Southwest UUMA Chapter Retreat
February 26-29, 2024
Wesley Center, 2350 Methodist Parkway, Woodworth, LA 71485

https://www.thewesleycenter.com/ 

Registration must be completed by Sunday, February 11.

Retreat Registration Form: https://forms.gle/LLZHeFpLzdpDhSGM8

 

The SWUUMA Retreat is our set-aside time for rest, for play, for worship, and for being fed – body, heart, mind and spirit. 

This year's program: 

“Tales of Our Past, Present and Future”
Rev. Joan VanBecelaere

Telling stories can help us better understand ourselves, others and our world. In our retreat programming, we will work together to tell the story of the past and present and imagine the future of SWUUMA. We'll explore the past by creating a group timeline and telling the chapter's Odyssey together.  We'll look at how this past story currently informs our chapter and our collegial relations using techniques from Lectio Divina.  And then we'll collectively imagine the future of our chapter, our ministries and UUism in our region with visioning concepts developed by the Occupy Movement (Guide to Occupy the Present, Change the Future)  At the end, I hope appreciating the past and present of SWUUMA can equip us to move into a successful new future.

--
Rev. Joan VanBecelaere is a retired Unitarian Universalist community minister living in Columbus, Ohio. 

Prior to retirement, she was the Executive Director of Unitarian Universalist Justice Ohio. Before working with UU Justice Ohio, Joan served as regional Staff Lead with the Central East Region, District Executive for the old Ohio Meadville District, Vice President for student services at Iliff School of Theology in Denver CO, and taught as an adjunct instructor in UU polity. 

Joan has An M.Div. from Iliff School of Theology (Denver) , a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Colorado at Denver, a B.A. in Communication Arts  from Lindenwood College and extensive D.Min. work from Wisdom University in San Francisco.  

Joan currently serves on the board of the Voter Empowerment Project and trains Peacekeepers for Election Poll work with the author Rev. Dr. Susan Smith.  She is Treasurer for the StoryTellers of Central Ohio and believes that effective story work can help us understand ourselves, one another and change minds and hearts.  

She is a member of the North Unitarian Universalist Congregation in Lewis Center, Ohio, and lives in Columbus with her spouse, Jerry, and four very furry and fabulous felines.

If you plan to pay your costs due via check (made out to SWUUMA), please mail by Friday, February 9, to:

First UU Church
D. Scott Cooper
5200 Fannin St.
Houston, TX 77004 

If you have any questions, please email Rev. Joanna Fontaine Crawford at minister@liveoakuu.org