Craigville Colloquy 2013 focuses on "Christ's Mission in the 21st Century: Sent Forth to Be God's Blessing"
 
Craigville Colloquy gathers July 15-19 in historic Craigville Village on Cape Cod for a week-long exploration of mission in the 21st-century church.
 
Keynoter is the Rev. Dr. Reid Trulson, executive director for International Ministries, American Baptist Churches. Bible-study leader is the Rev. Dr. Shanell T. Smith, assistant professor of New Testament and Christian Origins at Hartford Seminary.
 
The Colloquy will encourage participants and presenters to wrestle with the age-old question of mission--our outreach and interaction with the world outside of the church. What does it mean to be sent forth as Christians today? Points of reference will be the "four signs" of the Holy Spirit: kerygma (proclamation) as we share the Good News, leitourgia (worship) as we celebrate the Story, diakonia (service) in our engagement with the world, and koinonia (community) as we find unity within the body of Christ.
 
For 30 years, the Colloquy has been a unique opportunity for pastors, teachers, seminarians and laity to share a week in theological conversation and Bible study on a subject of importance.
 
Open to members of any denomination, the Colloquy is an experience that feeds the mind and heart: keynote presentations, workshops, small-group conversation and daily Bible study help the community explore the subject in depth, while two ecumenical celebrations of Holy Communion, daily Morning Prayer in a meditative style, Taizé Vespers and sacred music inspire with praise and song.
 
Colloquy is also an opportunity to relax with friends and family: afternoons are free time to explore the Cape, take quiet walks through the woods, or while away the hours on Craigville's white-sand beach on Nantucket Sound.
 
The Colloquy offers credit for three continuing-education units.
 
"Clergy and laity from across the Northeast and Midwest come back again and again to Craigville because it's an experience that combines intellectual inquiry with rest for the body, mind and soul," says the Rev. Dr. Claudia Demick, who leads the planning committee. "It combines the elements of a theological conference, a spiritual retreat, and a summer vacation. In a church that's increasingly hungry for intellectual and spiritual nourishment, the Colloquy has a lot to offer."
 
The colloquy has been held every summer since 1984 at the Craigville Retreat Center--a ministry of the Massachusetts Conference, United Church of Christ. The quiet village includes Victorian cottages, a village green, and the historic Tabernacle--a simple 19th-century meeting house where Colloquy participants will gather for worship, presentations and workshops.
 
To information on program and registration, visit the Colloquy's website at http://www.craigvillecolloquy.com/. For information about facilities at the Craigville Retreat Center, visit  http://www.craigvilleretreats.org/.
 

Biographies
 
The Rev. Dr. Reid Trulson (keynoter) is the American Baptist Church's executive director for international ministries. Before his current post, he was a local church pastor, missionary, and the church's area director for Europe and the Middle East.
 
The Rev. Dr. Shanell T. Smith (Bible reflection leader) is Assistant Professor of New Testament and Christian Origins and the Coordinator of the International Ph.D. Program at Hartford Seminary.
 
David Debick (music minister) is director of music at Brecksville United Church of Christ in Ohio. As the Colloquy's music leader for the past four years, Dave's charisma and gift for encouraging congregational song have become a welcome part of the Craigville tradition. He leads music at all of the Colloquy's services--including Taizé Vespers on Wednesday night.

Andrew Lang (liturgist) is executive director of the United Church of Christ Coalition for LGBT Concerns. He was the minister for web community and training in the UCC's national office in Cleveland, Ohio.

When: July 15, 2013
Where: Craigville Village
Cape Cod, Massachusetts
More Information:  http://www.craigvillecolloquy.com/