Alliance of Baptists Convocation Held In March

The Alliance of Baptists is holding their 2008 Convocation on March 28-30 in New Orleans. Though personally not a member of the Alliance, my very good friend The Rev. Angela Yarber is. And she's been asked to serve as one of the four Artists in Residence at the Convocation.

You can read about Angela and the Convocation below:

February 2008

Convocation 2008
The call is going out…for you to come to New Orleans the last weekend in March to create and experience a gathering of the Alliance of Baptists. As a people, we will join together to appreciate all that the city of New Orleans has to offer as we participate in their work of re-creation.

We will begin the week by offering our talents and gifts with workdays in some of the areas still struggling to rebuild…and we will end our time together on Sunday morning with a celebration of the communion of faith and art at St. Charles Avenue Baptist Church. In the days in-between we will experience the art and hospitality of New Orleans, we will gather in worship, explore creative ways of being the church, affirm our leaders and ministry partners, and celebrate our creative talents and gifts, as we meet together as a people of God.

As we enter our twenty-second year of being the Alliance of Baptists, God is calling us to create in new and exciting ways as we listen to our past, live in our present, and dream of our future. Come to New Orleans and join with friends old and new from around the world, as we listen together for God’s call to create.

Download a brochure and read more about the Convocation.

Artists in Residence
We are pleased to welcome four Artists in Residence who will lead us in worship and workshops during the weekend.

Dance - Angela Yarber

Rev. Angela Yarber is a doctoral student in Art and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, CA, where her research focuses on dance in comparative religions.

A professional dancer, Angela serves as Associate Pastor of Arts and Education at Alliance affiliated Shell Ridge Community Church in Walnut Creek, California, where she coordinates adult and youth education, curates the gallery space, and uses the arts (dance, drama, and visual arts) in worship and education.

Angela has served in local church ministry for over eight years and delights in dismantling stereotypes about Baptists, artists, feminists, dancers, and academics. She also teaches at the Pacific School of Religion and serves as the Program Coordinator for the Women’s Studies in Religion. Through research, ministry, and dance Angela endeavors to empower others to recognize that the human body is sacred and deserves to be treated as such.

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As a concluding remark, if you have something negative to say about Angela, ordained women or Dancing Baptists - let's save those thoughts for another day, time and place.