Re-Discovering Christianity’s Surprise
Date: Public Lecture: Friday, March 13 at 7pm | Workshop: Saturday, March 14 from 10am–2pm (lunch included)
Venue: Lecture: Online & In-Person at the Epiphany Chapel | Workshop: In-Person only at the Epiphany Chapel
Re-Discovering Christianity’s Surprise: Cultivating Social Innovation at the Heart of the Gospel
Public Lecture — Friday, March 13 at 7pm (free)
Workshop — Saturday, March 14 from 10am–2pm ($10 – lunch included)
Join keynote speaker The Rev. Dr. L. Gregory Jones for an engaging exploration of how Christian witness becomes most compelling when it is rooted in social innovation. This free public lecture examines the practices, convictions, and relationships that allowed early Christian communities to surprise the ancient world and carry the Gospel far beyond expected boundaries.
Jones will reflect on what made this witness so vibrant and transformative in its original context, and how those same patterns can help renew Christian life and ministry in the 21st century. Drawing connections between ancient insights and contemporary challenges, he invites listeners to consider how Christian communities today might recover a vision of faithful, creative, and socially engaged witness.
A rich and thought-provoking evening for those curious about how faith can shape communities with resilience and purpose.
The Rev. Dr. L. Gregory Jones is a theologian whose work centers on the nature of forgiveness, the significance of Christian ministry and pastoral leadership, and social innovation and entrepreneurship. He has served as Duke’s chief international strategist to advance and coordinate the university’s global engagement. Between 1997 and 2010, and then between 2018 and 2021, Dr. Jones served as the dean of the Divinity School.
The author or editor of seventeen books, he has also published more than 200 articles and essays. A recent book is Christian Social Innovation: Renewing Wesleyan Witness (Abingdon Press, May 2016). He coauthored the book Forgiving As We’ve Been Forgiven with Celestin Musekura and another book with Kevin R. Armstrong, Resurrecting Excellence: Shaping Faithful Christian Ministry.
Gilbert Peter Kaye, a dedicated philanthropist and former Chancellor of VST, established the G. Peter and Barbara E. Kaye Fund with the Vancouver Foundation. Since 1987 Peter Kaye’s generosity has allowed VST to host the annual G. Peter Kaye Lectures, bringing distinguished scholars to Vancouver whose insights deepen the spiritual life of the school, church, and wider community.
Friday, March 13 at 7pm
Public Lecture: Re-Discovering Christianity’s Surprise: Cultivating Social Innovation at the Heart of the Gospel (In-Person & Online)
Abstract:
Whenever Christian witness has been strongest and the Gospel has spread, a vision of Christian social innovation has been integral. This lecture will explore the practices, convictions, and relationships that made Christian witness so surprising in the ancient world and offer patterns for a revitalized witness in the 21st century.
Saturday, March 14, 10am–2pm
Public Workshop: Crazy People Who Have Hope: Practicing Social Innovation as a Renewal of Institutions and Communities (In-Person only)
Abstract:
The workshop will highlight specific examples—and the underlying practices and relationships—that inspire an imaginative approach to Christian witness through social innovation.