Clergy Sabbath:
IT'S NOT MANDATORY
'It's a retreat,' says Smith
By Annette Bender
Doug Smith has had clergy members contact him, saying they were too busy to participate in the fall "sabbath experiences," but they wanted to fulfill their conference obligations.
"That defeats the whole purpose," says the Rev. Smith, steward of clergy concerns. "We don't want people to feel like it's another conference program being pushed on them. We want to relieve some of the pressure.
"It's sabbath. It's rest. It's a retreat," Smith said. "It's not mandatory. If clergy feel obligated, they shouldn't register. We just want them to take advantage of some 'away time' in a retreat setting."
Scheduled during the week of Oct. 10-16, this year's fall clergy gatherings are different from those in years past. After reviewing survey responses showing that Holston clergy craved "time away," the Orders/Fellowships Steering Committee planned "sabbath experiences" at nine different locations.
Based on responses to the survey, reduced-rate reservations were made at Alumni House, Emory & Henry College, Emory, Va.; Atkins House, Lake Junaluska, N.C.: Buffalo Mountain Camp, Jonesborough, Tenn.; Camp Dickenson, Fries, Va.; Camp Lookout, Rising Fawn, Ga.; Camp Wesley Woods, Townsend, Tenn.; Holiday Inn and Millstone Golf Course, Morristown, Tenn.; Jubilee House, Abingdon, Va.; and Whitestone Country Inn, Kingston, Tenn.
Elders, deacons, licensed local pastors, and associate members are invited to choose a time to retreat at one of these locations in October, either alone or with family or friends, Smith said. The deadline for registering for five of the locations is Aug. 15; for the remaining sites, the registration deadline is Sept. 1.
To rally support for clergy to be away from their pulpits on Oct. 16 (Laity Sunday), Pastor/Staff Parish Committees received letters asking them to arrange for a lay speaker on that day. Each congregation was also asked to assist their appointed clergy with the retreat's cost.
The pastor/parish committee at Soddy United Methodist Church in Cleveland District was "very supportive" in providing continuing education funds and time off for the Rev. Linda Bird Wright's retreat, according to Wright. She chose Whitestone Country Inn because a clergy friend, the Rev. Mary Parson of Chestnut Hill UMC in Morristown District, invited her to join her there.
Whitestone Country Inn is by far the most popular choice for the 49 clergy who have already registered, Smith said. His goal is to get at least 250 of the conference's 750 active clergy to participate.
The Rev. Mark Hicks, pastor at Macedonia UMC in Knoxville District, will also join a friend for his retreat. Hicks and the Rev. David Henderson, pastor at Mascot/Hopewell UMC in Knoxville District, chose Emory & Henry College's Alumni House for their sabbath destination.
"We're both kind of academic types," explains Hicks. "I like a campus environment, and I've never been to Emory & Henry before. We'll probably end up in the library."
While others want to be with friends or family, the Rev. Bob Bean said he chose Buffalo Mountain Camp because he wanted to be "in isolation."
"I wanted to get away from Knoxville and the busy-ness here," he said. "I wanted to go far enough away where I wouldn't be tempted to make phone calls. Plus, it's about going back home."
Years ago, Bean explained, he was appointed in the Kingsport District and worked at Buffalo Mountain in the summer. Besides finishing the book, "The Purpose-Driven Life," Bean is looking forward to re-visiting the camp, seeing how it has changed, and remembering old times.
"I have fond memories of walking along the creek," he said.
For more information or to register for the clergy retreats, contact Doug Smith at (866) 690-4080 or visit http://clergy.holston.org.
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