Schedule

2021 Daily Schedule

CONFERENCE REGISTRATION OPENS

Thursday, February 11, 2021

3:00-6:00 Welcome! Registration! Exhibits Open!

3:00-6:00 Spiritual Practices (optional activities)
Meet the FRLC
Open 12-Step Drop-in Meeting
Therapeutic Chair Massage (by appointment-fee)

4:00-5:00 Spiritual Practices (optional activities)
  Praying with the Body
Conscious Contact Spiritual Drumming
Narcan Training

5:00-6:00   Spiritual Practices (optional activities)
Deep Awakening Journaling
Gentle Yoga
Narcan Training

CONFERENCE BEGINS!!

6:00-6:45 Welcome/Prayer/Dinner
    Pastor Ed Treat
6:45-7:00 Special Guest
"The Problem"
7:00-8:15 Keynote #1: Timothy McMahan King
"Addiction Nation"
8:15-8:45 Break and Exhibits viewing
8:15-8:45 Book signing - Timothy McMahan King
8:30-9:30 Recovery Worship
    All are welcome.

Friday, February 12, 2021

7:30-8:30 Spiritual Practices (optional activities)
Open 12-Step Meeting
Conscious Contact Spiritual Drumming
Refuge Recovery
Deep Awakening Journaling
7:30-9:30 Registration and Exhibits Reopen
8:30-9:30 Breakfast
Exhibitor Presentations
9:30-10:45 Plenary #1: D. Richard Wright
"A Pastoral Approach to Native American Ministry.”
10:45-11:00 Break and Exhibits
  & Book Signing - D. Richard Wright
11:00-12:30 Breakout Session #1
Beyond Addiction and Trauma: A Healing Journey
Equal but Different:“Secret Addictions” in the Faith Community
Gratitude and Addiction Recovery: Theory, Research, and Practice
Healing Our Codependency Is Our Pathway to Peace
Family Crisis in the Church Part I
Electronics Addiction
   Developing Leaders for Addiction Ministries
  Recovery Worship
ELCA Advocacy, Engaging US Opioid/Drug Policy in Health Care
12:30-1:30 Lunch
Exhibitor Presentations
1:30-2:45 Breakout Session #2
  Beyond Addiction and Trauma: A Healing Journey
Equal but Different:“Secret Addictions” in the Faith Community
Gratitude and Addiction Recovery: Theory, Research, and Practice
Healing Our Codependency Is Our Pathway to Peace
Family Crisis in the Church Part I
Electronics Addiction
   Developing Leaders for Addiction Ministries
Recovery Worship
ELCA Advocacy, Engaging US Opioid/Drug Policy in Health Care
2:45-3:15 Break and Exhibits viewing
3:15-4:30 Breakout Session #3
The Recovery Ready Church
Secret Addictions in the Faith Community
Aligning Recovery Activities with Values
Understanding the Grief Process of Addiction-related Death
Family Crisis in the Church Part II (advanced training)
Electronics Addiction
Developing Leaders for Addiction Ministries
Tools and Best Practices for Addiction Ministry
Trauma Across Generations: Addiction and Race
4:45-5:45 Spiritual Practices  (optional activities)
Spiritual Direction (by appointment-fee)
Gentle Yoga
Closed 12-Step Meeting
Al-Anon Meeting
Conscious Contact Spiritual Drumming
     Deep Awakening Journaling
Refuge Recovery
Narcan Training
Introduction to the 12 Steps
Healing Addiction, a Christian Science Approach
6:00 Exhibits close
6:00-7:00 Prayer/Dinner
6:30-7:00 Guest Story Teller: Rev. Kurt P. Kalland
7:00-8:15 Keynote #2: Rev. Dr. Sonia Waters
"Addiction as Spiritual Entrapment"
8:15-8:30 Break
8:15-8:45 Book Signing Rev. Dr Sonia Waters
8:30 Book store closes
8:30-9:00 Evening Devotional Worship
9:00-10:00 Spiritual Practices (optional activities)
Gentle Yoga
Closed 12-Step Meeting
Conscious Contact Spiritual Drumming
Clergy 12-Step Meeting

Saturday, February 13, 2019

7:00-8:00 Spiritual Practices (optional activities)
Intentional Flow Gentle Yoga
Praying with the Body
Open 12-Step Meeting
Conscious Contact Spiritual Drumming
8:00-9:00 Registration Re-opens
8:00-9:00   Breakfast
Testimonial & Prayer - Sue Allers Hatlie
9:15-10:30 Plenary #2 The Rev. Kal Rissman
"Guilt & Shame"
10:30-11:00 Break
10:30-11:00 Book Signing - Rev. Kal Rissman
11:00-11:45 Closing Worship with Holy Communion
Rev. Karen Treat, Rev. Dr. Ed Treat,
The Rev. Dr. Yolanda Denson-Byers preaching
11:45-11:55 The State of the Addiction and Faith Conference
The Rev. Al Sharp
12:00 Conference ends

Post Conference Gatherings

12:00-1:30 Lunch on your own
1:30-3:00 Conference Debrief
All are welcome.
3:00-5:00 The Center of Addiction & Faith Visioning session

Breakout Session Topics

(Click on Titles for more details)

Equal but Different:
“Secret Addictions” in the Faith Community
Brenda J. Iliff, M.A., L.A.D.C., C.A.C., C.M.A.T.

Addiction is addiction. The pain, hopelessness, despair that people have with alcohol and drugs can also be part of the experience for many with sex, food, money, gambling etc. The “secret addictions” have triple the stigma and shame in our society and particularly in the faith community. As people and their families suffer in silence those who have found freedom are fearful to come forward because of the shame. There is hope in recovery from all addictions.

Electronics Addiction
HELP! Technology is taking control of our communities!
Mathew Meyers, MA, LMFT & Chris Klippen, MA

It has become a new developmental task for all of us in the 21st century to establish a safe, healthy and balanced relationship with technology. Parents often describe feeling as though technology is running and ruining their children and family life. Faith leaders are in a unique position of working closely with families to hear the struggles that families are experiencing with this emerging concern. This presentation will assist faith leaders in feeling more confident in knowing when it could be a problem and understanding how to support a family when they are experiencing challenges related to this issue.

Gratitude and Addiction Recovery:
Theory, Research, and Practice
Amy R. Krentzman, MSW, PhD

Gratitude is a prevalent theme in 12-step programs and positive psychologists have begun studying gratitude empirically. Yet there has been little scientific study of gratitude in addiction recovery, until now. Associate Professor Amy Krentzman, PhD, of the University of Minnesota School of Social Work, will present the results of three of her research studies including implications for personal gratitude practices and for counseling others in their use of gratitude.

Aligning Recovery Activities with Values
Amy R. Krentzman, MSW, PhD

Behavioral activation is a cognitive-behavioral therapy which has been shown to reduce depression. Recently, it has been applied to addictions. One aspect of behavioral activation therapy is the identification of important life areas and the expression of one's values for those areas. From this expression of values, achievable actions are identified which represent feasible steps toward aligning one's life with what one feels most strongly about. In this workshop, we will identify important life areas and with easy-to-follow prompts, delve into our values for these life areas. Then we will articulate actionable steps toward living these values.

Understanding the Grief Process
of Addiction-related Death
Gloria Englund, MA

This presentation will utilize video case studies and various handouts mapping the grief process as well as participant reflection groups. The stigma and shame of Substance Use Disorder (SUD) that often keeps clients from seeking support after addiction-related deaths can be lessened through education and understanding the role SUD plays in the grief process. The intersection of trauma and grief, the client’s need to receive support specific to their loss, self-care practices, and the understanding of Post-traumatic Growth are paramount to supporting this kind of loss.

Healing Our Codependency Is Our Pathway to Peace
Karen Casey, Ph.D.

As long as we are in the grip of codependency, we cannot experience the peace we deserve in our life.

Family Crisis in the Church Part I
Micheal Borowiak, MSW, LICSW & Emilee Rodriguez, MA, LMFT

Traverse Counseling and Consulting will lead faith leaders, including clergy, ministry directors and lay leaders within congregations to realize the magnitude of the substance abuse problems in our community and help them to understand the impact of substance abuse on families and common patterns that emerge; learn how faith communities can constructively support families who struggle with substance abuse and work preventively to mitigate risk in your community; realize the core competencies for Clergy and other faith leaders in addressing alcohol and drug dependence and the impact of families. Substance use impacts not just an individual but all those that are connected to that individual.

Family Crisis in the Church, Part II
(advanced training)
Micheal Borowiak, MSW, LICSW

This session will apply the information presented in Part I. Participants must have participated in Part I (Those who attended Part I at the first Addiction & Faith Conference 2018 could attend part II).

Developing Leaders For Addiction Ministries
Drew Brooks & Rev. Dr. Monteic Sizer

Research has linked religiosity and spirituality to positive prevention, recovery, and behavioral; health outcomes; but little theory and practice focuses on faith communities themselves. This interactive workshop describes the Faith Partners model of congregational readiness and capacity-building that moves faith leadership from rare conversations about behavioral health to active involvement in community prevention and recovery support activities. We will highlight the partnership with NEDHSA (a community-based organization) and Faith Partners (a faith-based organization) through the Faith Partnership Initiative to equip the faith community to address behavioral health issues. Participants will receive tools, strategies, and a spiritual basis to initiate an effective ministry in their congregational communities.

The Recovery Ready Church
Deacon Priscilla D. Wodehouse

This workshop will focus on the specific steps parishes and dioceses can take to become a recovery ready, safe place friends and relatives of the addicted to find help. The 8-10 Steps the Recovery Commission of Western North Carolina identified to begin a thriving recovery program in a church will be presented. The booklet, Close to Home, written by this Commission will be available for reprint with suggestions to adapt statistics necessary for specific local parishes and dioceses.

Recovery Worship
Pastor Tom Scornavacchi, M.Div. & Paul Brunsberg

Paul Brunsberg will discuss separating religion and spirituality in worship, setting the mood, and worship topics appropriate for the recovering community.
The Rev. Tom Scornavacchi a recovery ministry pioneer will share his experience, strength and hope in building dynamic recovery worship communities.

Tools and Best Practices for Addiction Ministry
Pastor Tom Scornavacchi, M.Div. & Paul Brunsberg

Pastor Scornavacchi will talk about how many addicts and alcoholics who manage to stop using substances and behaviors addictively fail to realize “The Promises” because they cannot, or will not, engage in the spiritual practices that lead to peace and freedom. Faith based recovery communities can provide a solution.
Paul Brunsberg with discuss how to educate adults and youth around the disease concept, treatment, and Hope. He will offer appropriate intervention processes for church leaders and how to best identify and use local resources.

Trauma Across Generations: Addiction and Race
Samuel Simmons, Rev. Dr. Brian C. Herron
& Jaime L. Monson, MSW, LICSW

This breakout provides a panel conversation and Q&A as a follow-up to the Samuel Simmons plenary.

Beyond Addiction and Trauma: A Healing Journey
Twyla Wilson, LCSW

Our advanced ability to study the brain has revealed much new information to assist persons in their recovery from addiction. Research and clinical experience indicate a high incidence of trauma in the lives of people with addictions. Trauma may precede active addiction, or occur during active addiction. Science has now shown the impact of both addiction and trauma on the brain. This workshop will shed light on why recovery might be a more difficult path for those who have trauma in their history.

ELCA Advocacy, Engaging US Opioid/Drug Policy in Health Care
John B. Johnson

ELCA Advocacy in Washington DC works to promote the Social Policies of the ELCA to Congress and the Administration by engaging Lutheran advocates around the country for advocacy engagement with policy makers. Advocacy is a vital ministry of the ELCA that works to support or change policy that impacts a wide array of issues at home and abroad including health care, mental illness and hunger. The intersection of addition and the opportunity to advocate for better recovery, mental illness and wellness in healthcare is a way to address the systemic challenges in US healthcare.

2021 Conference Schedule

2021 Daily Schedule

Breakout Session Topics