Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary

Bishop Beverly J. Shamana will lead one workshop on two summer evenings -- June 23-24 -- designed to help students, pastors and laity restore their connection to the arts, music, scripture and worship in new and creative ways.

"Gourds Alive" will be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday at Garrett-Evangelical. The high-energy, user-friendly workshops lead participants on a soul journey with gourds. Come ready to be inspired with tools to enhance your personal creativity and bring new directions to your leadership.

The workshop fee is $25. Garrett-Evangelical students attend for free. Pastors completing the workshop may receive a 0.5 CEU for an addition $13.

Bishop Shamana has written a book on creativity, "Seeing In The Dark: A Vision of Creativity and Spirituality." The book is centered on restoring the connection between creativity and the church. Published by Abingdon Press, the book will be available for purchase.

A native of Los Angeles, Shamana taught music in public schools and directed church choirs for 10 years after graduating from Occidental College. She received a Master of Divinity from Garrett-Evangelical in 1980 and was ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church in 1984. She served as senior pastor to churches in the Los Angeles area until her election to the episcopacy by the Western Jurisdiction in July 2000. Among the first African-American women elected to be a United Methodist bishop, she served as bishop of the San Francisco Area, California-Nevada Conference for eight years.

For more information or to register, contact Andrea Leftwich: 847-866-3908 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .