Faith Family Festival September 26 & 27, 2008

Friday evening, September 26^th, Reverend Dr. Dick Hardel, former Executive Director of the Youth and Family Institute, Bloomington, Minnesota, a Ringling Bros & Barnum & Bailey trained clown and a Lutheran minister will present “The Healing Power of Laughter & Play,” an interactive presentation at Ascension Lutheran Church, 1601 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. The presentation starts at 7:00 p.m.

SATURDAY

Clown Ministry Workshop

A Christ Clown Ministry Workshop will be held at Ascension Lutheran Church from 9 to 12. The workshop, tailored for high school youth to adults of any age, will be led by the Christ Clowns from the Life in Christ Circus. The church is located at 1601 E. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. Call 805-495-0406 to make reservations. There is no charge for the workshop.

Elderhostel

A “Senior Synergy” Brunch and Workshop will be held at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church from 10AM– Noon. The workshop, led by Reverend Dr. Dick Hardel, will focus on leaving a legacy of faith and mentoring with laughter and joy. The church is located at One West Avenida De Los Arboles, Thousand Oaks. Call 805-492-1234 for reservations. Cost is $5.

Lawn Fair at CLU:

A Free Lawn Fair at California Lutheran University follows the workshops from 1-3:30PM. The Fair will be at CLU campus’s Kingsmen Park. All Sunday School kids will have the opportunity to color clown pictures to display at the Fair, so bring the children to the Fair. There will be live bands, street clown performances, drama and improv groups, and many games and activities for kids, including a Jolly Jumper. There will also be many different exhibits from various churches within our Channel Islands Conference (Mount Cross will display its Prayer Shawl Ministry and Project Peace). Refreshments will be available. Enter campus from Campus Drive and follow the signs to Kingsmen Park on CLU campus. Free parking is available.

Praise & Worship Service

The Festival will conclude with a procession from Kingsmen Park to the University’s Samuelson Chapel for an informal family praise & worship service at 4:00 p.m. The service will be led by Dr. Hardel and Bishop Dean Nelson, with children’s choirs, music, and divine interruptions by clowns!

Questions? Please call (805) 496-7097, or e-mail: mfiene@aol.com

Dick Hardel adds radical thinking to the basics of faithful ministry of passing on the faith in Jesus Christ. He believes that innovation is part of everyday living in the promises of God. Through the cross of Jesus Christ God has provided each of us with a new way of seeing the world. It is radical because the cross of Jesus Christ makes us new and different every day. We are called to live well in Christ and proclaim the Gospel.

For 20 straight years Dick attended Lutheran schools from first grade through the Seminary. As a parish pastor for more than 20 years Dick served congregations in South Dakota and Florida. For 3 1/3 years he served as Assistant to the Bishop of the Nebraska Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. For almost 9 years Dick served as the Executive Director of the Youth & Family Institute at Augsburg College in Minneapolis, MN. Dick presently is the Executive Director at The Youth & Family Institute in Bloomington, Minnesota.

Trained by older Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus clowns, Dick has been active in clown ministry since 1973. He is the founder and proprietor of the Life In Christ Circus with units in Orlando, FL; Omaha, NE; and Eagan, MN. As Dr. H he is the founder and president of Christ Clown College. Clown ministry has taken Dick all over North America. Dick has led several clown ministry pilgrimages to Eastern Europe. Dick believes that Christ Clowns frame life for other people to see the grace of God in the ordinary of life. The healing power of the Gospel is seen in laughter and play.