Each day of the 2023 Conference in Dubuque, Iowa, USA began with worship and ended with prayers.

The aim of the conference was to allow plenty of time for participants to get to know one another, and talk together about challenges and achievements, possibilities and plans for the future.

Our purpose is to seek insights into the way God’s people are pursuing God’s will that the creation and people flourish.

Rev Dr Mark Yackel-Juleen

Photos

Proceedings

Recorded livestream of welcome and introductions evening of Thursday 13 April, concluding with prayers led by North America

Recorded livestream of morning session on Friday 14 April

• Welcome from Laura Roussell, Dubuque Mayor Pro-tem Presentation of Shawl
• Greeting from Linda Cowan, Local Arrangements in Lincoln 2018
• Opening Worship— Oceania (Aotearoa New Zealand Team) Beneath the Southern Cross song
• Origin, Purpose, and Perspectives of IRCA Who are we as IRCA? video supplied by Robyn McPhail
• A Taste of Flourishing: Jerry Marshall and his business enterprise work TEN providing resources and training for rural communities; Ezra Rural Ministry, introduced by Pastor Dereje Shiferaw

Recorded livestream of afternoon session

• A Taste of Flourishing: Small Group Discussion and Sharing from Participants
• IRCA: our network, our team and work for the future

Banquet A montage of video pieces will be recorded to give a taste of the evening

• Fellowship, Fun, Sharing
• Closing Prayers—Oceania (Saltbush Team, Uniting Church in Australia) pdf sheet

Recorded livestream of morning session on Saturday 15 April

• Opening Worship—Africa
• A Taste of Flourishing: Dr. Beth Elness-Hanson
  • Powerpoint to watch during Beth’s address
  • Presentation of Shawl
• A Taste of Flourishing: Arthur Rank Centre with Rev Matt Jeffrey Presentation of Shawl
• Participants departed for overnight stay with Hosts

The Joint Conference with Wartburg Theological Seminary began on Sunday afternoon 16 April.

Recorded livestreams Part 1 before Gil’s song (disrupted when song By grace was displayed) and Part 2 after (click on each of the links)

• Keynote – Rev. Dr. Gil Waldkoenig “Soundscapes”
• reference to Lisa Dahill, theologian
• Closing Prayers—Asia

Recorded livestream of Bible Study on Monday 17 April

• Welcome and Opening Prayer
• Bible Study – Rev Dr. Ann Fritschel
• Powerpoint to watch during Ann’s address
• Presentation of Shawl
• Fijian Bowl
• Song from African group Andrew Wafula (Kenya), Charles Meliyio (Kenya), Derrick Banda (Zambia) and Nathan Adu-Gyamfi (St. Paul MN – Student from Ghana)

Recorded livestream, beginning with presentation of Indian shawl to Dr Fritschel followed by Dr Waldkoenig’s keynote

Keynote – Rev. Dr. Gil Waldkoenig “Soundscapes” continued

• Moravian Soundscapes by Sarah Justina Everly
• The End of Words by Richard Lischer
• Hearing Things: Religion, Illusion, and the American Enlightenment by Leigh Eric Schmidt
• Rain and the Rhinoceros, essay by Thomas Merton
• Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred by Victoria Luna Loorz; Wild Church Network
• Holy Ground: a Liturgical Cosmology by Gordon Lathrop
• Presentation of Shawl

• Off-site Tours
• Link to recording at Four Mounds
• Convivium Urban Farmstead
• Concurrent Workshops
• Building a More Vibrant, Resilient, Just, and Joyful Rural Future: Native American Makerspace; Women’s Voices; Rural Leadership; Welcoming Community; From the Source: Fact Sheet; Traditions from El Salvador
• Deeper with the Speaker — Fun Session with Gil Waldkoenig
• Think Like a Farmer
• Rural Ministry, Global Impact
• Congregations and Climate Change
• Banquet A montage of video pieces will be recorded to give a taste of the evening; Presentation of Indian Shawl to President of Wartburg Seminary, Rev Dr Kristin Largen
• A Ceilidh

Recorded livestream of morning sessions on Tuesday 18 April

• Bible Study – Rev Dr. Laszlo Mark
  • Presentation of Shawl
• Keynote – Dr Heather Major “Embodied, Contextual, and Rural”
  • Presentation of Shawl
• Theme Song: Voice of the Voiceless, written by Garry Hardingham (see below for text with chords and mp3 file)
• Worship Service – International Participation
• Farewell

The Joint Conference with Wartburg Theological Seminary Ended

At some point a table tennis table was discovered and there was action:

• Recorded livestream of conversation with Dan and Kerry Wiens
• Small Group and Large Group Discussion of Learnings Recorded livestream
• A Taste of Flourishing: Recorded livestream introduction to Farming God’s Way and Inundo Farm video
• The group moved to Wartburg Seminary for the evening

• IRCA Presentations to the Wartburg Community with Soup Supper co-sponsored by the Center for Global Theologies and the Center for Theology and Land
• Worship: Healing of the Nations led by Wartburg students

 

Recorded livestream through to lunch on Wednesday 19 April

• Worship

mp3 file

• Setting our IRCA future: nominations and elections, topics of interest to discuss
• Note that the Constitution (2010) and Leadership Group are on the website – click About
• A Taste of Flourishing: Zion Assembly Rev Joshua Amara Rural Evangelism
• Visioning for the Future
• Boat Tour on the Mississippi River Recorded video
• Closing and Celebrations Recorded livestream
• Sending Prayers—Europe Recorded livestream

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