Many people and organizations want to come together across racial and ethnic lines, but they don’t know how to get started. ASDIC grew from a desire to be such a catalyst. ASDIC helps individuals and organizations do the difficult work to understand and deconstruct the deeply embedded and painful stories of race in our society. Our mission is to bring people together to build community, while also developing the knowledge and skills to effectively address racism, through shared study and dialogue. ASDIC is dedicated to the vision of a racially just society, supporting individuals and organizations as they Learn, Reflect, Transform.

A conversation with Ken Heintzelman (Shadow Rock, Phoenix) about sponsoring a family from Afghanistan. Hear about how connections from the congregation brought the Elham family to our attention, the drama of their journey from Afghanistan and Beijing, and our work with Lutheran Social Services.

Ken will also share a bit about encouraging family autonomy and good boundaries with church volunteer leadership.

with Karen Richter

Information session for Our Whole Lives Adult and Older Adult curricula with the SWC’s OWL trainer Karen Richter. We’ll take a peek at OWL values and program assumptions with an emphasis on the curriculum for older adults (55+).

Workshop will include information for congregations on a conference-wide series coming this fall.

Is there really that much for adults to learn (and un-learn) regarding sexuality? You betcha.

with Rev. Dr. Donna Cavedon and Rev. Rich Doerrer-Peacock

Our focus in this workshop is unearthing an old concept called “Elderhood” and reintroducing that idea into our world today. While aging is a physiological process that happens to everyone with the passage of time, “eldering” is not. Elderhood is a result of intentional practices and spiritual deepening as one chooses to let go of various roles and achievements, and move more deeply into soul healing and life integration.

This is a topic of importance for those who are retired, those on the cusp of retirement, and those who are curious enough to explore more about what it means to be an Elder in our world.

Facilitated by Rev. Tom Martinez

In keeping with our theme of Pilgrimage, this workshop is designed to get folks reflecting on trips you've already taken. This would, of course, include intentional pilgrimages to sacred sites, as well as trips that only through hindsight have proven to be important steps on your spiritual journey.

In this workshop we’ll share our plans and multifaceted purposes for our adventure (July 15-20, 2022 at Bishop’s Ridge Camp and Retreat Center, just south of Santa Fe), details for participants and registration info, and how churches can support this experience at home through meditation, prayer, sacred conversations, and even personal pilgrimages or “pilgrimages in place.”

Wes will be present with us in this workshop to share more about his view and experiences of pilgrimage as an orientation to life. He’s the author of our recommended book for this annual meeting, Without Oars: Casting Off In a Life of Pilgrimage, and is also a resident of Santa Fe NM, one of our Southwest Conference neighborhoods!