Hannah and Jay attend Forma Conference

Hannah Hutchens, our Director of Youth Ministries, and Jay LaNunziata, our Director of Christian Formation, went to the Forma conference in Alexandria, Virginia last week. Forma is an annual conference for Christian formation professionals. Hannah and Jay are pictured below with various colleagues and friends.

Hannah offered this reflection on her time at the conference:

Forma is a conference with the goal to unite, encourage, and inspire formation leaders in the Episcopal Church. Jay and I had the privilege to attend this conference in person this year. Personally it invigorates me and helps me stay excited about the future and all the things that can be brought to St. Paul’s. It is easy to get caught up in the same old same old of church life. Forma brings people from all over to share ideas. The workshops I attended helped me to learn about their ministry and what I can bring back home. It was also really great to make new connections to colleagues from all around. This year's theme was Called to Covenant, this was such a great underlying pulse for the conference. Everything came back to what brings you joy in your ministry. When asked what brings me joy I have to confess I didn’t say the emails or even the zoom meetings. What brings me joy is creating a safe space for youth to come together and go through life together. I cannot wait to bring this renewed energy and ideas back to St. Paul’s.

He has told you, human one, what is good and what the Lord requires from you: to do justice, embrace faithful love, and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8, CEB)

Jay shared this about their time at Forma:

This was my third Forma conference, and I am always eager to get there and see all my colleagues that are scattered throughout the Church. It’s so wonderful to connect with people that are doing similar work, to be exposed to new ideas and new resources, and to see what you can bring back home to your own context. I learned a lot from the workshops I took part in this year, including “Here I Am: Partnering with Community Organizations for Youth Ministry,” “Think Like an Artist: Creative Approaches to Formation,” and “Using Picture Books for Racial Reconciliation.” Every opportunity was facilitated by experts in the field, and I learned so much and am eager to bring this knowledge back to St. Paul’s and put it into practice. I heard from the leaders who are making some of the most important decisions in the national church, including a wonderful sermon from Julia Ayala Harris, the President of the House of Deputies. Hannah and I were conspiring together during the entire conference, and we’re eager to take the new ideas we interacted with and share them with all of you.