For years, the Deacons of the Rio Texas Annual Conference have held time apart for rest and retreat together. Local pastors...get ready for your own retreat! (If you are interested is helping to organize a retreat for LLPs, please reach out to Rev. Robert Waddle directly.)
And now it is time for the Elders of Rio Texas to spend some time together in retreat. We call all members of the order of elders (active, retired, and provisional), to a gather for a time away from our congregations and other obligations.
Date: January 21 – 23, 2024
Time: 6 pm (1/21) – 12 pm (1/23)
Location: Light on the Hill at Mount Wesley (Kerrville, TX)
Price:
Double occupancy room, meals, and all gatherings: $160
Single occupancy room, meals, and all gatherings: $260
Meals and all gatherings: $60
To register go to https://bit.ly/3saVJB1. Registration will close on January 14th.
To help defray the costs of this event, you can seek reimbursement for up to $150 through the Clergy Wellness Program
Our speaker is the Rev. Dr. Elaine Heath.
We are at the forefront of a new reformation, one that is freeing the Christian faith from the sinful structures of patriarchy, racism, classism, many phobias, and exploitive forms of mission and evangelism. The new reformation is all about the emergence of a generous, hospitable, equitable form of Christianity that heals the wounds of the world. Dr. Heath believes much of the work for the church in the years ahead must focus on healing the wounds inflicted by Christendom so that the beauty and inclusive goodness of the Gospel can be heard, seen, and experienced. Her work as an author, speaker, retreat leader, and consultant focuses on helping leaders and organizations lean into the healing, liberating, and spiritually transformative journey into which God is calling the church in this new era.
Along with her spouse and several friends she lives at Spring Forest, a new monastic community in rural North Carolina, where she serves as Abbess. They tend a forest and small regenerative farm, and have a range of ministries that support immigrants.
Dr. Heath has served in pastoral and academic ministry, including serving as the McCreless Professor of Evangelism at Perkins School of Theology, and Dean of Duke Divinity School, and the founder of Neighborhood Seminary and co-founder of the Missional Wisdom Foundation. She is the author of thirteen books, including, Trauma Informed Evangelism (co-authored with Charles Kiser), Loving the Hell Out of Ourselves: A Memoir (co-authored with Jeanine B. Heath-McGlinn), God Unbound, and The Mystic Way of Evangelism.
She will lead us in discussions about how we live together in community, holding each other accountable in love and learn to live together as an order.
For any questions, please contact Rev. Dr. Celia Halfacre at pastorcelia@gmail.com or Rev. Karen Horan at khoran@riotexas.org/(210) 408-4500