Formation Leaders Retreat 2025
Formation leaders are invited to a weekend retreat at Camp Stevens. The opportunity to rest and play with colleagues from across the diocese can be helpful to both longstanding and emerging ministries. Areas of focus for this year’s retreat are below.
MINISTRY FOCUS
Faith Development in Community
God calls people in all stages of faith development into the life of our congregations. A healthy congregation recognizes that God is at work in all stages of faith development and cultivates opportunities for each person to move deeper in their discipleship journey.
Together we will analyze our unique congregations and ministries to think and reflect on how God is calling us:
- To welcome people where they are, and, when they are ready, invite them to go deeper in their life of faith
- To create specific pathways between and among people at different stages of their faith
- To nurture the most mature Christians in the congregation, honoring that their energy is often the spiritual heart of the congregation
MINISTRY WORK
Knowing Yourself – Ministry from a Place of Self Awareness
“The purposes in the human heart are deep waters; but the one who has insight draws them out.” Proverbs 20:5
As followers of Jesus who are also formed in and by the world, each of us ministers from a “social location.” This means that each of us sees and understands God and the world through a lens shaped by our numerous identities, such as ethnicity, age, immigration status, education, class, gender, and sexuality, etc. Some of these identities we may be acutely aware of. Others may be less obvious to us. ALL aspects of our social location are useful to God.
Knowing Yourself makes space for folks to consider all these pieces of their identity in order to:
- name how they have been formed as bearers of God’s image
- consider how their social location has equipped them for ministry
- cultivate self-awareness in community to practice nurturing authentic relationships across lines of difference.
Reinvented Advent – Walking with Mary
Advent can be one of the busiest times in a congregation’s life. Formation teams can often be filled with a longing to create a deeper connection for the community, even while being spread thinly themselves. This session in the retreat will provide a simple and spiritually rich program that supports all ages of Faith Formation. It is built on the premise of our Ministry Focus.
SABBATH EXPLORATION
No visit to Camp Stevens would be complete without the opportunity to enjoy our diocesan camp. This sacred place is sure to restore your soul with joy and peace!
- Hike to Upper Meadow
- laugh with friends and colleagues
- sing around the fire
- pray in the Camp Stevens chapel
- walk the labyrinth
- Pet a goat or a pig
- breathe deeply
- Rest and restore
View the Full Retreat Schedule
Arrival: 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 23
Departure: 10:00 a.m. Saturday, October 25th
Accommodations: Lax/Sadler Lodge
Retreat Cost: $240
Registration Includes your accommodations, 5 incredible Camp Stevens meals, and a few special surprises. We have a total of 18 spaces available this year. Please register quickly to ensure your spot! Any questions regarding this program should be directed to Charlette Preslar: cpreslar@edsd.org.
