THANK YOU for your patience as we waited
for the hotel to open the reservation block for retreat.
  
If you have already registered to attend, you do not need to do so again, but you will need to reserve a room at the Samoset. 

If you haven't yet registered for the retreat, you can do that and 
reserve a room in the registration section below.  
Prayers for a blessed retreat.  Barb
4 February 2020

Dear Friends in Christ

Thanks to the thoughtful planning of Clergy Day Committee and Bill Blaine-Wallace's willingness to lead us, Clergy Annual Retreat 2020 will be held Sunday afternoon, March 1 thru noon on Tuesday, March 3 at the Samoset in Rockport.  Please find additional information about the retreat * and the link to register below my signature.

We all know that in our rhythms of practicing ministry there are those inevitable moments when we are called to be present elsewhere, usually at the last minute. Excepting such emergent concerns it's my hope that we will commit to arriving and remaining for the entire retreat. 

Faithfully in Christ, 
The Rt. Rev. Thomas J. Brown
About the retreat...
THE ART OF LAMENT: A WAY HOME TO THE HEART OF GOD
Building on Bishop Brown's spirit of and commitment to building relationships, the clergy will gather to strengthen our connection with one another through conversations and activities that bring more of our lived experience into community. Our leader-colleague is Bill Blaine-Wallace. Bill, with the help of biblical, theological, and psychological resources, constructs lament as fundamentally relational. His research and experiences in congregational and non-parochial settings has led him to trust that when more of life-the-way-it-really-is is addressed in communities and congregations through relational practices and commitments, greater solidarity emerges, deeper joy is aroused, and more fervent passion for justice is awakened. In collaboration with the Clergy Day Committee, Bill will steward a Lenten retreat during which our clergy will co-create possibilities for greater solidarity, joy, and passion for our life together and shared ministries.
Please plan to be present for the entire retreat. Our desire is to strengthen our connections with one another. The spirit of the retreat builds from one conversation and activity to the next. When folks drop in and out, the bond suffers.
About the retreat facilitator...
The Rev. Bill Blaine-Wallace, PhD,  is a retired Episcopal priest. He has ministered in parishes, hospices, and in mental health and educational settings. Presently Bill maintains a pastoral counseling and consultation practice and a spiritual direction ministry. Bill is the author of Water in the Wastelands: The Sacrament of Shared Suffering and newly released When Tears Sing: The Art of Lament in Christian Community. Bill and his spouse live on a farm in the foothills of western Maine.
Draft Agenda...

Please bring a journal and your favorite writing implement to retreat.
Dress is cozy warm and to your comfort; layers are recommended.
A copy of When Tears Sing will be given to each participant.
Each plenary session will begin in song.

Sunday, March 1
2:30PM Retreat registration and hotel check in
5:00PM Reception and fellowship (cash bar)
6:00PM Dinner (cash bar)
7:00PM Introduction: The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks
7:20PM Reflecting Team with Bishop Brown
8:10PM Compline
Social time; cash bar available until 10:00PM

Monday, March 2
8:00AM Breakfast Begins
9:00AM Morning Prayer
9:15AM Small groups
9:45AM Break
10:15AM Personal Reflection on Tears
10:45AM Tear Art
Noon Luncheon
1:00PM Small groups sharing Tear Art
2:30PM Sabbath
5:00PM Reflecting Team on Tear Art
6:00PM Dinner, (cash bar available)
7:00PM Letter writing on Tear Art
7:45PM Small group reflectios
8:30PM Compline

Tuesday, March 3
8:00AM Breakfast Begins
9:00AM Reflecting Team on Tear Art
9:45AM Break / Hotel Check Out
10:15AM Work Cloud and Offering of Words
11:00AM Eucharist
12:15PM Depart in Peace


* should you need scholarship assistance in order to attend this retreat
please apply to the  Loring Fund  to request a continuing education grant.   If you have any questions or concerns, or need additional suppport,  please contact  Barbara Martin .

Registration Fee is $150 payable by check or PayPal. 
Registration closes at noon on Monday, February 24th. 



Helpful Links




The Clergy Day Committee

The Rev. John Balicki
The Rev. Bill Blaine-Wallace
The Rt. Rev. Thomas James Brown
The Rev. Mary Bourque
The Rev. Gail Chandler
The Rev. Peggy Day
The Rev. Elizabeth Miller
The Rev. Jed Pealer
The Ven. Aaron Perkins
The Rev. Suzannah Rohman
The Rev. Claudia Smith
The Rev. Rita Steadman
The Rev. John Van Siclen
The Rev. Larry Weeks
Staff Liaison  Ms.Barbara Martin