This week is continuing education time for faith geeks like me!

The annual Religion Newswriters Association conference is a time when hundreds of secular publication faith reporters in print, radio, online and TV come together to learn more from main sources and religion scholars researching the trends in faith across the U.S. I've attended RNA for many years and always come away more knowledgeable about my field of faith and values reporting. Last year, when RNA was in Durham, I hosted a panel about how faith reporters can use social media.

I'll be there in Bethesda, Md., this week representing WilmingtonFAVS and soaking up lots of research and stories I can bring back to our area.

But I wanted to highlight some sessions of this conference that will be relevant to North Carolina in the coming weeks and months.

• Religious Freedom and the Presidential Election
• 50 Shades of Evangelicalism - Diversity Among Young American Evangelicals
• Whose first amendment is it?
• A Conversation with Eckhart Tolle by Krista Tippett of On Being
• Mormons in Public Life
• The State of the Bible with the American Bible Society

So stay tuned this week for posts and news from the national religion news from the conference along with our local news here!