“Jesus said to them, ‘Come Away with Me.’ Let us go alone to a quiet place and rest for a while.”
─ Mark 6:31
We as people and spiritual leaders have been in the unique, precarious, and unpredictable time often described as “building a new plane while we are flying it. ” In this liminal space ─ between what was and what is unfolding ─ researchers, and your human and real stories alike, are expressing, “We are tired,” “We are exhausted,” We are anxious.”
Our response?
You are invited to “come away” with Christ and rest. Come be in nature, with a community of fellow-searchers, and engage in spiritual practices that renew our minds and hearts.
Who: All active ministers and church leaders of Grace Presbytery (teaching elders, commissioned pastors, chaplains, Christian educators)
Format: Two cohort options, each consisting of two sessions. Please make every effort to attend both sessions of the cohort you choose.
Cohort One (W/F options)
Wednesday, April 20 at 5:00 p.m. – Friday, April 22 at 1:00 p.m.
Wednesday, August 24 at 5:00 p.m. – Friday, August 26 at 1:00 p.m.
Deadline to register: March 31, 2022
Cohort Two (M/W options)
Monday, May 2 at 5:00 p.m. – Wednesday, May 4 at 1:00 p.m.
Monday, August 22 at 5:00 p.m. – Wednesday, August 24 at 1:00 p.m.
Deadline to register: April 15, 2022
Cost: $90 per person/per session = $180 per cohort*
*includes lodging and meals; generously underwritten by Austin Seminary & GP Committee on Ministry
Location: Camp Gilmont
Registration: Now open online
Why two sessions per cohort? Learning a new way of living and developing rhythm takes time and practice. It can feel awkward, or at least different, and it is most often messy. Some practices and shifts just don’t fit after we have tried them. We need time and a safe place to find what is right for us.
Objective: Church leaders will leave feeling lighter in body, heart, mind, and spirit. They will make new connections and reinforce existing relationships with God and colleagues that will sustain them for the journey ahead.
We will create space for church leaders to relax, have fun, connect with nature, God, and one another. In the first session of the retreat, participants will be given opportunities to “let go” of burdens they are carrying. In the second session, they will be offered ways to “rise up” and live today in a new way, reconnecting with their spark for ministry.
Leadership:
Rev. Erica Knisely, Director of Educational Design, Education Beyond the Walls, Austin Seminary
Rev. Dr. Steve Shive, Interim General Presbyter, Grace Presbytery
Rev. Dr. Clay Brantley, Board President, Retreat House Spirituality Center & Parish Associate, Trinity Presbyterian Church, McKinney
Others: Austin Seminary Faculty & Retreat House Staff
Sponsored by: Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary and Grace Presbytery
Questions? Please email Tammy Stepka in the presbytery office.
“Come get away with God and rest; learn the unforced rhythms of grace and to live more freely and lightly.” ─ Matthew 11:28
