Ember Gathering

We are thrilled to partner with Ember Gathering this year as sponsors and speakers!
Ember Gathering is a three-day gathering where seekers, dreamers, and builders come together for connection, worship, and joy. Across the weekend, you’ll experience inspiring talks and fireside chats, Oakland-based excursions, dynamic storytelling, and sacred hangouts designed to spark conversation and community.

During the event, Dr. Paul Hoard, associate professor of counseling psychology at The Seattle School, and his sister, Billie Hoard, will be sharing insights from their new book, Eucontamination: Disgust Theology and the Christian Life. At their 45-minute interactive workshop, Paul and Billie Hoard will explore how overreliance on purity and disgust frameworks constrains Christian witness and how moving beyond them opens space for liberation and joy. Through embodied practice, shared reflection, and accessible teaching from Eucontamination, participants will reimagine holiness as relational courage, transformative contact, and liberation oriented toward delight rather than fear.

We also have an admissions table, and we hope you stop by to say hello! If you’d like to meet up with us while we are in Oakland, email Graduate School Enrollment Manager Krista Law at klaw@theseattleschool.edu to set up a time!

Learn more about the conference and register here.