Mennonite Spiritual Directors
BiNatonal Retreat
EASTERN MENNONITE SEMINARY | MAY 28-31 2024
The Sacred We: Spiritual practices toward collective liberation
FEATURED SPEAKER
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
MORE INFORMATION
Shannon W. Dycus
Featured Speaker
“Our liberation begins with the irrevocable belief that we are worthy to be liberated, that we are worthy of a life that does not degrade us but honors our whole selves.
— Cole Arthur Riley, This Here Flesh
When you believe in your dignity, or at least someone else does, it becomes more difficult to remain content with the bondage with which you have become so acquainted. You begin to wonder what you were meant for.“
Spiritual Director Shannon Dycus has spent over 15 years fostering holistic well-being and spiritual formation in communities. She has served as a teacher and school leader, a pastor, and currently is Vice President and Dean of Students at EMU.
Shannon is the author of the 2019 Women’s Bible Study Every Time I Feel the Spirit and 2023 Advent Devotional The Holy in the Night: Finding Freedom in a Season of Waiting.
TENTATIVE SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 28
3 pm Registration opens
5 pm Dinner open
6:30 pm Welcome, Opening Worship, and Session 1 with Shannon Dycus
Wednesday, May 29
7:30 am Breakfast open
8:45 am Morning Prayer
9:15 am Session 2 with Shannon Dycus
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Communal Response/Ritual
12:30 pm Lunch
1:30 pm Grief altar/space open, artful response space open
2:00 pm Affinity Groups
3:30 pm Workshop
4:45 pm Free Time
6:00 pm Evening Meal
7:00 pm Evening Prayer
7:30 pm Optional Evening Activities
Thursday, May 30
7:30 am Breakfast open
8:45 am Morning Prayer
9:15 am Session 3 with Shannon Dycus
10:30 am Break
10:45 am Steering Group presents MSDN vision, with time for feedback and questions
11:20 am Survey and Evaluation
11:45 am Lunch
End of Main Retreat
1:00 pm Self- and mutually-guided retreat time with options for individual reflection and/or additional
affinity groups
5:30 pm Centering Prayer (optional)
6:00 pm Evening Meal
7:30 pm Gather ‘round the fire (optional) across from Discipleship Center (if traveling by car and
convenient, bring your own camp chair)
Friday, May 31
7:30 am Breakfast open
9:00 am Partially guided retreat time: – Arboretum at James Madison University led by Jane Roeschley
– prayer walk, options for individual exploration
– Self-guided Retreat—Local hiking, local retreat centers possible—areas on and off campus may be available—stay tuned!
11:45 am Bag Lunch (may be available early for outdoor activities)
Official End of programming, though participants can still use campus
FAQ and More Information
Paying by check
Our registration process is designed to work with a credit card BUT we also want to accommodate those who want to pay by check. If you are paying by check, select payment being made by check and then also the commuter or lodging selection. Your total will be listed at the bottom. Skip payment method, select Save and write the check to Mennonite Spiritual Directors and mail to Jane Hoober Peifer, 1420 Hillcrest Drive, Harrisonburg, VA 22802.
Paying by credit card
Please submit only once.
Extended Retreat
We want this time to flex with your retreat needs. We will make available some guidance for those who would like that. We will also make available lovely natural destinations or local retreat houses for hiking, and praying, meditating and journaling both on and off campus. Friday lunch will be a bag lunch to accommodate more flexible destinations on and off campus. All programming for the Extended Retreat will be finished by noon on Friday, but you are welcome on the campus and designated spots on Friday afternoon as well.
Accommodations for partners staying
If a spouse wants to accompany but not register, please register for a double apartment and provide a check for these additional costs: $31.25/night room rate, $3.25 campus use fee/day, and $5.85 for each breakfast, $9.23 for each lunch, $10.24 for each dinner. Please attach a note to the check, detailing what you are paying for.
Carpooling Requests
Please submit your request, including starting point, ending point, desired times of coming and going, etc. to MennoSDNInfo@gmail.com by April 30.
Accommodations
Please email MennoSDNInfo@gmail.com with questions about any part of the Retreat that you wonder about your ability to fully participate.
BE OUR SUPPORTERS
Please also consider donate to help other Spiritual Directors to attend to this retreat.
Click here to donate both financial and In-Kind.
We also need sponsors for our coffee breaks, registration packages, meals, transportation and lodging.
All donations would be recognized. You would be able to see your logo on this page.
To learn more about donating and for any other questions, please email MennoSDNInfo@gmail.com
THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING MENNOSDN RETREAT!
