Thursday, October 14
Merrillville (Lake County)
Congregations in northwest Indiana are coming together to look at the positive. The Center for Congregations presents Flourishing Congregations on Thursday, October 14, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza in Merrillville. Flourishing Congregations is an exciting, hands-on educational experience that explores positive change processes and how they can work within congregations.
Discover a Flourishing Future
Clergy, staff, and leaders from all faith traditions are invited to participate in Flourishing Congregations. Leaders will gather together 
to share, learn and discover a flourishing future. Modeled after the Flourishing Congregations gatherings held in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Evansville and Columbus, Indiana, this event will empower leaders to look at the positive core of congregations when they function at their best. Through positive change processes such as Appreciative Inquiry, World Café, and Asset Mapping, participants will learn various ways to look at their faith communities as mysteries to be embraced rather than as problems to be solved.
Time and Place
Flourishing Congregations is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. (Central time) Thursday, October 14, 2010 at the Radisson Hotel at Star Plaza, 800 E. 81st Ave., Merrillville. The cost is $50 per congregation for teams of 2-5 persons. This fee includes continental breakfast, lunch, parking and materials. Flourishing Congregations is designed for teams. The Center encourages each participating congregation to bring up to five people. Registrations are being accepted now. Space is limited to 150 participants. The event is limited to Indiana congregations.
Sharing and Learning
Through small group discussion, hands-on activities, and experiential positive change processes, Flourishing Congregations 
provides a forum for sharing, networking and fellowship. In the months leading up to the event, Center for Congregations representatives will interview local congregational leaders to gather stories of life-giving moments in their faith communities. These stories will be published and distributed to participants. Sharing these life-giving moments helps participants to imagine hope, creativity and possibility in their own congregations. These events are vibrant and uplifting and provide the instruction and tools necessary to use positive change processes in your congregation.
Events limited to Indiana congregations.
