Churchwide Retreat

We are excited to be returning to Blowing Rock for our annual churchwide retreat, July 21-23, 2023. We’ll first gather on Friday evening and depart following worship on Sunday morning. If you play a musical instrument, please bring it for a talent show or just a simple sing-a-long time. We’re looking forward to s’mores by the campfire; there’s a pool and a gym. Bring games or puzzles to do together. And we’ll have a wonderful time learning together. Our theme is “Jesus Justice” and we’ll be led by Dr. John Blackshire. He’s a wonderful speaker and teacher.

We will learn to acknowledge that our perspective is not the only perspective in the world. We will learn the importance of taking time to acknowledge commonalities and learn from how we are different. His sermon on Sunday will be, “What’s Passion got to do with it?” and we’ll be discussing the story in the gospels of Jesus’ encounter with Mary, Martha and Lazarus.

John D. Blackshire, Ph.D., is an educator, artist, minister, and social justice coach who helps individuals and organizations identify small yet mighty ways to accomplish radical community goals. John received his Bachelor of Arts in Cinema and Photography from Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, in 2014, with an emphasis on documentary production. He completed his Ph.D. in Gender Studies from the School of Social Transformation at Arizona State University in 2020, focusing on the experiences of Black transmasculine people. Following his Ph.D., John served as an assistant professor of gender studies at Skidmore College, a freelance podcast producer for PRX Productions, and an ACLS Leading Edge Fellow in 2021. He now serves as Blackshire Strategies, LLC, CEO and executive director of There’s Room Ministries based in North Carolina. He feels best when empowering others to leverage their agency to transform their worlds for good.

You can learn more about his work at jdblackshire.com.

Check out some of his writings.

Sign up now to join us for a fun time.

We have limited rooms available, and they’ll be assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis.

All ages are welcome and we hope you can join us!

Cost (Four Meals, buffet-style, are provided: Saturday Breakfast through Sunday Breakfast)

REGISTER HERE