Registration for SVS 2022 is now open! Register for the conference today at [url]https://svs2022.eventbrite.com[/url]. It will be so good to be together again!
For all other information about SVS 2022, including questions about the program, housing, scholarships, location, etc., visit our Annual Meeting page here.
We are so excited to announce that, after an unanticipated two year hiatus, there will be an SVS meeting in 2022!
Our meeting will take place November 17-18 in Denver, Colorado. As some of you will know, these are the dates just before the annual meetings of the Society of Biblical Literature, the Institute for Biblical Research, and the American Academy of Religion, and just after the annual meeting of the Evangelical Theological Society – all of which are also happening in Denver. We think it is a golden opportunity for us to reconvene as a community! We will begin at 9am on Thursday and conclude at 5pm on Friday.
Given the unusual context of the past couple of years – both with the pandemic and the transitions that Vineyard USA has experienced – we will be experimenting with a different conference form, one that allows us to spend more time in dialogue and community with one another. As such, we will likely not have a typical Call For Papers, but will rather focus more discussion around some plenary talks, curated panels, and pre-circulated texts. We will also, as usual, make lots of time for worship, prayer, and just being together. It has been a long couple of years, and we are so excited to celebrate and reflect together! (Rest assured, there will be an excellent party….)
All details about the meeting will be posted on our website as soon as they are available, including information about location, how to register, recommendations regarding housing, and so on.
For now, please SAVE THE DATE, so you can plan to attend, as well as to let other people know about SVS 2022! Also, please pray for us as we plan. We would really love our meeting to reflect the beauty of the community that we’ve developed over the years together, as well as to allow us to look forward to the future of SVS.
We are so looking forward to being with you in Denver!
Caleb Maskell, for your SVS Steering Committee
The eleventh annual Society of Vineyard Scholars Conference,
“Hearing, Seeing, and Remembering As The People of God,”
has been cancelled in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A Letter From Caleb Maskell, Chairperson, Society of Vineyard Scholars.
It is with deep regret that I write to inform you that SVS 2020, scheduled to be held in Chicago, April 16-18, has been cancelled.
SVS is not alone in this cancellation. Over the past weeks, the leadership of VineyardUSA have been closely monitoring worldwide developments related to COVID-19. With many countries and regions recommending self-quarantine and many institutions strongly recommending travel restrictions and appealing for social distancing measures, VUSA has chosen to be proactive. On the advice of VUSA legal counsel, and in broad consultation with relevant authorities, all VUSA-sponsored events are cancelled through April 30th, 2020.
I’m of course gutted to have to make this announcement. Many have worked very hard to organize SVS 2020, most especially our hosts at Evanston Vineyard and the 2020 Program Committee: Matte Downey, Bethany Joy Kim, Matt Croasmun, Kyla Morgan Young, and Caleb Maskell. Our thanks are due to those folks for their investment, though we will not immediately enjoy the fruits of their labors.
We understand that many people may have already made flight and hotel reservations, perhaps incurring significant expenses. These potential financial losses make the current circumstances all the more regrettable.
Refunds
SVS will refund all conference registration fees. You do not have to specifically request a refund. We will take care of it for you.
Rescheduling
We will not be rescheduling SVS 2020, because there is simply no space in the calendar – in light of VUSA regional conferences this summer and the academic calendar in the autumn. Instead, we will look forward to SVS 2021.
Donations
SVS will experience some financial setback due to loss in conference revenue. If you would like to help to defray that cost, please consider making a donation to SVS. You can do this at [url]http://svs2020.eventbrite.com[/url]. We will leave this site open for a month, for those who might like to contribute.
Obviously this stinks. We all wish it could be different. However, I am grateful for the proactive leadership of the VUSA national office, whose decision I understand as a tangible social expression of love for our neighbors and love for the stranger.
Thank you for your understanding, and see you at SVS 2021!
Many of you have written to us with questions about the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on SVS 2020. This is a very good and important question. We are actively working on a final decision about this matter right now.
Here are some factors we are considering.
In light of the changing facts on the ground, we have not made a final decision on the question of cancellation yet. We will decide no later than 3/20, and communicate immediately about it.
We will certainly comply with any government recommendations or the direction of Vineyard USA on this matter. We will also seek the best wisdom from our peer organizations, as well as legal counsel, as we are making our decision.
Finally, SVS will fully refund conference registration fees if we cancel, as well as the conference registration fees of anyone who chooses not to attend due to COVID-19, if we continue with SVS 2020.
Please pray for us as we sort through this complex matter.
For all further details about the conference, visit our conference page.
The eleventh annual Society of Vineyard Scholars Conference,
“Hearing, Seeing, and Remembering As The People of God,”
will be held April 16-18 at Evanston Vineyard in Chicago, IL, USA.
SVS 2020 begins at 9am on April 16th and ends at 12:30pm on April 18th.
REGISTER TODAY FOR SVS 2020
(svs2020.eventbrite.com)
The guiding theme of SVS 2020 is “Hearing, Seeing, and Remembering As The People of God.” Together we will explore hearing, seeing, and remembering as theological, biblical, spiritual, pastoral, historical, and embodied practices.
We have a thrilling lineup of plenary speakers: Kathryn Edin, Glenn Packiam, and James Mumford.
We are also excited to highlight the fact that this year’s conference includes a Vineyard Justice Network track, which will feature a short off-site immersion at Chicago’s Mitchell Museum of the American Indian as well as some guided discussions to help us develop a Kingdom approach to contemporary ethical issues, over against the false choices presented by the “package-deal ethics” of our partisan political system.
All further details about SVS 2020 can be found on our Annual Conference page.
See you in Chicago!