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PERFECTLY SQUARE Fun in Pensacola

Byhenry

I talk quite a bit on this blog about diversity and the importance of dialogue and making the most of our differences, so it’s a pleasure for me to highly recommend a program here in the Pensacola area by someone from whom I have learned a great deal on unity in diversity, Dr. Dolly Berthelot. If you are in range to travel to this event, make it a point to do so. You will find it both entertaining, challenging, and practical.

I would particularly like to recommend that pastors and church leaders attend. As my wife Jody and I teach in various churches, I find that whatever the theology of a particular congregation, the difficulties that the leadership has in engaging the various personalities and gifts of a congregation in service are very similar. We can accurately describe some churches as two or three congregations using the same building. The differences seem small and petty, but actually they usually result from differences in personality and taste and not from some profound, irreconcilable differences of belief.

PERFECTLY SQUARE (the book and the program) points the way to a solution to this problem. Learn about who you are, and why you prefer certain things, and then how you can turn those differences into assets instead of liabilities. There are reasons some of you like loud music with lots of drums, very little “preaching,” and a great deal spontaneity in a church service, while others prefer a firm order and lots of words, and the reason isn’t that some of you are inherently evil. 🙂

You will have an opportunity also to sign up for two seminars that will help you carry on. I was surprised by the excellent price for these. Dolly’s time could go for a much higher price. So take advantage of this excellent opportunity and learn to make the most of your personal assets, and those of your congregation.

 

 

O R I G I N A L , E N T E R T A I N I N G

S T O R Y , M U S I C A L M I X

March 9, 7-9 pm, Free

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3 Comments

  1. I must say I would find it very hard to recommend pastors or church leaders to attend an event at a “Unitarian Universalist Church”. If this is just a venue, maybe no problem, but it creates a dangerous precedent to have anything which might look like Christian fellowship with those who present themselves as Christians but deny the divinity of Christ.

  2. I would note two things:

    1. I don’t know how it is in your part of the world, but the UUs in my area don’t present themselves as Christians. A few members might on a personal basis, but the congregation as a whole does not. There are some originally Universalist congregations who do, generally in the northeast.

    2. I don’t have a problem recommending a training event sponsored by non-Christians to Christian groups.

    I think anyone who is in this area and would consider following my recommendation would be aware of these two characteristics of mine, and thus nobody would be deceived.

  3. Thanks, Henry. We don’t have many Unitarians here in England, but they are not clearly understood as being distinct from Christians. And I would consider anyone using the term “Church” to be making some kind of claim to be Christian. But obviously you know your context better than I do.

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