Offered in partnership with the Diocese of Los Angeles at its Cathedral Center of St. Paul, the conference continues through Friday under the theme “Celebrating the Gifts of Spanish-speaking Preachers.” Co-sponsored by Bishop J. Jon Bruno of Los Angeles, the conference is also the first program to be offered on the West Coast by the College of Preachers.

Keynote speaker is the Rev. Pablo Jimenez, national pastor of Latin American ministries for the Disciples of Christ. A New York native, Jimenez grew up in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. He will lead the conference in four sessions titled: “Transform the way you see your congregation,” “Transform your sermon design,” “Transform your sermon content,” and “Transform your sermon delivery.”

Conference participants will test their skills by writing sermons on site and preaching them in small focus groups designed to offer suggestions and evaluation with the goal of assisting each preacher in self-assessment, according to College of Preachers registrar Joan Roberts.

Group leaders, who are adjunct faculty of the College, include the Rev. Hannah Atkins of St. John’s Episcopal Church, Lafayette Square, Washington, D.C. – the “Church of the Presidents” -- where a Eucharist is offered in Spanish at 1 p.m. each Sunday.

Additional group leaders are the Rev. Noemi Mena, a Disciples of Christ pastor at the National City Christian Church in Washington, D. C., and the Rev. Simon Bautista, an Episcopal priest who is a leader in Latino ministry in the Diocese of Washington and an assistant at Ascension Church in Gaithersburg, Maryland.

Additional adjunct faculty assisting with the Los Angeles conference are the Rev. Rosa Brown, vicar of the Church of the Magdalena, Glendale, California, and the Very Rev. Ernesto Medina, provost of the Cathedral Center.

Accommodations for conference participants are provided at the Cathedral Center’s on-site retreat rooms.

‘Preaching in Urban Multicultural Churches’ is emphasis for Oct. 2-7 conference in Los Angeles; Bishop Steven Charleston, homilist Chris Smith to keynote

[ENS, Los Angeles, July 13, 2004] - “Preaching in Urban Multicultural Churches” is the theme for a homiletic skills conference to be offered Oct. 2-7 in Los Angeles as a joint venture of the College of Preachers and the Diocese of Los Angeles.

Bishop Steven Charleston, current dean and president of the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and former bishop of Alaska, will keynote the conference together with Chris Smith, a United Church of Christ clergywoman, who is professor of preaching at United Theological Seminary of the Twin Cities in New Brighton, Minnesota.

The conference will be offered at the Cathedral Center of St. Paul, where accommodations are available to participants in on-site retreat rooms. Program cost, including meals and double-occupancy room, is $750 per participant. Registration information may be obtained from College of Preachers registrar Joan Roberts (phone: 202.537.6381; e-mail: jroberts@cathedral.org).

The program will be the second to be offered in Los Angeles under the collaboration of the College of Preachers, an 80-year-old institution based at Washington National Cathedral, and Los Angeles Bishop J. Jon Bruno.

The following course description is posted on the College of Preachers’ web site (http://www.collegeofpreachers.org/): “Preaching in the multicultural worlds of city congregations presents distinct challenges and exciting possibilities. Urban contexts are places of great human oppression and courageous human agency. Responsive and just preaching demands from the preacher creative and well-developed exegetical skills, cultural sensitivities and competencies, and a deep commitment to social analysis. We will explore the various ways each ministry context deeply influences the intent and impact of preaching, and how preaching can speak a relevant and life-giving word to people who are diverse in terms of ethnicity, class, ability, gender, and sexuality. This will be a time to sharpen homiletical skills, examine the content and substance of sermons, and nourish and mentor one another in the challenging tasks of urban preaching.”

Note: The following titles are available from the Episcopal Book/Resource Center, 815 Second Ave., New York, NY 10017; 800.334.7626; http://www.episcopalbookstore.org/

• To Read: GET UP OFF YOUR KNEES: Preaching the U2 Catalog, Episcopal priests Raewynne J. Whiteley and Beth Maynard, editors(Cambridge, Massachusetts: Cowley Publications, 2003; 212 pages; $14.95)

From the publisher: “For more than two decades, the songs and artistry of U2 (band featuring musician and human-rights activist Bono) have inspired theological reflection and prophetic action. “Get Up Off Your Knees” collects throughtful and provocative sermons, based on U2’s work, by preachers from across the international church spectrum. This book is for fans of U2, students of homiletics, and everyone interested in the intersection of art, popular culture, and religion.”

“(The Rev.) Raewynne J. Whiteley is vicar of Trinity Episcopal “Old Swedes” Church in Swedesboro, New Jersey. She is the author of many articles and published sermons.

“(The Rev.) Beth Maynard is rector of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Fairhaven, Massachusetts, and a long-time member of ‘Gathering the next Generation,’ the Episcopal Church’s network for postmodern ministry. Her publications include books, pamphlets, sermons and several articles.”

• To Read: PREACHING FROM THE LECTIONARY: An Exegetical Commentary with CD-ROM, by Gerard S. Sloyan “Scripture is to be interpreted by Scripture” (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2003; 400 pages, $40.)

From the publisher: “In this rich and deeply informative resource, one of the most learned and insightful biblical scholars of our time provides an exegetical analysis of each lectionary passage from the Revised Common Lectionary and the Lectionary for Mass for each Sunday and major feasts in the three-year cycle.

”Preceded by an essay on biblical preaching, Sloyan’s astute work attempts to achieve the ‘plain sense’ (Luther) or ‘literal sense’ (Aquinas) of each text, largely through modern historical-critical exegesis. He deftly situates each reading in its historical background and its liturgical setting, as well as within its larger scriptural world through multiple cross-references and allusions. Usable within the whole range of lectionary traditions, Sloyan’s work includes a CD-ROM with the full text (fully searchable) and instant access to each biblical passage referenced. Those entrusted with the preaching task have an extremely valuable commentary made even more usable through the tools available on CD-ROM.”