Accounting for Hope
March 7 – 9, 2025, with the Rev. Lauren Winner
Register Here
What gives us hope — not to mention abundance, resilience, and curiosity — amidst despair? 1 Peter 3:15 encourages us to be ready to give “an accounting of the hope that is in you.”
The Rev. Dr. Lauren Winner is an acclaimed writer, professor, and Episcopal priest. Her books include Girl Meets God, Mudhouse Sabbath, Still, and Wearing God. She is practiced in guiding a variety of people, from incarcerated women, to divinity school students, to professional authors, in the art of writing their stories as a way to account for the hope that is in them — which is part of how we can share our faith.
This weekend is open to all and includes sessions of reading, writing, and dreaming together, all incorporating the stories of contemporary poet and essayist, Christian Wiman, the great Harriet Tubman, and Lauren’s own stories. Lauren will encourage us to explore and share our own stories of facing challenges with hope. You do not need to be a writer to learn to tell your story from a fresh perspective using the tools Lauren will provide.
Childcare available upon request. Please note on registration form.
The weekend with the Rev. Dr. Lauren Winner includes (attend any or all of the sessions):
- Friday evening: 6 pm Potluck dinner.
- Friday evening: 7 pm Book study of Christian Wiman’s Zero at the Bone: Fifty Entries Against Despair, with a focus on the below chapters. There will also be an opportunity to discuss Lauren’s books as well.
- Chapter 1: Will Love You in the Summertime
- Chapter 6: Issues of Blood
- Chapter 16: Faith Comes through Hearing
- Chapter 26: A Burning World
- Chapter 27: I Remember Yesterday. The World was So Young
- Chapter 49: The Cancer Chair
- Saturday afternoon: 1 – 4 pm Writing workshop (open to all…no writing experience necessary)
- Sunday morning: Preaching at morning services – 7.45 am, 9 am (also on YouTube Live) and 11.15 am. Forum conversation at 10 am.
All events in Sydnor Hall. Pre-registration is encouraged.
Suggested donation: $10-$25 (depending on how much you attend. Participants in the writing workshop will receive a special journal.)
Lauren’s books will be available for sale – bring cash, check or your Venmo app.
Are you a Substack reader? Check out the new Substack from Collegeville Institute’s Ecclesial Writing Project (which Lauren directs)
Lenten Weekend is the first of three opportunities to explore writing for personal and spiritual renewal. On March 23, The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff will join us to talk about expressing ourselves through writing, poetry, and art. And on May 4, St. Georgian Linda Wickersham will lead a workshop on writing as part of your spiritual journey. Linda will follow up with a six-session writing workshop. These events are free and open to the public.
Leave a Reply