EPC PASTOR-SPOUSE RETREAT

MOVING OUT OF THE COVID WILDERNESS: WORKING THROUGH TRAUMA AND TRANSITION

If you are an EPC pastor serving in a Presbytery that is not hosting its own renewal retreat, the EPC is hosting two retreats designed to fill this gap and provide you and your spouse with refreshment, renewal, and recharge. The leadership of the EPC believes that the health of its churches correlates with the wellbeing of our pastors, who are at the point of the spear on the front lines of the advancement of the gospel.

Each of these retreats is offered at no cost to the pastor and his or her spouse. Please note that each has space for 50 couples, and childcare will not be provided. The pastor’s Presbytery, congregation, and/or Session is encouraged to express care for their pastor and spouse by providing transportation costs as well as childcare options. A limited number of scholarships are available to help defray travel and childcare costs if needed, contact marti.ratcliff@epc.org to apply. Retired pastors are eligible to attend if they are still engaged in some form of active ministry.

Plenty of free time is built in to the schedule for rest and enjoying the retreat center amenities. Local attractions within 45 minutes of the Pennsylvania retreat center include the Flight 93 Memorial, Fort Ligonier, Ohiopyle State Park, QueCreek Mine Rescue Site, and numerous Frank Lloyd Wright houses including Kentuck Knob and his most famous house, “Fallingwater.” Attractions near the Florida retreat center include the Atlantic Ocean beaches, Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, Kennedy Space Center, Wycliffe Bible Translators Discovery Center, and much more.

For more information, contact Zenaida Bermudez at zenaida.bermudez@epc.org or (407) 930-4462.

Use these quicklinks to navigate to a specific section:

Dates and Locations
Special Guests
Worship Leaders
Schedule

DATES AND LOCATIONS

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SPECIAL GUESTS

Jim and Shari Hobby have served in the Anglican Church in North America since 2009. Their passion is to see the Church discover and live into all that the Lord intends for her to be.

They met at Wheaton College and married in 1980. Jim attended Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary in South Hamilton, Pennsylvania, from 1981 to 1983. During that time Shari and Jim travelled the “Canterbury Trail” and joined the Episcopal Church in 1982. From 1983 to 1985, they attended Trinity School for Ministry in Ambridge, Pennsylvania. Jim was ordained as a Deacon and then a Priest in 1986. Shari was likewise ordained in 2000.

The Hobbys have served small, medium-sized, and large congregations in Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Florida, and Georgia. Jim also served as Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Pittsburgh and Shari has extensive experience as a Hospice Chaplain.

Their three amazing daughters are married to wonderful men. Shari and Jim have 10 delightful grandchildren (some of whom are quiet and pensive, while others live their lives in ALL CAPS!).

Dr. Tara Gunther believes self-care and interpersonal growth are non-negotiable facets of life. It’s through the lens of Tara’s Christian faith that she has been able to more fully explore with her clients the interconnectedness of spirituality with mind and body. While they explore the pillars of self-care (sleep, nutrition, spirituality, movement, relationships, environment, and resilience), she encourages clients to explore how God might be directing them. Tara believes He wants you to live a full, beautiful life—a life in which you are taking exquisite care of yourself so that you show up as the best version of you!

Tara received master’s and doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, and completed her postdoctoral internship at Western Missouri Mental Health Center in Kansas City. She also has completed programs in physician leadership at both T.H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard and the Bloch School of Management at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. She has worked extensively in the field of primary care behavioral health integration. She developed expertise in working with patients in Sleep Medicine, Gastrointestinal Disorders, Diabetes, and Primary Care. Tara has also lectured extensively on trauma and how to implement trauma sensitive practices within medical and community settings. Most recently, she became a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach after completing the Integrative HealthCoach Certification through the University of Arizona Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine. Currently, Tara runs a private practice specializing in anxiety and stress management and integrative health and wellness coaching.

She lives in Allison Park, Pennsylvania, with her husband, Matthew, and their two children. For relaxation and fun she enjoys cooking, reading, crocheting, yoga and barre classes, and hiking trails around her house.

Laura Duggan earned a Masters of Arts in Clinical Psychology from the Illinois School of Professional Psychology in Chicago, and a Masters of Science in Education from University of Dayton, Capital Branch. Laura began her work in a therapeutic day school in Chicago before returning to her hometown in 2003. There, she worked as an outreach counselor before moving into program management and development for Help Me Grow, a federal program aimed at helping children with delays and disabilities. Laura has been a consultant to the county and community mental health agencies in the Columbus area. She has co-authored Two to One: Biblical Principles of Marriage and co-facilitated half a dozen marriage groups using this curriculum. Additionally, Laura has developed Love and Limits: A Biblical Parenting Guide. 

Laura has 15 years of experience working with individuals, couples, children, teens, families, and workforce settings. She is dedicated to helping bind the brokenhearted, helping set captives free, and helping bring light into the darkness (Isaiah 61:1).

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WORSHIP LEADERS

Jeremy Casella has been a performing artist and worship leader for nearly 24 years. He has performed or collaborated with artists such as Sandra McCracken, Andrew Peterson, Phil Keaggy, Michael Card, and The Blind Boys of Alabama. A critically acclaimed songwriter, Casella has released six full-length albums and one EP. He also has been an integral part of the Nashville-based hymn collective Indelible Grace Music, whose songs are sung in churches all over the United States. A pastorally minded artist, Casella has a deep affection for leading churches in “singing the gospel out loud” and is keenly invested in crafting songs and stories that lean into the presence and the promises of God—to find the true peace and comfort that our restless hearts are longing for—because the pain is real, the gospel is true, and we all need it now more than ever.

Matthew David Montgomery writes and records musical settings for Psalms, original songs with gospel themes, and hymns intended for corporate worship. He has released two CDs: “Psalms for Singing” and “Fingerstyle Hymns.”

Zac Hicks (D.Min., Knox Theological Seminary) is an EPC Teaching Elder in the Presbytery of the Central South. He has been pastoring and leading worship for more than two decades in churches all across the U.S., including Hawaii, California, Colorado, Florida, and most recently Alabama. He is author of The Worship Pastor (Zondervan, 2016) and Worship By Faith Alone (IVP Academic, forthcoming). A songwriter and producer, Zac’s music is streaming everywhere. His passions include the intersection of old and new in worship, the pastoral dimensions of worship leading, and recovering the gospel-centered theology of the Reformation for the sake of worship renewal. He and his wife, Abby, have been married more than 20 years and have four children.

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SCHEDULE

The schedule for both retreats will follow the same outline.

MONDAY

• 4:00 p.m.: Check-in begins
• 4:00-6:00 p.m.: Free Time
• 6:00-7:00 p.m.: Dinner
• 7:30-8:00 p.m.: Worship (October: Jeremy Casella and Matthew Montgomery; February: Zac Hicks)
• 8:00-8:40 p.m.: Introductions (“Why are you here and What are your hopes?”)
• 8:40-8:50 p.m.: Overview of the Week
• 8:50-9:00 p.m.: Prayer

TUESDAY

• 6:30-7:30 a.m.: Morning Prayer (Optional)
• 7:30-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
• 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Jim and Shari Hobby session 1 (Psalm 13:1-2 Worship, Teaching, Small Groups, Prayer)
• 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Lunch
• 1:00-5:00 p.m.: Free Time (Spiritual Direction/Prayer with Jim/Shari; Counseling available with Tara Gunther; Worship Seminar; Retreat Center Amenities)
• 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Dinner Together
• Evening: Free Time

WEDNESDAY

• 6:30-7:30 a.m.: Morning Prayer (Optional)
• 7:30-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
• 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Jim and Shari Hobby session 2 (Psalm 13:3-4 Worship, Teaching, Small Groups, Prayer)
• 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Lunch
• 1:00-5:00 p.m.: Free Time (Spiritual Direction/Prayer with Jim/Shari; Counseling available with Tara Gunther; Explore Area Attractions; Retreat Center Amenities)
• 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Dinner Together
• 7:30-8:30 p.m.: Worship Concert

THURSDAY

• 6:30-7:30 a.m.: Morning Prayer (Optional)
• 7:30-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
• 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Jim and Shari Hobby session 3 (Psalm 13:5-6 Worship, Teaching, Small Groups, Prayer)
• 12:00-1:00 p.m.: Lunch
• 1:00-5:00 p.m.: Free Time (Spiritual Direction/Prayer with Jim/Shari; Ministry Marriage Panel Discussion led by Dr. Tara Gunther; Retreat Center Amenities)
• 5:30-6:30 p.m.: Dinner Together
• Evening: Free Time

FRIDAY

• 7:30-8:30 a.m.: Breakfast
• 9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Jim and Shari Hobby session 4 (Wrap-up/Next Steps, Worship, Teaching, Small Groups, Prayer)
• 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.: Check Out

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