Healthy Congregations Retreat
Eighth
Annual
Healthy Congregations Retreat
for Kansas United
Methodists
Mark your calendars! The eighth annual Healthy Congregations Retreat is scheduled for May 1-2, 2009 at scenic Rock Springs 4-H Center.
Register online today and plan to attend this relaxing, informational, and fun event in a beautiful natural setting!
The event brings together United Methodists with shared interests in congregational health ministries and the promotion of holistic health and healthy lifestyles. The annual retreat features a variety of sessions covering the spiritual, mental, physical, and social components of health.
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The retreat is a part of the Health Fund's Healthy Congregations initiative, which includes Healthy Congregations Grants and the Healthy Congregations Recognition program.
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Keynote speaker
The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Fred Douglas Smith Jr., Associate Director of Practice in Ministry and Mission, Associate Professor of Urban Ministry at Wesley Theological Seminary. *See below for speaker bio
Who should attend the retreat:
Preferably a church team of two or three persons should attend
for mutual support after returning home.
-
Parish nurses, local pastors, and other laity who are actively involved in congregational health ministries
- Those who want to initiate new health and wellness ministries in their congregations
Please note, pets are not allowed at the Rock Springs Center.
Key benefits for participants
- Discover ways congregations can advance health, healing, and wholeness within and beyond the local church
- Learn what some churches are doing to increase healthy lifestyles of Kansans through physical activity and healthy food choices
- Gain useful information about current health ministries in Kansas United Methodist congregations
- Network with others who have similar interests and motivations toward congregational health ministries
- Gain renewed personal energy in a scenic retreat setting
- Recognize Achievement Award winners from the 2008 Healthy Congregations Recognition program
The full retreat schedule is being developed, but you can register online today and reserve your place. We hope to see you at the event!
*About the keynote speaker:
The Rev. Dr. Smith is an elder in the United Methodist Church. He served as the Associate Director of Interfaith Programs for the Carter Center in Atlanta before becoming Senior Pastor of Fellowship UMC and Director of the Center of Hope (2000-2005). He specializes in the areas of prophetic religious education, violence in black communities, substance abuse prevention, at-risk youth, and faith and health.
Current projects include:
- Writing "The Beloved Community: Prophetic Religious Education, Faith-based Initiative Manual"
- Development of the Center for Community Transformation
- Supporting the Mount Vernon Place Taskforce on Joint Ministry
Courses taught include:
- Christian Education and the Black Experience
- Christian Life Skills for At-Risk Youth
- Foundations of Urban Ministry
- Issues of Faith and Health in the Urban Setting
- High-Potential Metro Churches
Education:
- Harvard University, B.A.
- Southern Methodist University, Perkins School of Theology, M. Div.
- Emory University, Ph. D.