Church leaders, laity and clergy are invited to attend a five-day workshop designed to build skills in fostering teamwork within the church. "Building Effective Teams in the New Century" will be held at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Ga., Feb. 28 through March 3 and is sponsored by the National Institute for Church Planning and Consultation.

Dr. Kennon L. Callahan, a nationally recognized church leadership consultant and author of "Twelve Keys to an Effective Church and Effective Church Leadership," will lead the seminar. Topics include discovering healthy leaders, organizing and coaching your team, and advancing the team’s mission.

Seminar tuition is $325. For more information on the seminar, contact Dan and Nancy Dunn at 770-645-9906 or DDunn@mtpisgah.org.   For information on lodging at Callaway Gardens, call 1-800-225-5292.

Institute explores preaching in secular culture

How to faithfully address political and social issues and deliver God’s truth in an increasingly secular culture is the focus of the Institute of Preaching 2000, themed "The Pulpit and the Public Square," Feb. 7-9 at the Life Enrichment Center in Leesburg.

The event’s leadership team includes Dr. Emmanuel Cleaver II, senior pastor at St. James United Methodist Church in Kansas City. Cleaver led his church in increasing its membership from 47 to more than 2,000. He was elected the first African-American mayor of Kansas City in 1991 and re-elected in 1995.

Dr. William B. Lawrence, senior minister at Metropolitan Memorial United Methodist Church in Washington, D.C., is also on the team. Lawrence served as pastor and district superintendent in New York and Pennsylvania and as associate director of the J.M. Ormond Center for Research, Planning and Development at Duke Divinity School.

The cost of the event is $83 until Jan. 18 and $93 after that date. For more information, contact Barbara Holden in the conference’s New Church Development and Church Redevelopment office at 1-800-282-8011, extension 146, or BHolden@flumc.org.

Farm day benefits Heifer Project

Farm Day, a fund-raising and educational event for Heifer Project International, will be held Feb. 12 at the Stuart Farm in Crescent, Fla., from 10 a.m. until 2:30 p.m. The event is designed to provide information on how the non-profit organization provides income- and food-producing animals to people in 41 countries, including the United States.

One highlight will be constructing Africa House, a structure built from bricks produced using a native process. The house will be permanent and used to educate visitors about living conditions in Africa.

Also featured is the International Path, with activities on how Heifer Project is working in various countries, and demonstrations on technology for Third World nations, including blacksmithing and a bio-gas digester.

The entrance fee is $1 for adults; children 12 and under are free. Net benefits from the event will go to Heifer Project International. For more information, contact Roger and Carol Stuart at 904-467-9031 or Heifer Project Headquarters at 1-800-422-0474.