The Preachers' Oasis 2007

Grand Rapids, Michigan
July 9-13, 2007

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For five delightful days twelve pastors gathered on the campus of Calvin College and Seminary for the 2007 week-long version of the Preachers' Oasis. Once again the seminar was co-led by Randy Bytwerk, who teaches in the Calvin College Communications Arts and Sciences Department; Mary Hulst, who is a newly appointed professor of preaching at Calvin Seminary; and Scott Hoezee, who directs the Center for Excellence in Preaching.

Participants in this year's Oasis came from across the United States and Canada (from as far away as Alaska!) and represented many different denominations. This year's Oasis seminar was attended by Piper Cartland, Ann Hultquist, Herb VanderBeek, Steve Elzinga, Kent Fry, Tiffany McClung, Cindy Shepherd, Mark Winger, Dan Gritter, John Knoester, Richard Bodini, and Timothy Schmidt.

Each of those participants submitted two sermons on video as well as a couple dozen evaluation forms that had been filled out by members of his or her home congregation. These sermons and the congregational feedback became the basis for 1:1 conversations that took place between each participant and one of the three Oasis leaders.

Those times of individually tailored instruction were complemented by five three-hour plenary sessions from 8:45am until noon each day. The plenary sessions focused on an array of preaching-related topics. Participants were encouraged to engage in creative, experimental thinking through which they try out ideas that might seem crazy at first but that could yield new sermon practices that will engage the congregation on a whole new level. The Oasis leaders also made presentations that pondered how to nurture a variety of sermon forms across the preaching life of the church as well as on some basic communications techniques. Each day began with the group listening to a sermon by a well-known preacher and then discussing together what made that sermon excellent and what homiletical techniques and practices they could take away from that sermon and incorporate into also their own sermon-making. The week culminated with a workshop session in which a biblical text was studied and discussed with an eye toward coming up with specific ideas on how to preach on that text.

Social times were also an important part of the Oasis. Most of the participants stayed at Calvin's on-campus conference center and so shared breakfast together. Every day the whole group gathered for lunch, and on two of the evenings the Oasis group enjoyed dinner out at local restaurants.

Feedback from the pastors indicated that they enjoyed the time away, benefited from the group discussions, and forged some new friendships that will hopefully last for many years to come!