This year's Clergy Laity Congress features impactful ministry panels and workshops designed to equip delegates with the tools, resources, and inspiration needed to strengthen parishes and foster thriving communities. Attendees will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful dialogue, gaining valuable insights and practical strategies to enhance their local ministries. The Congress aims to empower participants with a renewed sense of purpose and vision, ensuring the ongoing growth and vitality of their parishes and the broader Orthodox Christian community. Throughout the week, there are a wide number of topics being addressed in both Ministry Panels and Workshops.
Summer Kinard
Summer Kinard
Biography
In vibrant, interactive workshops, Summer Kinard, M.Div., Th.M., mother of five, author, and Christian educator of 30 years, brings together adaptable patterns of learning to nurture all students. Summer is the author of several books, including Of Such is the Kingdom: A Practical Theology of Disability (Ancient Faith 2019) and Accessible Church School: Incarnational Practices for Participating in God (Park End Books, 2023), which gives real life examples and photos of how to apply best practices for welcoming and teaching all students. Summer serves on the Greek Orthodox Center for Family Care’s Fully Human steering committee and the planning committee for the upcoming conference, “Gathered as One Body: Disability, Accessibility, and Inclusion in the Orthodox Church,” to be held in Boston May 1-4, 2025. She and her family attend Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Follow her work at SummerKinard.com.
