Thanks to Bert Roebben for the announcement of this new book — Educating Religious Education Teachers: Perspectives of International Knowledge Transfer — which is open access and free for download!
And we begin!
REA2023 begins today. We are so excited by all of the papers, collaborative sessions, posters, and plenaries that await our learning on the theme “Whose children are they? Responsibilities for religious formation of a new generation. Check out the schedule and join this entirely online meeting that will unfold throughout the week across numerous countries and many time zones.
REA2023 is almost here…
…and there’s a lot to savor this year! Over 30 sessions across five days and a whole bunch of timezones. Research that covers early childhood through adulthood, all from the perspective of what paying close attention to childhood and adolescence might teach us about the work of religious education. Viewpoints that reflect diverse contexts, traditions, values, and goals. It’s going to be an amazing smorgasbord of papers, presentations, panels, and participant conversations
This year’s plenary panels blend familiar and new voices. Newcomers include:
- Christine Diindiisi McCleave, Indigenous scholar, activist, and enrolled citizen of the Turtle Mountain Ojibwe Nation
- Henry Zonio, sociologist and member of the Equity Audit team for the Godly Play Foundation
- Ramona Grad, professor of psychology and counseling at the University of Texas at Tyler
- Japjit Kaur Pnaiser, Sikh early years educator in the UK
- Jen Mata McMahon, University of Maryland professor of early childhood education with a special interest in bilingual education
- Duaa Haggag, community educator and psychotherapist working with Muslim families in the Twin Cities
- Aaron Weininger, senior rabbi of Adath Jeshurum Congregation in Minnetonka, Minnesota
- Elaine Champagne, Religion, Spirituality and Health Chair in the Faculty of Theology and Religious Studies at Université Laval (Canada)
- Elsa Lau, teaching ethics, spirituality, and education in Hong Kong
- Mubina Hassanali Kirmani, award-winning children’s book author and recently retired professor of education from Towson University
They are joined by REA members Annie Lockhart-Gilroy (womanist Christian educator and associate professor at Phillips Theological Seminary), Carmichael Crutchfield (professor at Memphis Theological Seminary and General Secretary of the Department of Christian Education and Formation for the CME Church), Brad Wigger (professor of religious education and childhood studies at Louisville Presbyterian Seminary), and Michael Shire (rabbi and professor of Jewish education at Hebrew College).
It’s not too late to pull up a chair and join the feast! Check out all the goodies the REA2023 Schedule has to offer. The table is set and ready for you to dish a bunch of tasty sessions onto your plate!
Dean of Education, St. Mary’s University in Winona and Minneapolis, MN
St. Mary’s University, located both in Minneapolis, MN and Winona, MN is seeking a Dean for their School of Education. They are particularly interested in experienced leaders with an interest in supporting K12 leaders. More information online.
2024 Nordic conference on RE
The 17th Nordic Conference of Religious Education [NCRE] will explore ‘the other’ in RE. The theme includes, but is not limited to, discussing the multicultural state, minority voices, otherification and exotification, using the perspective of the majority to describe a minority, how culturation into an ‘us’ by implication necessarily creates a ‘them’, as well as good examples (practical or theoretical) on how to avoid all or some of the pitfalls mentioned above.
More details and the call for papers are available online.
Asst Dir Sun Walking Fellowship
Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary invites applications and nominations for a post-doctoral faculty position in practical theology who will serve as Assistant Director for the Sun-Walking Fellowship Grant (4-year contract – 2023-2027), a program that endeavors to strengthen congregational ministry with youth through communal art. The successful candidate should hold a PhD, or be ready to defend their dissertation in a field related to practical theology, with a focus in religious education or youth ministry highly desired. This colleague should be committed to excellence in teaching and scholarship and be interested in the constructive interpretation of Christian faith and life in conversation with other disciplines. The candidate will teach a series of required MDiv courses, with the opportunity of teaching another course in their area of interest.
Director of Ministerial Formation (SOT at SJU)
Long time member Daniella Zsupan-Jerome encourages REA members to consider applying for the position of Director of Ministerial Formation at the School of Theology at St. John’s University in Collegeville. They hope to fill the position by the fall. More details are available online.
June 23 conference in the Philippines
Dr. Chesnavage urges us to be aware of a conference about to happen in the Philippines, and sends along this note about it:
Dear Chuck,
I’m sorry that I was not able to respond to you immediately as we are in the thick of preparations now.
Please find below an attachment of our conference poster showing the line-up of speakers (3 local speakers and one from Germany). The first one (Fr Rey Reluto) is a priest engaged in environmental issues in the Philippines. The second is a Catholic educator who will share her work on a youth-specific eco-theology for Filipinos drawn from her dissertation. The third is a Religious Educator/theologian (Prof. Stefan Altmeyer) from Mainz, Germany. The last is a Philosophy professor (Dr. Jeane Peracullo).
There will be online and in-person participants. The first day (June 23, 2023) will be conducted in Hyflex mode. Two plenary speakers will present their papers in-person in the morning. In the afternoon the two other plenary speakers will present their papers virtually. Their online presentation shall be beamed to in-person participants through a screen at the hall and online (zoom) participants. Please note our time difference. We are ahead of New York by 12 hours.After each plenary lecture, there will be an opportunity for interaction and clarification with the speakers for 20 minutes. Online participants are encouraged to interact as well. If there are interested colleagues from our community I can send a program flow to show the details of time allotments for each speaker.
I am looking forward to more possibilities of exchange between our colleagues here in Manila and our Community. And perhaps we can have our professional organization here (Religious Educators of the Philippines- REAP) affiliated with our Community. Just thinking.Rito
For those wishing to participate, please click for the online registration:
Longing for an in-person REA?
You can have the best of all worlds! Join in the online annual meeting — live translations offered, great papers, and more — and do so while also gathering in person with colleagues in Tulsa, OK at the same time. Our colleagues there have arranged an excellent companion regional gathering.
Annual Meeting Plenaries Announced!
We are pleased to share many additional details about the primary plenaries for our upcoming —July 10-14—annual meeting. You can find all of the details on the conference website, and here are direct links to each of the plenary descriptions:
July 11 plenary on “Irresponsible answers” featuring Henry Zonio, Christine Diindiisi McCleave, Ramona Grad, and moderated by Theresa O’Keefe.
July 12 plenary on “Responses of early childhood educators” featuring Japjit Kaur Pnaiser, Rabbi Michael Shire, Jennifer Mata McMahon and moderated by Rode Molla.
July 13 plenary one on “The role of parents as caregivers” featuring Duaa Haggag, Rabbi Aaron Weininger, Brad Winger, Elaine Champagne and moderated by Karen-Marie Yust.
July 13 plenary two on “Responses to adolescence” featuring Annie Lockhart-Gilroy, Carmichael Crutchfield, Elsa Lau, Mubina Kirmani, and moderated by Sarah Farmer.
As always, please check the annual meeting schedule for updated information.