Transforming Isolation into Belonging: Building Communities and Radical Care Through Peer Groups
Ahead of the 2025 General Assembly, the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) is hosting a dynamic Virtual Learning Experience on June 11 and 14 where attendees can choose from 10 engaging virtual workshops tailored to inspire, equip, and elevate. The event will take place in two parts: Wednesday, June 11 from 7:30- 9:00pm ET/6:30-8:00pm CT and Saturday, June 14 from 9:30- 11:30am ET/8:30-10:30 am CT. Each session will begin with a time of devotion followed by the opportunity to attend one of the workshops offered at that time. The workshops will be an hour and 15 minutes.
This includes the workshop “Transforming Isolation into Belonging: Building Communities and Radical Care through Peer Groups”, featuring NBA’s Director of Community Engagement, Rev. Héctor J. Hernández Marcial. The webinar will take place on Wednesday, June 11th at 7:30pm ET/6:30pm CT.
During the webinar we will share the NBA peer group model, which effectively connects and supports Clergy, Chaplains, Health and Social Services leaders and practitioners. This model helps them improve their skills and find support among colleagues. We will also discuss the potential for adapting and customizing the model for use in other settings. Participants will get hands-on experience with key aspects of our model and will receive a toolkit that can be used in their ministries and communities.
Rev. Héctor J. Hernández Marcial serves as Director of Community Engagement for NBA. In this role, Héctor’s primary responsibility is to identify, establish, and deepen collaborative relationships that strengthen all NBA programs’ work and capacity. He also works with other NBA staff to design, implement and evaluate programs with specific attention given to leadership development and advocacy/activism/organizing initiatives. In addition to that, Hector also collaborates with all of NBA’s program areas to ensure diverse voices are included and heard equitably, and supervises NBA’s Peer Learning and Wellness Groups.