Kelso Lecture and MUI Conference 2025
Kelso Lecture and MUI Conference 2025
March 13 - In-person and Online - Lecture - When the Spirit Moves: A Pneumatological Meditation on Trauma and Violence
March 14 - In-person only - MUI Conference - Transforming Traumas: Fostering Hope and Resilience in our Neighborhoods
In collaboration with and co-sponsored by the Office of Continuing Education and the Metro-Urban Institute
Join us for a transformative gathering aimed at addressing the profound impacts of trauma and violence in our communities and fostering pathways to hope and resilience. This conference will bring together community leaders, mental health professionals, pastoral care leaders, grassroots activists, and local and national scholars who are passionate about creating positive change in neighborhoods. Our conversation kicks Thursday with the Kelso Lecture delivered by Dr. Keri Day and follows on Friday with workshops, panel discussions, and interactive networking sessions. Participants will leave with practical tools and actionable strategies that build on innovative approaches to trauma-informed care and healing centered engagement.
What You Will Learn
Participants will engage in workshops, panel discussions, and interactive sessions covering:
- Innovative approaches to trauma-informed care and healing centered engagement.
- Strategies for building resilience in individuals and communities.
- Faith-based resources to address and counter various manifestations of violence.
- The role of spirituality and cultural practices in hope-filled healing.
- Collaborative models for community support and empowerment.
Expectations
Attendees can expect a rich and supportive environment where they will:
- Learn from local and national scholars and grassroots leaders in areas of trauma-informed care and healing.
- Network and partner with like-minded individuals committed to transforming and healing communities.
- Gain practical tools and resources to implement in their own neighborhoods.
- Participate in meaningful discussions that challenge and inspire.
- Leave with renewed hope and a shared vision for resilience and a deeper understanding of commitments to neighbors.
Continuing Education Units – 0.1. credit for lecture; 0.3 credits for conference, available upon request. Registration for the conference will close on March 10th.
About Keri Day
Dr. Keri Day is professor of constructive theology and African American religion at Princeton Theological Seminary. She earned a B.S. in political science and economics from Tennessee State University, an M.A. in teligion and ethics from Yale University Divinity School, and her Ph.D. in religion from Vanderbilt University. Her teaching and research interests are in womanist/feminist theologies, social critical theory, cultural studies, economics, and Afro-Pentecostalism. She has authored four academic books, Unfinished Business: Black Women, The Black Church, and the Struggle to Thrive in America (2012); Religious Resistance to Neoliberalism: Womanist and Black Feminist Perspectives (2015); Notes of a Native Daughter: Testifying in Theological Education (2021); and her most recent book, Azusa Reimagined: A Radical Vision of Religious and Democratic Belonging (2022). She has also been recognized by NBC News as one of six black women at the center of gravity in theological education in America. She is a fourth generation preacher in the Church of God in Christ (COGIC).
Alongside her scholarship, she also engages public policy leaders. She has participated in White House briefings in Washington, D.C. to discuss issues related to economic policy, religious freedom, faith-based initiatives, human rights efforts, and peace building efforts around the world. She has been a guest political commentator on KERA/NPR, DFW/FOX News, and Huffpost Live on issues related to faith and politics. She has written for the New York Daily News, The Christian Century, The Feminist Wire, and the Huffington Post.
About The Kelso Lecture
The Kelso Lecture is funded by an endowment begun in 1957 as a memorial for Dr. James A. Kelso, world renowned biblical archaeologist and former president of Western Theological Seminary, a precedent institution of Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Starting with the 1982-1983 academic year, the Kelso Lecture has focused on the legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. In recent years the lecture has been part of Community Conversations on Race and Faith.
Schedule
Thursday, March 13, 2024 - Online/In Person
6:30 p.m. Worship Service
7:00 p.m. Kelso Lecture
Reception
Friday, March 14, 2024 - In Person Only
8:00 a.m. Doors Open/Continental Breakfast
8:30 a.m. Panel/Introduction of Presenters
9:00-10:15 a.m. Workshop Sessions
10:15-10:30 a.m. Break
10:30-11:45 a.m. Workshop Sessions
12:00-12:30 p.m. Closing Worship
12:30-2:00 p.m. Lunch and H.O.P.E. Alliance Resource Fair
Registration
The Kelso Lecture is free and open to the public. There may be costs associated with additional programming related to the lecture. Registration for the conference will close on March 10th.
Click here to register for the Kelso Lecture Only
Click here to register for the Kelso Lecture and MUI Conference
Questions
Please contact ptsncevents@pts.edu or call 412-924-1345.