The Healing Power of Forgiveness
2007 Fall Online Conference

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Many events during these early years of the 21st century have magnified the need for individuals and communities to understand the healing power of forgiveness.  Whether in the shadows of 9/11/01 in the United States, in the villages of Darfur, in an Amish school yard in Pennsylvania, on the campus of Virginia Tech, in the streets of an impoverished community, or in a bedroom; we become increasingly aware of our need to understand how forgiveness can improve the human condition.

How do we choose to forgive? How do we forgive? What are the effects of holding a grudge or seeking revenge? Can we find a way to balance our need for security with the potential to grant forgiveness? To balance our needs for justice with the redemptive healing potential of forgiveness? Plan now to join us for the Oates Institute's fall online conference November 5-16, when we will explore the Healing Power of Forgiveness through presentations and dialogue.

Presenters will include:

• Marina Cantacuzino, Director of The Forgiveness Project, and producer of the short film, The Hardest Word, works at a local, national and international level to help build a future free of conflict and violence by healing the wounds of the past.  By collecting and sharing people’s stories, and delivering outreach programs, The Forgiveness Project encourages and empowers people to explore the nature of forgiveness and alternatives to revenge.
• Victoria Wilson Darrah, an African woman exiled during Idi Amin’s regime in Uganda. She fell in love and married an American, only to find out 12 years later that she was married to a man who was gay.  From the devastation, her journey became one of seeking to understand, which led to her experience of compassion and forgiveness. 
• Martin Doblmeier, President and Founder of Journey Films, who has recently produced the documentary film, The Power of Forgiveness, featuring stories on the Amish, the 9/11 tragedy, and peace-building in Northern Ireland.  This film explores the role forgiveness holds in various faith traditions and examines how the scientific community is now measuring the physical and mental benefits of letting go of grief and resentment.
• Kathy Manis Findley, The Executive Director of Safe Places: the Center for Healing and Hope in Little Rock, Arkansas and author of The Survivor’s Voice: Healing the Invisible Wounds of Violence and Abuse.  She will explore the difficult process of forgiveness for individuals who have been victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, childhood abuse, incest, and other interpersonal victimization, discussing the questions: “How does one forgive the deeply personal betrayal of chronic, protracted, and repeated abuse that has occurred over many years? What does this kind of forgiveness look like?  Is forgiveness even possible outside of relationship?”
• Janet Forbes, Senior Pastor of St. Luke’s United Methodist Church will address congregational healing following clergy misconduct. 
• Mary Fraser, a Pastoral Counselor working with the Native American idea of "return of self" and forgiveness.
• Leslie Hollon, Senior Pastor of St. Matthews Baptist Church who also serves as a global strategist for Reconciliation Networks of Our World and founding co-chair for Greater Louisville Christian Reconciliation Ministries.
• Joyce Sweeney Martin, a veteran author, journalist, writing coach, and newspaper editor who recently co-edited and contributed to the Review & Expositortheological journal's summer 2007 issue devoted to reconciliation ministries around the world.
• David McNeely, a retired psychiatrist surviving the loss of his teenage daughter when she was killed in an automobile accident as a result of a driver running a red light.
• Richard W. Rouse, Senior Pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Phoenix, Arizona and author of Fire of Grace: The Healing Power of Forgiveness.  In 1992 he was Senior Pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in Lynnwood, WA when it was destroyed in an arson spree.
• William Tolbert III, Director of the West Africa office of the World Conference of Religions for Peace, an  international coalition creating multi-religious partnerships in order to confront issues such as war, poverty, and protection of the earth. 
• Denny Ugoletti, A prison chaplain in Pennsylvania, ministering and learning through his encounters with the incarcerated, from death row and state institutions to the county jail.
• Sue Wintz, a hospital chaplain in Phoenix, Arizona, and a mother surviving the loss of her teenage daughter who was killed in an automobile accident in 2003.

Register for the conference:

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