Because of several factors beyond our control, we only trained eight Vision Enablers at our event held October 1-3, 2001. Despite this low number of those needing to be trained, or perhaps because of it, staff and participants left feeling more comfortable about their tasks than ever before.

Saint Columba Episcopal Retreat Center in the Memphis suburb of Bartlett again provided a subdued environment for the TOUCH THE FUTURE Vision Enabler Training Event. Because of the few number, the leadership was freed up to participate fully in small groups to get a better sense of what was happening in the TOUCH THE FUTURE task forces in congregations. It also gave participants more freedom to ask questions about the process.

Participants represented five presbyteries from across the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Since the focus of the program was shifted slightly to begin preparing congregations to engage in a discernment process, the training focused more on training persons as human resources for congregations within their presbyteries.

In order to prepare themselves for working with discernment task forces, each Vision Enabler participated in a small group to role-play scenarios throughout the event. This fostered a special bond for many of the Vision Enablers while equipping them with valuable skills.

The leadership for the event included Davis Gray and Roger Ricketts with discernment how-tos, Fran Vickers and Frank Ward with group process, Margaret McKee with prayer and meditation, Lisa Anderson and Nancy McSpadden with worship, and Elinor Swindle Brown with the brass tacks of the TOUCH THE FUTURE process.

Page updated on April 19, 2005