Pastoral Leadership Retreat
February 12, 2025
On January 25th the College of Bible and Ministry Pastoral Leadership program held our annual retreat. Twenty-five of our majors gathered at Otter Creek Westend for a day-long retreat. Deron Smith, director of the program, stated that his desire was for the retreat to be an intentional day of Sabbath rest centered around the Lord and the Pastoral Leadership community.
Students arrived at 9am to share breakfast and coffee, followed by a welcome from Smith and a time of worship. Worship was led by two worship arts majors, Senior Urban Wimberly and Junior Julia Allen.
After the first worship set, the retreat shifted gears into cohort vs. cohort Jeopardy. The categories ranged from Bible trivia to inside jokes from the department. It was a good opportunity for students who so often talk about heavy theological topics to bond over humor and good natured competition.
After lunch, Smith led the students into the spiritual practice of silence and solitude, giving them 90 minutes to disperse throughout the church and have quiet time. Students were encouraged to do whatever was best for their souls, whether that be praying or taking a much needed nap. This intentional time of solitude is one the most lifegiving parts of the retreat day each year.
Senior Nathan Scott reflected on this aspect of the retreat,“[It] was a great opportunity to reorient at the beginning of the semester and to simply enjoy some awesome community. Especially as a senior, there’s a lot of thoughts racing through my head so it was fruitful to take a day to intentionally rest in the Lord. I’m so appreciative that I’m in a department that prioritizes our well being and community in this way.”
Following quiet time, students broke up into their cohorts and had the opportunity to share what the Lord was teaching them. Each year this proves to be an invaluable time for the students to be heard and affirmed by their peers.
After cohort time, Wimberly and Allen led the students into another time of worship. To close the day, the students shared a family style dinner around one big table. The image of all the majors breaking bread together sums up everything the college wanted for this day: a community that is modeled after Christ and is thus defined by love, acceptance, and belonging.
This sentiment was captured in a quote from Josh Pippin, a Freshman Pastoral Leadership major: “It is encouraging to realize I am a part of such a beautiful community; this retreat was one of those realization moments.”
Bible and Ministry Blog