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2009 Pastor/Spouse Retreat Alternative
Dear Pastor,
The Committee on Training and Nurture would like to offer you an
alternative to the Pastor and Spouse Retreat for 2009.
Previously, pastors, spouses and families have gathered all at one
time and in one place. Should
the alternative below find merit with Tres Rios pastors, it would be
alternated with the other format.
The purpose of the Retreat is to offer Pastors and
their families an opportunity to take time out of the whirlwind of
activity and/or stress of day-to-day ministry to rest, relax, renew and
build collegial relationships with other pastors and families in the
Presbytery. The
College
of
Pastoral Leaders
(see www.austinseminary.edu) refers
to this as part of developing “Pastoral Excellence”.
Janet Maykus, Principal of the College writes, “What is pastoral
excellence? There is a unique answer for everyone.
Embrace the idea of excellence and discover ways to invigorate your
lives and ministries. Use your imagination. Go ahead and dream! …I
encourage you to gather together with clergy friends and imagine what you
need to rest, to be encouraged, to become invigorated, to find spiritual
rejuvenation, to laugh, and to learn.”
The goal of the Training and Nurture Committee is to
encourage you to grow in pastoral excellence.
The proposed alternative will grant each pastor $100.00 to use to
relax, renew, and/or build collegial relationships.
A total of 30 grants will be given on a first-come, first-served basis.
There is a high degree of latitude in how these funds could be
used. To be approved for
funding, please submit the attached application.
Applications may be submitted any time between now and September
8th.
Here are some possibilities for using these funds:
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Spend a day at a spiritual retreat center or
create your own retreat setting.
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Hire a caregiver so that you and your spouse can
spend some quality time together
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Treat
yourself and your spouse/family to an outing that gives you unhurried
time with each other
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Get together with other pastors (who have young
children, who serve in rural areas, who are new in ministry, who are
long-timers in ministry, who find renewal in nature, who like to fish,
who have urban ministries, who have specialized ministries, who enjoy
similar music, who play musical instruments, who want to make pottery,
who live in the same area, who want to focus on a particular spiritual
discipline, etc) and bring in a speaker, a facilitator, a pastoral
counselor, an artist, a poet, a writer, a spiritual guide or…
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Form a group to do a book study via internet
together and meet before or after a presbytery meeting for face to
face conversation.
Hopefully, you are getting the idea that you can be
creative and make the dollars stretch!
If you have any questions, please contact Katherine Norvell at
manhattanpastor@sbcglobal.net.
Sincerely,
The Tres Rios Presbytery Committee
on Training and Nurture
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Application
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