New APRRE President Elect

Jack L. Seymour is Academic Dean and Professor of Religious Education at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.  Ordained as an elder in the United Methodist Church, he is a clergy member of the Northern Illinois Conference.  Jack has served as minister of education and has taught on the faculties of Vanderbilt University Divinity School, Chicago Theological Seminary, and Scarritt Graduate School.  He has also served on the Curriculum Resources Committee of the United Methodist Church.  He has been vice‑president of the Religious Education Association and a member of the executive committee of the Association of Professors and Researchers in Religious Education.  He is also a member of International Academy of Practical Theology, Christian Educators Fellowship, and of the United Methodist Association of Scholars in Christian Education.

His writings include Mapping Christian Education (Abingdon Press, 1997); Educating Christians (with Margaret Ann Crain and Joseph Crockett); Theological Approaches to Christian Education and Contemporary Approaches to Christian Education (edited with Donald Miller); and The Church in the Education of the Public (with Robert O'Gorman and Charles Foster).  He is presently completing with Margaret Ann Crain, A Deacon’s Heart, a qualitative study of the emerging ministries and understandings of those who serve in the new order of deacons in the United Methodist Church.  He and Margaret Ann are continuing their ethnographic and congre-gational research on the theology of the laity.

APRRE and REA -  Meet in Atlanta’s Westin Airport Hotel, Nov. 3-5, 2000

 Seymour Announces Theme for 2000 APRRE Annual Meeting:

Knowing God:  Meeting God in the Peoples of God

“The theme for 2000 offers opportunity to reflect on theological foundations that bring us together across our religious and cultural differences.  I believe that we learn best what it means to be religious educators when we talk to those who live and learn in the congregations to which we are related; those who live the faith, justice, and care of our religious traditions and convictions in their everyday lives; and those who hold onto faith even when their congregations and churches exclude them or engage in facile and broken conversations about faith and life.

“We will hear the voices of those to whom we minister, engage programs of education and justice, explore research methods that engage the realities of people’s lives of faith, and we end with reflection on the experience of revelation.

“I hope that this theme will continue the open conversation of APRRE 1999 on “Educating for Religious Particularism and Pluralism.”  I also hope that the theme will provide an opportunity for those of us who have been concretely involved with projects of education and ministry in congregations to share and explore how we learn and what we learn from the peoples of God with whom we are related.”

MEMBER DIRECTORY 2000 EDITION

An updated APRRE Member Directory will be published this spring, and you are requested to PROMPTLY respond to the Executive Secretary with current information.  You will find a form in this Newsletter with all the current information.  Correct and return promptly.   All paid-up members of APRRE are entitled both to receive and to be included in the new Directory.

APRRE Scholarly and Professional Update for March Newsletter

The March APRRE Newsletter will include news of the scholarly and professional activities of current members.   Let me know what you are up to.

The March APRRE Newsletter will include news of the scholarly and professional activities of current members.   Let me know what you are up to.  What have you published in the last year or are about to publish?  What are you working on (that you want others to know about)?

What professional activities do you wish your colleagues to know about?  Promotions, honors?

Please communicate your news to the Executive Secretary.   If you are on-line, please use e-mail (cfmelchert@desupernet.net) or send by fax (717-295-4740) or mail this form to:  APRRE, 950 Marietta Ave.,  Lancaster, PA  17603 (USA) by Feb. 20, 2000.

Reports on the Toronto Annual Meeting in November 1999

The Annual Meeting on the theme “Educating for Religion Particularism and Pluralism” held in Toronto last October was very enthusiastically received.  Members were especially appreciative of the diverse and interesting panel presentations and also of the vigorous participation by members in research interest groups and colloquia. Many commented how good it was to have full participation in all the sessions once again.

During the Annual Business Meeting Note was taken of the retirements of both Berard Marthaler of Catholic University, Edward Everding of Illiff and Chuck Foster of Emory, and of the death of Father Ian Knox of Toronto.

Thanks were given to Tom Groome for his service as president during the past year, and to Executive Committee members rotating off: Susan Davies, Patrice Rosner, and Robert O’Gorman.

A task force (Susan Davies, Bangor; Russell Moy, CDSP; and Mary Elizabeth Moore, Emory) has been appointed to begin the process of searching for a new Executive Secretary upon the expiration of Melchert’s term in 2001.  By the meeting in the fall of 2000 candidates should be identified. The goal is to elect a person one year ahead of Melchert's departure so there will be an overlap for transition

After a discussion of the future of the journal Religious Education, especially in the light of the “downsizing” at Scholar’s Press, a task force was appointed (consisting of Executive Committee members Tom Walters, Sara Lee, Chuck Melchert - with Jack Seymour and Hanan Alexander as consultants) to work jointly with the REA to explore a reconfiguration of the relationship between REA and APRRE which will enhance and support the unique and historic role of the journal Religious Education in interreligious dialogue and communication.  One of the first tasks of this task force may be to seek additional funding to support a through study.  (That proposal was later warmly welcomed by the Board of the REA.)

Elections for incoming officers were held, and the new Vice-President is Wenh-In Ng of Toronto School of Theology.  The new Executive Committe members are Nelson Strobert of Gettysburg Theological Seminary; Karen Tye of Eden Theological Seminary and Kathleen Talvacchia of Union Theological Seminary of New York

Members also voted to raise membership dues to $65.00 for U.S. members, $55.00 for full members from other countries, and $30.00 for students and retired members.

Some personal observations about the Annual Meeting by Leona English, of St. Xavier University, Antigonish, NS: 

“For me, there were two highlights in this year's conference: one was the panel presentations that Sara Lee organized. Particularity and pluralism came alive as real issues when each of the speakers stood at the podium and brought the lived experience of their religious tradition and their dialogue with the Other to life. Since APRRE tries to be inclusive and open, this challenging topic and the diversity of the panel members are especially important to the organization.

“The second was the discussion about the journal, Religious Education, was another highlight of the conference. I feel strongly about

the need for a journal with a North American audience to which I can submit my work. The fact that APPRE members are concerned about, discussing, and dare I say passionate about the journal (good and bad) is a sign of hope. So, if we're voting I say Keep the Journal and Keep it Refereed. And, thanks to all who keep it going.

“And, of course, the conference was in Toronto, Canada. I hope all of you who live on the other side of the 49^th parallel had a chance to see it. It's a great city. I look forward to seeing you next year in Atlanta.”

New APRRE Website Address:

Be alert to a change in the address of the APRRE website.  Effective immediately, the new address is much simpler:

http://associations.anderson.edu/aprre

APRRE
950 Marietta Ave.
Lancaster PA 17603-3105 USA