Discernment Day 2012 

What's Discernment?

The Commission on Ministry will sponsor a Discernment Day for the Diocese on Saturday, March 10, 2012. It will be held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church (behind the Cathedral) from 9:00am to 3:00pm.

Discernment has been defined as "the ability to judge well." In church circles, it means the ability to distinguish what guidance, inclinations, and impulses are coming from God and which are not. Even more specifically, it means listening to the guidance of God's Holy Spirit for what kind of ministry a person is best suited for. This can be lay or ordained ministry, and it might be in the church, in society, or in the family. Basically, discernment addresses these questions: Who has God made you to be, and how can you best fulfill that, in this time and place in which you are living?

Such questions are often best addressed in a group of listening and prayerful people.

What's Discernment Day?

Discernment Day is a workshop designed for church groups ("congregational discernment committees") who help an individual or one another with answering questions of discernment. Meeting with a discernment committee is the first step in the ordination process, but discernment committees can be helpful for many people — not just those called to ordination.

On the program will be the following topics:

• What is ministry?
• Hearing how different people have discerned how and where God calls them to be and to serve
• The similarities and differences between the ministries of laypeople, deacons, priests, and bishops
• Different methods for doing discernment, and practice in one or two of these methods

Various handouts and other materials will be provided.

This event is a repeat, with a slightly different program, of a Discernment Day held in January 2008.

There is a budget for a certain amount of airfare for those on Neighbor Islands, so register early! Instructions are on the registration form for how to arrange travel.

The fee for the event is $15.00, which includes lunch.

To register, please click on the link below.

Basic Schedule

8:30 a.m.: Arrival and registration at St. Peter's

9:00 a.m.:  Program begins

Lunch

3:00 p.m.:  Program ends