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SAVE THE DATE: September 15

MDG Training Event will be a major event for the Diocese and the Church
The Diocese of Minnesota's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Task Force has planned a major training event to offer motivation and training to help end extreme global poverty. It will take place Saturday, September 15 at St. Christopher's Church, Roseville.

"The goal of the Summit is to gather people from around the diocese who feel a call to do something about global poverty," said the Rev. Devon Anderson, chair of the Task Force. "Whether you are just starting to think about it or have been engaged in mission work for decades, this training summit is for you. The summit will be motivational and inspirational with passionate and articulate presentations about the MDG movement." It will offer basic training in getting a mission project started in a congregation or region and deepening projects already underway.

House of Deputies President to Keynote
Two national church leaders will present keynote addresses to the summit participants.

Bonnie Anderson, president of the House of Deputies of the Episcopal Church, will speak on "The Authority of the Baptized: Living Out Your Baptismal Call through the MDGs." Bonnie has been one of the church's leading spokespersons for carrying out the resolution of the 2006 General Convention which make supporting and embracing the MDGs the chruch's top mission priority for the current triennium. Summit participants will also hear from the Rev. Mike Kinman, executive director or Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, who has traveled the country and the world inviting people to participate in the MDG movement.

Workshops for Children, Youth, and Adults
The Summit will offer three different tracks. MerLyne Buyre will offer a full day of learning and interactive activities around the MDGs for children. She will help children see what they can do to help lead the MDG movement.

The youth will feature Bonnie Anderson, Mike Kinman, and Lisa Kimball. The workshops will both introduce youth to the MDGs and help them "claim their leadership" in ending global poverty. Following lunch, the youth will head "off-site" for a service project arranged by Wendy Johnson.

One adult track will include presentations on organizing a mission project. Michelle Dibblee will present two workshops on relationships and leadership that are vital to carrying out any mission project. Another workshop in this track will feature representatives of three congregations who are involved in mission work in Haiti.

Another adult track will offer a deeper understanding of the MDGs. "Mission: Our History, Our Future," led by Dr. Michael McNally, will put our current efforts and interests in mission in an engaging historical context. Alex Baumgarten, representing the "Episcopal One" campaign, will lead a workshop on advocacy to governmental bodies. A representative of Episcopal Relief and Development will present the third workshop.

"Communicating the MDGs" will be the focus of a final track for adults and will feature one session by the Rev. Barb Mraz about "preaching the MDGs" and another, led by the Rev. LeeAnne Watkins, about creating liturgies that can help people "understand God's call to heal the world."

The afternoon plenary session will include a conversation among representatives of Episcopal Relief and Development, Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation, and the Episcopal Church's Office of Governmanetal Relations. Each agency will explain their essencial part in the MDG effort.

Interest Around the Church
Anderson reported that she has received inquiries from several bishops and diocesan leaders around the church. She believes that Minnesota's MDG training summit is the first of its kind in the Episcopal Church.

Online registration for the workshop will begin August 1st at www.episcopalmn.org. The registration fee will be approximately $30 per person, which will include breakfast and lunch.

Costs of the summit have been underwritten in part by generous grants from the St. Martin's by-the-Lake Foundation, the Episcopal Peace Fellowship, and the Diocese of Minnesota Clergy Continuing Education Committee.

Click here for more information on the Millennium Development Goals.