Conference

Q Commons 2017

October 26, 2017

Dr. Robert Enright is the unquestioned pioneer in the scientific study of forgiveness. He has been called “the forgiveness trailblazer” by Time magazine and is often introduced as “the father of forgiveness research” because of his 32-year academic commitment to researching and implementing forgiveness programs. Dr. Enright is the author or editor of seven books, and over 100 publications centered on social development and the psychology of forgiveness. He also pioneered forgiveness therapy and developed an early intervention to promote forgiveness—the 20-step “Process Model of Forgiving.” The Enright Forgiveness Inventory, now used by researchers around the world, is an objective measure of the degree to which one person forgives another who has hurt him or her deeply and unfairly. Dr. Enright is a professor of Educational Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a position he has held since 1978, and co-founder of the International Forgiveness Institute, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to the dissemination of knowledge about forgiveness and community renewal through forgiveness.

Carmella Glenn is the Program Coordinator for the Just Bakery program, an initiative of Madison Urban Ministry (MUM). She holds degrees in both criminal justice and the culinary arts. MUM’s Just Bakery program is a 12-week educational and vocational training program specifically designed to prepare men and women returning to the community after incarceration to work in commercial bakeries. The program works with individuals who are experiencing significant barriers to employment (homelessness, criminal conviction history, lack of education, and/or a lack of work history or skills) and who have an interest in baking or culinary arts as a career pathway. All proceeds from Just Bakery sales are reinvested in the program and have allowed MUM to hire four of its graduates to work in the program both on the instructional side and the production side of the program.

In a cultural climate in which divisiveness reigns supreme and the most extreme ideas get all the attention, we’re asking a counter-cultural question: What does it look like when we come together? On the evening of Thursday, October 25, thoughtful individuals from across the globe will gather in their cities for Q Commons. At this uniquely local and global two-hour event, we’ll hear curated talks from three local speakers — Marcio Sierra Jr. and Ashley McNery — and world-class thought leaders — Bob Goff, Jo Saxton, and Scott Harrison — who will work to answer this question. Ashley McNary lives in Sun Prairie, Wisconsin with her husband Jon and their three active kids – Beckam, Easton, and Braylin. Jon and Ashley launched Heartland Church in Sun Prairie nearly eleven years ago and Ashley serves as the Executive Pastor of Ministries. Twelve years ago, Ashley started an event called A Night to Remember at her church in Rockford, Illinois and that event has now spread to dozens of churches in a variety of other states.