’s Disease Association, will moderate the meeting. She is a Registered Nurse and editor of the newsletter, Parkinson’s Disease Queries, Quibbles, and Quotes.

The August 1st meeting will provide patients and their caregivers with the opportunity to share experiences and educational information on topics such as medications, insurance, coping skills and community resources.

As many as one million Americans suffer from Parkinson’s disease. While approximately 15% of Parkinson’s patients are diagnosed before the age of 40, incidence increases with age. The cause is unknown, and although there is presently no cure, there are many treatment options.

McKendree Village is very pleased to host the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group on the first Tuesday of each month. The Village strives to be a community resource on a range of healthcare, aging, and retirement topics and to collaborate with other organizations focused on similar issues.”

McKendree Village, Inc. is located at 4343 Lebanon Road in Hermitage, Tennessee. Established in 1963, McKendree Village provides a continuum of retirement living options and health care services to senior adults in a secure, Christian environment. Its services include independent living, assisted living, nursing home care and Alzheimer’s care.

For additional information about the Parkinson’s Disease Support Group meeting on August 1st at McKendree Village, please call 871-8200.

For additional information: Parkinson’s Disease Foundation 1-800-457-6676

A UMNS Commentary By James Lane*

God calls all people to ministry. As each one of us surrenders ourselves to serving God, a call is placed upon us. It is a lifelong call that you never retire from. From our day of surrender and resurrection on, we are God agents.

From the beginning of the Christian movement, the church has set aside, anointed and appointed people for leadership in this community of those called by God.

When a person responds to a calling by God to full-time ministry, he or she begins a lifelong struggle with that calling. Some respond right away, others deny the call, while still others delay their response.

Many have witnessed the "Hound of Heaven" pursuing them, nipping at their heels, until they completely surrender and respond to that "still, small voice."

The United Methodist Church has established rules and built walls, seemingly insurmountable at times, over which those responding to a call must climb.

The United Methodist Church, rightfully so, I think, has established rules and expectations of those who present themselves for certification and ordination by the church. Some would deem it unfair, indeed, to set special rules and expectations, for these whom we put on this pedestal of ministry.

Rules like "celibacy in singleness and fidelity in marriage" might seem archaic and capricious to some. We deny ordination and appointment to practicing homosexuals. Some say that such an attitude is "gay bashing."

What, indeed, is right and proper for the church to declare as an acceptable lifestyle while serving under ordination and appointment in our church? Well, with the calling come some very serious responsibilities. The primary responsibility is to live a life exemplary of the gospel of Jesus Christ before all the people. Like it or not, the pastor is always on a pedestal before the people.

We have all watched in horror as people have failed in this primary responsibility. Sexual liaisons within the community and congregation stun us to the core. We at the church are embarrassed and ashamed. We have seen infidelity to the marriage, addiction to drugs and alcohol and disregard of the covenant with the church rip at our very being as a community of faith.

Think of it as a pebble dropped into a lake. First, there is just the hole where the pebble goes in, and everything is OK. And then, you see one ripple and then another, and another, and on and on it goes. Friends, those ripples are people's lives, now wrecked by the ripples of your pebble. One person after another is affected by the pebble that fell from the pedestal of trust and leadership. The ripples go on forever!

To those on the pedestal of leadership: Everyone is watching and observing. Babies, children, young, old - everyone! And they are watching 24/7/365. There are no off days when you assume the pedestal of leadership.

If un-Christian behavior is evident in the life of the pastor, it sends ripples all across the congregation and community. Unfortunately, you cannot reach down and pull the pebble back.

If we truly love our brothers and sisters in Christ, we will not do anything that will cause them to fall away from the faith. Leadership in the church demands such a lifestyle. Once you have been called out and set aside by the church and assumed the pedestal of leadership, hold tight to the pebble and do not drop it!

Can we trust you to do that?

*Lane, of Sherwood, Ark., is manager of the Arkansas United Methodist Official E-mail Network.

Calvary UMC and our members and friends have a seventh annual opportunity to be involved with the Miriam’s Promise Golf Challenge—an important fundraiser which provides this vital ministry with over twenty percent of its annual budget. During the Challenge, golfers raise funds through pledges from individuals and procurement of Hole Sponsors ($250). Many of the golfers work incredibly hard to raise thousands of dollars for the programs and services provided by
Miriam’s Promise.

We need a variety of prizes to serve as incentives, rewards and “thank yous” for their efforts allowing Miriam’s Promise to continue providing services such as counseling for young pregnant women experiencing unplanned pregnancies and helping infants and older children find permanent, loving adoptive families.

Many of our members and constituents are in a business from which contributions could come,
and each of us does business with many potential contributors. Would you please consider either providing an incentive prize or requesting a prize from a business for this important event to be held on Monday, September 25 at Old Natchez Country Club? We would appreciate a response no later than August 18 so we can include donors in print material, website and newsletter.

The help can come in the form of gift certificates or actual items such as dinner for two, hotel stays, a massage or manicure or pedicure, books, CD’s, attractions, tickets to sporting or theatrical or musical events. Items such as art, electronics, jewelry, home furnishings, auto parts or tires would also be welcomed. All contributions will be tax deductible and a donor will receive recognition and publicity before, during and after the fundraising event.

We thank you in advance for your consideration of this request. Your help is greatly needed and will be deeply appreciated. If you need more information, contact Lee Parkison, 615-662-6597 or parklee@comcast.net. If you can help, mailable prizes can be sent to Polly Irvine, Miriam’s Promise Golf Challenge, 522 Russell Street, Nashville, TN 37206 and non-mailable gifts will be picked up. Call Lee at 662-6597 to set a pick up day and time.

Lee Parkison, Prize Chair
Miriam’s Promise
2006 Golf Team

ONE DAY RENEWAL EVENTS

Aldersgate Renewal Ministries will be offering two of its team-led local church renewal events in a one day format at the Aldersgate Renewal Center, 121 East Avenue in Goodlettsville on Saturday August 26th from 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Lay Witness Mission
The Lay Witness Mission is people taking time to listen to others and experiencing God’s love. It is people telling others about their hungers, joys, hurts, and discoveries in their lives. It is people sharing what Jesus means to them and how the good news of the Gospel makes a difference in their everyday living. Lives are changed by faith sharing!

For over 40 years the Lay Witness Mission has proved itself to be a powerful tool of evangelism and renewal.

This is a strategy for evangelism that encourages laypersons to share their faith journeys with others. Participants will hear testimonies of how God has changed the lives of other lay people, they will participate in small groups, and they will have opportunity to pray and be prayed for.

Worship in Spirit and Truth
This team-led event is designed to equip participants with a biblical understanding of worship. Incorporating Scripture and testimony, the teachings will examine both corporate worship experiences and the lives of individual worshipers. Truths gained from the models of personal and corporate worship in scripture will be applied to our daily lives.

Participants will remove hindrances to their worship and draw closer to God as they participate in new worship experiences. This seminar is designed for the entire church not just worship leaders or musicians. Participants do not need to sing well or play an instrument.

Each of these events will be led by experienced team members and coordinators. Although these events will model what can be done in your own church for a whole weekend, it is expected that these will be powerful times of the Spirit moving and touching lives in this condensed, intensive one-day schedule.

The registration cost of $49 per person [$45/person for a team of 3 or more] includes the event, all workshop materials, and dinner in the evening. Lunch will be on your own. Registration can be done on line at www.AldersgateRenewal.org or by calling the office at (615) 851-9192. The Registration deadline is August 16th.

NASHVILLE, TN: The Nashville Path & Pen Writers’ Conference brings writers and would-be writers together to explore writing as a spiritual practice. Held at the Scarritt Bennett Center, the conference has four distinct yet interrelated parts: keynote presentations; workshops; opportunities to network with editors, agents, publishers, and fellow writers; and a distinctly Nashville flavor. The conference attracts people who use or would like to use writing as part of their spiritual practice; authors and would-be authors of spiritually oriented memoir, translation/commentary, fiction, poetry, and creative nonfiction; and readers of spiritually oriented books.

The conference opens Friday evening, September 8, 2006 with Beth Neilson Chapman, one of Nashville’s leading singer-songwriters. Beth will perform for one hour and then engage attendees in an intimate conversation on spirituality and the creative process. Saturday focuses on a variety of ninety-minute workshops. Each workshop is offered twice, allowing you to take four workshops during the day. Saturday evening features an open-mike where people can share their work. The open-mike session ends early to allow you to partake of Nashville’s unique music scene just blocks from the conference center. Sunday morning features a keynote address by religion writer Ray Waddle, followed by a Q&A panel with editors and published authors to answer questions about spiritual publishing. The conference ends with lunch on Sunday, September 10, 2006.

A partial list of workshops includes: Leaving a Legacy of Story: Creating an Ethical Wil!; The Kabbalah of Writing: Using Writing to Examine Your Soul; The Artist’s Way; The G-Word: Writing About God in an Interspiritual Context; Writing Spiritual Autobiography; Writing as Personal Ministry; Ears to Hear: Writing Personal Bible Commentary; The Sacred Art of Journaling.

Cost: $160 for the weekend. Rooms and meals are available onsite. To register, visit www.scarrittbennett.org or phone Kim Johnson at (615) 340-7450.

The Nashville Path & Pen Writers Conference is co-sponsored by the Scarritt Bennett Center and One River Foundation, with support from local bookstores, publishers, newspapers, and other businesses. Scarritt Bennett Center is a conference, retreat, and education center committed to empowerment through cross-cultural understanding, education, creativity and spiritual renewal. The Center is located in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, on ten tree-filled acres. The ten buildings, constructed of crab orchard stone in collegiate gothic architectural style, give the grounds a peaceful, nurturing atmosphere. The compact setting means that it’s a short walk to well-equipped meeting rooms, delicious meals, and restful sleeping rooms. The One River Foundation promotes peace, justice, and personal awakening through interspiritual study, dialogue, and contemplative practice.

What is spiritual writing? Spiritual writing explores your sense of the sacred, your quest for meaning and purpose, your encounters with God or Absolute Reality, and your wrestling with faith, doubt, belief, and the ordinary wonder of your everyday life. Such writing may or may not be overtly religious, deal explicitly with religion, or be associated with any traditional faith or belief system.

What is writing as a spiritual practice? Writing can tap the deepest recesses of your being, and reveal wisdom not otherwise available to you. Writing in this way is a spiritual practice. Spiritual writing includes journaling, spiritual autobiography, “Morning Pages,” interpretive translation of and commentary on sacred texts, and similar practices that use writing as a means to access the deeper layers of one’s heart, mind, and soul.

Why a conference? Spiritual writing and the community of writers engaged in it merit and can benefit from the interaction that a conference provides. To date there is no national conference devoted to writing as a spiritual practice, and it is our aim to correct this oversight. We believe that Nashville with its rich tradition of spiritual book and music publishing and its spiritually cosmopolitan flavor, is uniquely suited for this kind of gathering.

Partial List of Faculty:

Singer-songwriter Beth Nielsen Chapman has been a regular on the Adult-Contemporary popularity charts since the 1990s. Such stars as Bonnie Raitt, Neil Diamond, Emmylou Harris, Michael McDonald, Bette Midler, Anne Murray, Willie Nelson, Elton John, Amy Grant, Keb Mo, Roberta Flack and Brenda Lee have recorded her songs. Her song “This Kiss,” as recorded by Faith Hill, won ASCAP’s 1999 Song of the Year award and was nominated for a Grammy. Beth is also the founder of the Songwriting and Creativity Stargaze at the Vanderbilt Dyer observatory in Nashville, Tennessee.

Philip Goldberg is a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and ordained Interfaith Minister. The author or coauthor of 17 books, he lectures and leads workshops throughout the country. He is also the Director of the Forge Guild of Spiritual Leaders and Teachers and the founder of Spiritual Wellness Associates. A novelist and screenwriter as well, he lives in Los Angeles, where he coaches individuals and couples to clarify and deepen their spiritual lives.

A former spokesperson for Miss Black USA, Inc. Shellie R. Warren is a full-time writer and speaker who has been published in over three-dozen publications including Honey Magazine, Upscale Magazine, CCM, b-gyrl.com, DOE Network and NV Magazine. Warren, who was named Miss Woman of Color 2002-2003, is also a spoken word artist and is featured on b-gyrl.com’s compilation, The Lyristcess Lounge and Gotee-recording artist, GRITS Dichotomy A and B. She lives in Nashville, TN.

Rami Shapiro is an award winning poet and essayist, whose liturgical writings are used in prayer services throughout North America. He has written over a dozen works of poetry, liturgy, short story and nonfiction. Rami is an ordained rabbi and holds a doctoral degree in religious studies. A congregational rabbi for 20 years, Rabbi Shapiro currently directs the One River Foundation, a not-for-profit educational center for inter-spiritual study and contemplative inquiry. His most recent books are Open Secrets, Hasidic Tales Annotated and Explained, The Hebrew Prophets Annotated and Explained, The Divine Feminine, Annotated and Explained, and The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness.

Nearly fifteen years in the book publishing industry have provided Sheri Swanson with a wide breadth of experience. As a sales representative, her clients ranged from independent book and gift stores, to national chain store and distributor buyers. For five years, her dual roles at Publishers Weekly, as Southern Sales Manager and Religion Marketing Manager allowed her to nurture publisher relationships and develop an inside understanding of the business of religion publishing. Since leaving PW, she has built her own company, inkplot, into a source for book doctoring and reviewing, copy writing, and publishing industry consulting.

Ray Waddle is an award-winning journalist/columnist who writes about faith and culture for various publications and web sites. He is the author of two recent books -- Against the Grain Unconventional Wisdom From Ecclesiastes and A Turbulent Peace: The Psalms for Our Time. Look for his regular columns at Interpretermagazine.org and in the Presbyterian Voice newspaper (synodoflivingwaters.com). His work has appeared in The New York Times, Christian Century magazine, USA TODAY op-ed page, and United Methodist News Service. He was religion editor for 17 years (1984-2001) at The Tennessean in Nashville, the city’s major daily newspaper, and still writes guest columns there. He teaches a writing seminar at Vanderbilt Divinity School.

Nashville, TN -- Health care professionals, school counselors, and social workers are invited to a free “Understanding Infant Adoption” training program on Thursday, August 3. The program, which is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, will be held from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at the Woodmont Hills Church of Christ, 3710 Franklin Pike, Nashville 37204. The purpose of the training program, which is coordinated by Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc., is to prepare health care professionals and other people serving pregnant women and teens to discuss adoption as a positive option. Nurses will receive 8 CEUs and social workers will receive 7 CEUs for participating in the training. The August 3 program is free, but advance registration is required. To register or for additional information, contact Kathy Gupton at 615-760-4438 or log onto www.adoptionatwork.org.

“This program is being presented at locations throughout the nation,” said Kathy Gupton with the Caring Choices Department of Catholic Charities. “We are pleased to bring this training to health care and social work professionals in Nashville.”

The goals of the “Understanding Infant Adoption” training program are to develop an understanding of the adoption process, to understand state and federal laws governing adoption, to understand social and cultural issues impacting adoption, to explore adolescent development and adolescent attitudes toward adoption; to identify and practice non-directive counseling techniques, and to identify adoption resources and referrals within the local community. The program includes interactive experiences, training exercises to promote awareness, information on birth family, adoptive family and adoptee experiences, and resource materials.

“We can also arrange for on-site presentation of the “Understanding Infant Adoption” training for social work and health care agencies or organizations that are interested,” noted Gupton.

Since 1962, Catholic Charities of Tennessee, Inc. has provided family services on behalf of the Diocese of Nashville and is a licensed child placement agency of the State of Tennessee. Its major operations are managed within six departments: Social Services, Caring Choices, Refugee & Immigration Services, Bridges to Care, Family Assistance and Community Employment, and Management Services. Each year, Catholic Charities provides services to approximately 30,000 people living in 38 Middle Tennessee counties. Services are available to people of every religious, ethnic, cultural and racial background.

This original performance piece created by ABE and Vanderbilt's Wesley/Canterbury Fellowship, is a collection of stories about our community¹s experience with faith exploring the reasons we believe or question our religion. Based on dozens of interviews with people from Nashville¹s diverse faith traditions, FAITH/DOUBT illuminates what draws people to faith and repels others.

Directed by ABE Producing Artistic Director Vali Forrister, the FAITH/DOUBT ensemble includes Rachel Agee, Mike Beckham, Kris Campa, Ashley Davis, Shonka Dukureh, Rebekah Durham, Bill Feehely, Judy Jackson, Ken Jackson, Pierre Johnson, Alice Raver, Rodrikus Springfield and Chris Scheele.

The FAITH/DOUBT writing team includes Rachel Agee, Courtney Evans, Bill Feehely, Mark Forrester, Vali Forrister and Betsy Phillips. The project was funded in part by grants from the Wesley Foundation and the Metro Nashville Arts Commission.

For tickets, call 341.0300 or email actorsbridge@comcast.net

Performances are Friday-Sunday, July 21-23 and Thursday-Sunday July 27-30. Thursday-Saturday shows are at 7:30 p.m. Sunday matinees are at 4 p.m.