Over 70 clergy serving in the Eastern PA Conference—including several from Greater New Jersey—found much-needed soul-support during a free, daylong retreat for spiritual renewal Sept. 20, at the Daylesford Abbey in Paoli, Chester County. The monastery was an ideal setting—both contemplative and communal—for the soul-searching camaraderie the attendees sought.
“This spiritual retreat was a time of deep thinking and introspective examination. It was powerful!” said the Rev. Evelyn Kent-Clark, South District Superintendent and Dean of EPA’s Cabinet, which sponsored the retreat. “Dr. Ron Bell invited us into a sacred space to soul search in a way that we have not been able to do because of the overwhelming stress and confusion of our current reality. He was truly inspirational and incredibly authentic, as he combined a mixture of biblical reflection and practical application that reminded us that our faith makes space for us.”
The clergy met as a plenary and in small groups to answer retreat facilitator the Rev. Ron Bell’s probing questions of identity, purpose, calling, remembrance and destiny. It was an opportunity for some to “reset” from the dogged, self-devouring pace of their endless ministry responsibilities.
“We could be alone with God and our thoughts, and in fellowship with colleagues that we have not seen in person for quite some time,” said Clark. “I heard many pastors say how much “Reset” was needed.”
Indeed, “Reset” was the theme and purpose of the retreat, the third one offered this year by the Cabinet as needed gifts of mercy, especially to over-worked clergy. The earlier clergy retreats, in the spring, were at two EPA Camp and Retreat Centers—Pocono Plateau and Gretna Glen.
“This is a beautiful and brilliant idea that should be helpful to clergy not only in EPA but in our denomination at large,” said Bell, who is the Director of Healing and Resilience for United Methodist Discipleship Ministries and The Upper Room. Passionate about “emotional formation” and the intersection of faith and mental health, he is certified in Trauma Response and Crisis Intervention and has authored two books on grief and healing.
“This was a reminder for us to breathe, a plea for intentional soul care,” said Bell, who travels the country leading “Reset Retreats” for pastors doing ministry under the heavy clouds of Covid, political divides and denominational decline. “We have been going and going and going without taking time to exhale, reflect and reset. My hope is that our soul care, intentional breathing and reflection doesn’t stop, but that we continue to remind each other to ‘breathe out for 8 (seconds), in for 5, hold for 5, repeat’.”
Indeed, the clergy were entreated to stay in contact with one another for those reminders to breathe and unburden themselves as needed from time to time. By the end of the five-hour retreat, several participants confessed their struggles and self-doubts about continuing in ministry but then acknowledged their deep trust and reliance on God.
“We often forget to take time to simply be and listen for God’s voice,” said the Rev. Dawn Taylor-Storm,
Assistant to the Bishop for Leadership Development. “The retreat was a reminder of why we entered ministry, how we can reclaim the gifts of God and how we need one another to continue forward in this journey. The response to the retreat tells us that we need to continue to offer these times of spiritual formation.”
“We’re committed to leadership development here in EPA, including all kinds of skill enhancements for our pastors in these constantly changing times,” said the Rev. Steve Morton, EPA Leadership Development Manager. “But at the root of leadership development—at its very foundation—is assuring that our pastors have a vibrant spiritual life centered in a personal faith in Christ and rich community with one another. This retreat, and our plan for others like it, has that goal at its core.”
View more photos in our Flickr page Clergy Spiritual Retreat album at Clergy Reset Retreat 2023-09-20 | Flickr.