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Overview
The 2026 international conference explores how preachers across faith traditions — Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam — observe or commemorate significant dates in civic and religious history. The theme draws on milestones such as the 25th anniversary of September 11, the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, and others.
Proposals are welcomed for single papers, complete panels, workshops, and interactive training sessions. Papers in German are especially welcome given the conference location. Junior and first-time presenters are encouraged to apply.
Proposals should include a title, a 250–350 word abstract, and a biographical overview with contact information. Panel proposals should include the above for each presenter plus a panel title and moderator contact.
Hotel Berlin
- Call Hotel Berlin to make accommodation reservations.
FOURTH ANNUAL CONFERENCE July 2-4, 2026
Theme: “Preaching at the Milestones”
Humboldt University
Catholic Academy of Berlin
Hotel Berlin
12:30 – 12:45
Welcome, Introductions, and Orientation
Mensa HU Süd (South Mensa)
12:45 – 13:30
Lunch
Mensa HU Süd (South Mensa)
13:45 – 15:00
SESSION I
Chair: Melanie Pickard
Preaching to/for Outsiders? Sermons for the Black Enlightenment, Sailors, and Women
“What’s in a Sermon? Black Enlightenment Writing Found Beyond the Pulpit”
Brycen Eaton, Brigham Young University
“Seamen Can Be Converted: Maritime Preaching in the Early United States”
Ryan Tobler, Heidelberg Center for American Studies & Theologische Fakultät, Universität Heidelberg
“Preaching Eve’s Redemption”
Pauline Brown, Brigham Young University
15:10 – 16:00
SESSION II – ROUNDTABLE
The SIPS Series and the Future of Publication in Sermon Studies
Keith A. Francis, Co-Editor of SIPS
Elizabeth Bento, De Gruyter Brill
Paul Kerry, Brigham Young University
William Skiles, Regent University
16:00 – 16:20
Coffee Break
16:30 – 17:30
SESSION III – Plenary
Chair: Keith A. Francis
“Connop Thirlwall, Bishop of St Davids 1840-1874: A Life in Sermons"
Frances Knight, University of Nottingham
17:30
Evening Activity (on your own)
6:30 – 8:00
Breakfast
Hotel Berlin, The Breakfast Restaurant
9:00 – 9:30
Welcome and Introductions
9:45 – 11:00
SESSION IV
Chair: Frances Knight
War!(?), Rhetoric, and the Sermon as ‘Challenge’
“Marshalling the English Language: Winston Churchill’s Sermonic Rhetoric and the Christian Framing of War, May–June 1940”
Cory Clay, Brigham Young University
“Friedrich Forell and the Macedonian Man: A German Preacher in Exile in the United States”
William Skiles, Regent University
“Preaching is not the Problem: An Analysis of Religious Reactions to 9/11 and Growing Islamophobia in the United States”
Max Farnsworth, Brigham Young University
11:00 – 11:20
Coffee Break
11:20 – 12:30
SESSION V
Chair: Keith A. Francis
Sermons, Preaching, and Religious Liberty
“Preaching Toleration: Revolutionary Sermons and the Contested Boundaries of Religious Liberty”
Noah Horlacher, Brigham Young University
“Milestones of Liberty: Pulpit Discourse and the Rise of Religious Freedom in Early America”
Coleman Gagon, Brigham Young University
“Freedom of Religion or Belief and the Protection of Sermonic Practice: Insights from the International Center for Law and Religion Studies”
Paul E. Kerry, Brigham Young University
12:30 – 13:15
Lunch
13:15 – 15:00
Post-Lunch: Explore Berlin
15:15 – 17:30
SESSION VI – PLENARY
Chair: Paul E. Kerry
“Theodore Parker and the Power of Sermons for the Un-Churched”
Benjamin E. Park, Sam Houston State University
18:45 – 21:15
Reception & Dinner
Table Challenge: “So You Think You Know Your Preachers…”
Berlin Fernsehturm, Restaurant Sphere
6:30 – 8:45
Breakfast
Hotel Berlin: The Breakfast Restaurant
8:50 – 10:00
SESSION VII
Sermons as… Religious and Theological Discourse
Chair: Keith A. Francis
“‘Do not imagine it can be a light thing:’ Confession in Keble’s Sermons for the Christian Year”
Ryan Blank, Harrow School, UK
“Preaching Modernity: Sermons, Science, and Semantic Struggle at the World’s Parliament of Religions”
Erik P. Palmer, Brigham Young University
“Marx and Mary: Performing Catholicism in Socialist East Germany”
Kathryn Julian, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum & Georgetown University
10:00 – 10:20
Coffee Break
10:20 – 11:30
SESSION VIII
Rethinking Christian Faith: The Sermon as a Means to Take Christianity Out of Its ‘Box’
Chair: Frances Knight
“The Pharaoh and the Pulpit: The Mummy in Nineteenth-Century Religious Discourse”
Claire Griffiths, Brigham Young University
“Sermonic Modernity: Rudolf Steiner, Spiritual Science, and the Reconfiguration of Christianity”
Raven Skousen, Brigham Young University
“References to Other Faiths in LDS General Conference, 1850–2025”
Libby Reynolds, International Parliamentary Scholar, German Bundestag
11:40 – 12:30
SESSION IX – WORKSHOP
What Is a Sermon? Definitions of Preaching…
Workshop led by Keith A. Francis
12:40 – 13:30
Lunch
13:30 –
Departures…
Afternoon Activity (for those interested)
- Berliner Mauer (Berlin Wall)
- Denkmal für die ermordeten Juden Europas (Holocaust Museum)
Cost
Conference Registration Fee Includes:
- conference registration
- coffee breaks
- conference dinner
- lunch
FAQs
Annapurna Base Camp is a Grade B or a moderately difficult trekking route. So any fit person can do this trek, even if you do not have any previous experience. You should be aware of what to expect and mentally prepare for it. Then, as long as you will too, you can.
On average, you walk about 4 to 6 hours per day. One or two days can be as less as 3hrs and one or two days can be as long as 7hrs.
The highest altitude reached is 4190m. This is the elevation of Annapurna Base Camp. ABC is the highest we will climb in this trek.
Yes, you can charge batteries en route. Charger should be brought. There are hot shower facilities as well. You may have to pay a certain amount for both ($1-$2). Negotiate. Also, a hot water facility could be free at a lower elevation.
No. There are no ATMs on this trek route. You will have to draw enough cash in Pokhara or Kathmandu. There are a number of ATMs in these cities. Everything is paid in Nepali rupees. So money should be exchanged before the start of the trek.
Yes. The Internet can be accessed in most places. Sometimes, there might be some technical problems. The Internet in Nepal is not as fast as you are used to and at times you can just lose connection.
Not really. It depends on you. If you want, ABC trekking can be done independently. You could hire a guide and a porter by yourself instead of going through an agency or not hire a guide at all. Although, not having a guide can be a little problematic during the offseason.
It really depends on you. Is it your first time in Nepal? How confident are you of being able to find your way around? How pressed on time are you? If you go through an agency, it will be costlier but everything will be planned. You will only have to come, trek and return.
For the Annapurna region, pay for guides range from $20 to $30 per day and porters take $15 to $25 per day.
