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January 2026 | A project of the Center for Rural Strategies
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Join Ben Fink from the Center for Rural Strategies Thursday Jan. 22 for a Story Circle training! Together on Zoom, we'll learn how this technique can build trust and connection in your congregation or community — and start to explore what prompt you use might to host your own.
Story Circle Facilitation Training for Rural Faith Initiative
Thursday, Jan 22, 12:30-2:30pm Eastern
Register
This interactive, hands-on training will break down the steps of organizing a story circle, address questions and challenges, and teach how to design effective prompts. Participants will then apply this knowledge to plan story circles in their own communities, workplaces, and congregations.
Story circles are a tool developed by rural grassroots theater makers and organizers that help people from diverse backgrounds communicate hopes, fears, longings, and wonderings; build trust and connection between sharers and listeners; and discover the stories we all share and the future we want to create together.
You can read more from Ben Fink about Story Circles in his column, What We Share.
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Stories of Faith in Action
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Each edition, we feature stories that show faith in action or inform about issues such as mental health, economics, and social issues, that impact our rural communities and congregations.
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The Data Center Rush in Central Appalachia
The Daily Yonder shares what's happening in Appalachian communities as technology companies eye coal country for future data centers. The demand for AI soars. Rural communities are pushing back.
Read the story.
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As technology companies look to build data centers across the United States, some faith leaders are part of the conversation about the future of data centers in their communities. Are data centers a topic of discussion in your community? We would love to hear from you. Reply to this email and catch us up or send us a note at tracy@ruralstrategies.org.
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The Rural Assembly, a program of the Center for Rural Strategies, is seeking candidates for a Program & Communication Coordinator. This remote, full-time position will support key activities across the team. Find the job description and application on the Rural Assembly website.
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This project is supported by a grant from the Lilly Endowment Inc., made through its Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative, a national effort to help churches in rural areas and small towns enhance the vitality of their ministries and strengthen the leadership of the pastors and lay leaders who guide them. The Center for Rural Strategies is one of 20 organizations from across the United States receiving grants through the initiative, including colleges and universities, denominational agencies, church networks, and parachurch organizations, among others.
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