Clergy Care Retreat - February 18-19, 2010
El Caribe Hotel, Daytona Beach
Led by Rev. Jim Harnish. Spiritual Formation with Frances Jennings. Worship leader Gary Doles.
Again this year, the EC Clergy retreat will be a 24-hour time of community with sharing, reflecting, and learning together. A collage of activities include : praise and worship, three 90-minute learning sessions, three meals together, and scattered free-time on your own or with clergy friends. We will begin at 11:00 a.m. on Thursday, February 18th and conclude by 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 19th.
Jim Harnish has been a member of the Conference for nearly 40 years. He has been the Senior Pastor at Hyde Park UMC of Tampa since 1992. Prior to Hyde Park, he served at Trinity, DeLand, Howe Memorial, Crescent City UMC, and was the founding pastor at St. Luke's UMC, Orlando. He's married to Marsha and they have two married daughters and two grandchildren. He loves being a pastor, being with other pastors and doing anything he can to encourage, support or help them in their ministry.
Frances Jennings is the former Lay Leader of the North East District and a sought after retreat speaker and leader on Spiritual Formation. She recently provided a workshop at the Bishop's Clergy Day Apart in November.
Clergy planning to attend are encouraged to read proir to the retreat:
"You Only Have to Die: Leading Your Congregation to New Life" by James A. Harnish
Retreat cost is: Single Room - $139; Double Room - $95
Above rates are retreat, room and meal costs; includes lunch & dinner on Thursday, breakfast on Friday.
Additional Room Wednesday, Friday or Saturday night: $89
Retreat and Meals only - no room $50 per person
[Click Here for Registration Form] to be sent to EC District along with your check. Registration deadline is Friday, February 5th.
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Dear Colleagues:
Your East Central District Leadership Team met on retreat to assess where we are and “Vision Cast” for the future. During our time together, we focused on three areas of need in our District: Clergy, Congregations and Communities. Prior to the retreat, our Clergy Care Team under the leadership of Ann Hutchens and Tom Samuels began meeting to plan and implement strategies for clergy self-care and wholeness. Our Congregational Transformation Team, under the leadership of Kim Shockley has been implementing “Refocus Network” and “Natural Church Development”, two processes oriented toward objective evaluation, congregational health, and the renewal of vision to help pastors and congregations assess where they are and how to realize a preferred future. Our Church and Community Connection (CCC) under the leadership of Marilyn Beecher have been working on ways to partner our larger churches with smaller congregations for vital ministry in strategic missional settings.
While understanding the Mission of the Church to be Making Disciples for the Transformation of the World (Matthew 28), our sharing and discussion for Vision focused on the areas that needed to be addressed in order to carry out our Mission. In the context of our shared ministries in the East Central District, the genesis of a new Vision began to emerge; one that addressed the health and wholeness of our pastors, churches, and neighborhoods. As I have gotten to know the East Central District over the past year, the words unity and wholeness continue to work their way toward the forefront. After a great deal of prayer, time and listening, I began to understand our needs in terms of “Wholeness and Holiness.” As I shared this perception with others, this is the Vision that has emerged - “Wholeness for our Clergy, our Congregations, and our Communities.” We are still in the midst of developing strategies and outcomes for this new vision, but these will be shared with you as soon as the entire Leadership Team has had time to process and adopt them.
I know that you will be in prayer for the District Leadership Team as they seek to guide all of our congregations, ministries, missions, and ministers in their growth toward wholeness.
I Love Being Your District Superintendent,
2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”
I came across an article the other day written by Dr. William Lindsay, PhD and Vice President for Academic Affairs at Bethune-Cookman College. The title of the paper was “Exercising Leadership in Academic Life,” but it has a wonderful application in the Church as well. Here are the bullet points:
- Leaders display integrity.
- Leaders value collegiality.
- Leaders are marked by a strong commitment to mission.
- Leaders display transparency and accountability.
- Leaders are marked by intelligence and critical thinking
He went on to say that Leaders do not “keep up mess.” As I reflect on your leadership in our East Central District, I want you to know how grateful I am that you are tirelessly building the Kingdom and teaching others to do the same.
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