When we meet next in the Leadership Institute, we will have entered a new year, with God-given fresh opportunities for learning and growing. One of these opportunities is the Church Leadership Institute for Ministry. This is also the season for celebrating the coming of the Magi with their gifts for the Christ Child. While we thank God for the supreme gift of our Savior, may we also give thanks for the gift of our Institute. On January 4, 2016, we will be blessed as David Williams, and possibly other Friends, will teach us in the third class in Spiritual Formation and Spiritual Direction. The theme is “Spiritual Discernment: Minding the Compass of Christ.” David is committed to help us in our own walk with God, while we guide others in their discernment of the leading of Christ in their lives. We in the Institute know and love David as our Institute teacher over the past decade. He is both our teacher and spiritual mentor.
We desire that as many Friends as possible share in our Institute classes, so we offer them at multiple locations: Friends Community Church (Angleton), Friends Ministry Center (Wichita), Lighthouse Fellowship Church (at the home of Jerry and Mary Louthan), Noatak, Alaska (Robert Sheldon, Superintendent), Friends Bible Training School (Alaska Yearly Meeting) at the home of David Miller, Bangor Liberty Friends Church, Fowler Friends Church, Barclay College (Jackson Hall), Faith Friends Church, North Newton (at the home of Merl and Eunice Kinser), Arkansas City Friends Church (at the home of Bud Lawrence), and Northwest Friends Church (at the home of Tom and Bonnie Bousman). Other sites which have the technology to see the Institute sessions include: Booker Friends Church, Miami Friends Church, Chandler Friends Church, Sudanese Community Church (Omaha), Iglesia Amigos (San Antonio), and Hesper Friends Church. Maybe you would like to hear the presentations at a different time. Thanks to Drew Davenport, who makes available the videos of our Institute classes on YouTube, you can assemble a group at the time and location of your choice. Click here to view and choose the desired video. Vancouver Friends Church and Pratt Friends Church have, in fact, offered these recorded sessions for groups at the times which meet their church schedules.
I am very hopeful that as we start the new year we will be faithful in our attendance at the Institute meetings, starting with our class January 4, 2016, at 7:00 central time.
Praying that your New Year will be filled with the joy and blessings of God,
-Dave Kingrey, Director of Leadership Institute
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