The award-winning January Series of Calvin University is coming to Winchester. From Jan. 8 through Jan. 28, 2020, Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury Retirement Community will be one of 60 remote webcast locations worldwide to broadcast one of the nation’s leading lecture and cultural arts series.
For a full list of speakers and topics, visit http://www.calvin.edu/january
A few of the notable names in the 2020 lineup include: Ann Compton, who covered seven presidents; Mitch Albom, an author, columnist, radio host, and philanthropist whose books have sold over 39 million copies and been translated into more than 45 languages; and Jonathan Haidt, a social psychologist at NYU whose last two books were New York Times best-sellers.
The 15 speakers will provide insight on issues like poverty and hunger, the global water crisis, immigration, mass incarceration, religious freedom, and big data’s inequality and threat to democracy.
Kristi Potter, the director of the January Series says the goal of the series is to cultivate deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day so as to inspire cultural renewal and the shaping of better global citizens in God’s world.
“Gaining knowledge is the first step to making a difference,” said Potter. “If we don’t know about these topics, then we don’t know how we can actually make a difference.” Potter says this work starts with listening, even to those with whom we may disagree. She says day two of the January Series will provide a great opportunity for attendees to see what this looks like.
“We have the opportunity to hear from two respected scientists who hold opposing viewpoints on the topic of origins. One is a six-day creationist, the other a theistic evolutionist, and both feel strongly about their views. Both actually feel the other person’s view is harming the church,” said Potter. “And yet, the two have learned to talk to rather than past one another, using respectful dialogue with the understanding that they are both Christians. This moderated conversation will serve as a model for us for how to have difficult conversations—something we aspire to foster through this series and in all of our work at Calvin University.”
While Potter says the series will dig deep into some of the complex issues facing the world today, it will also highlight the great progress being made in some of these areas. She expects it will inspire hope.
The January Series lectures will be video streamed live at Shenandoah Valley WestminsterCanterbury from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. EST Monday through Friday. The lectures are free and open to the public.
In 2020, 60 remote locations will carry the January Series—spanning 22 U.S. states, three Canadian provinces, and one site in Europe.
About the January Series
Started in 1988, the January Series is an annual, award-winning, 15-day lecture series that exists to cultivate deep thought and conversations about important issues of the day in order to inspire cultural renewal and better equip global citizens in God’s world. The series is free and open to the public. Join this year’s conversations and revisit previous talks at www.calvin.edu/january.
About Calvin University
Founded in 1876, Calvin University is a top-ranked, liberal arts institution that equips its 3,600 students from 45 U.S. states, 63 countries, and six Canadian provinces to think deeply, to act justly, and to live wholeheartedly as Christ’s agents of renewal in the world. Calvin is proud to offer 100+ majors and programs, including graduate-level offerings in accounting, education, and speech pathology and audiology. Calvin students engage in intensive internships, community-based service learning, and significant research that results in publishing and presenting alongside world-class faculty. And the university’s 400-acre campus, located in the vibrant city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, serves as a launching pad for students who, in any given year, participate in 40 faculty-led off-campus programs on six different continents. Discover more at www.calvin.edu.
About Shenandoah Valley Westminster-Canterbury (SVWC)
SVWC is a not-for-profit, church-related continuing care retirement community founded in 1987. The campus is situated on 87 beautiful acres in the historic Shenandoah Valley, just an hour from Washington, D.C. Nearly 400 seniors reside at SVWC in a range of housing, from independent-living cottages and apartments to private, assisted-living and skilled nursing residences with memory support and rehabilitation. We are accredited by CARF International, the independent authority that evaluates continuing care retirement communities for fiscal stewardship and quality of services; only 12 percent of CCRCs in America earn this distinction. For more information, contact Kitty Zuckerman, Marketing Communications Specialist at 540-665-5915.
