Spiritual Emphasis Week: Healthy Relationships
What is Spiritual Emphasis Week?
We share parents’ concern for students’ health and well-being. And also appreciate that sometimes, students and families need space, support and resources to explore important conversations, particularly ones that relate to students’ spirituality and making healthy choices. This is what inspires Rockway’s annual Spiritual Emphasis Week. This year, the conversation focuses on ‘power, sex and spirituality’.
Healthy Relationships: Let’s Talk about Power, Sex and Spirituality
Building healthy relationships in community involves careful choices about how we express our sexuality and spirituality. It means paying close attention to our bodies and to our own power. At three all-school chapels with students, faculty and staff, Dr. Carol Penner will use a story from the Bible about Joseph to help us think about power and consent. We’ll explore intimacy and abuse as we look at stories from our lives and our culture. We’ll talk about learning to make good choices about sex and how bad choices impact our lives, and how our core spiritual values can help us survive and thrive.
Chapel titles include:
• Tuesday – Joseph: Power and Abuse
• Wednesday — Healthy Relationships: Sex and Power
• Thursday — Living Out Our Values in Community
Dr. Penner teaches practical theology at Conrad Grebel University College. She has a Ph.D. in Systemic Theology, and her area of expertise involves helping churches talk about the reality of violence and abuse. She has been a pastor and a freelance writer. Dr. Penner’s blog of worship resources can be found at leadinginworship.com.
Theatre of the Beat and the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region will also present workshops throughout the week.
You are Invited!
We invite parents and community members to join the conversation for a special Evening Presentation, Wednesday, September, 25, 2019, 7:00 pm.
The evening will include a summary of Dr. Penner’s addresses, and a panel of people who will talk about these themes from the experiences of their various roles/perspectives. This free event is made possible with support from Mennonite Church Eastern Canada (MCEC). There is no need to register. All are welcome. Simply join us and participate in an evening of learning and sharing, as we support students in building healthy relationships.
