Theme

Managing Stress:  body, mind, and spirit.

How would your life change if you understood stress management as a spiritual practice?  As you think about this retreat, we hope you are excited about engaging with the rhythms of learning, worship, fellowship and silence.  In today’s frantic and demanding world, these rhythms are essential to developing a healthy relationship with stress.

Cost

Experience genuine Christian hospitality at this modern facility nestled in a picturesque natural setting just minutes from downtown Charleston, West Virginia.  John XXIII is a beautiful facility with walking trails and plenty of space for silence and reflection.  The facility has recently been renovated and is comfortable and welcoming!

Total Event is $650.00

Scholarships are Available - please email 
Teresa Markins at  markinsfam@gmail.com or 
Shea James at  sjames@wvumc.org

Includes: Housing, Meals, and All Activities (participants are responsible for $150 non-refundable deposit due upon registration.  Payment in full must be received by April 19.)
No refunds after April 19th.

Participants will have private hotel style rooms (shared rooms for married couples are optional).  Breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner will all be provided on site.  The staff are wonderful about working with food sensitives and preferences.

 Event Time

The Academy begins at 4:00 pm on Sunday, April 19, with registration from 2-3:45 pm that day.  We encourage you to arrive in plenty of time to get settled in before the 4:00 pm orientation. 

The Academy runs through lunch on Friday, April 24; if you are flying, you should schedule a flight with a departure after 2:00 pm if possible.

Who should attend?

Laity and clergy from any denomination seeking spiritual growth.

Continuing Education Units available

Faculty

Daniel Wolpert, a healer and student of the spiritual life, worked as a research scientist, psychologist, spiritual director, farmer, teacher, and construction worker before earning his Master of Divinity degree at San Francisco Theological Seminary (SFTS). Over the past thirty years he has taught in the fields of psychology and spiritual formation, led retreats, and delivered talks in such settings as the Art of Spiritual Direction Program at SFTS, the Youth Ministry and Spirituality Project, national  ministry  conferences, UCLA, UND medical school, Luther Seminary, the 5-Day Academy for Spiritual Formation and numerous other settings around the world.

Daniel is the co- founder and Executive Director of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing (www.micahprays.org). He is the author of Leading a Life with God, The Practice of Spiritual Leadership (Upper Room 2006), Creating a Life with God: The Call of Ancient Prayer Practices (Upper Room 2003), co-author of Meeting God in Virtual Reality (Abingdon 2004), and The Collapse of the Three Story Universe: Christianity in an Age of Science (MICAH 2013) as well as numerous articles and book chapters on meditation and healing.

Debra G. Bell, MD is a board-certified family physician and a diplomate of the American Board of Integrative Holistic Medicine. She has over 30 years of experience in conventional medicine and complementary and alternative medicine. She currently practices as a consultative Integrative Medicine physician at the Penny George Institute of Health and Healing in Minneapolis. She practiced for 13 years at a primary care Integrative Medicine Center she started in Crookston MN.

She also held a position as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of North Dakota School of Medicine. Prior to living in Crookston, she lived in Vermont and California where she offered home birth, family practice and integrative medicine services. Debra has a particular interest in health and spirituality. She is co-founder of the Minnesota Institute of Contemplation and Healing (MICAH), a center dedicated to the practice and study of spiritual formation and leadership, healing and the arts.