"Imaginative Reading for Creative Preaching" held at Snow Mountain Ranch, Colorado
June 23-27, 2008
Led by Neal Plantinga and Scott Hoezee
This seminar helped to realize a longstanding dream of the Center for Excellence in Preaching: namely, to structure an event that would benefit not only busy pastors by providing them with a high-quality continuing education event but to offer also a kind of mini-sabbatical and period of recreation for whole families. Being a pastor is one of the busiest of professions. Pastors sacrifice many evenings each week for church meetings and they spend every weekend—and certainly every Sunday—working diligently. Such a schedule can be hard on families. This summer seminar at the YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch two hours of west of Denver provided pastors and their families with a chance to be together in ways we hoped would be restorative for everyone.
Figure 1: Seminar Group in Morning Session
The feedback we received indicates the seminar succeeded mightily! The Center received almost two-and-a-half times more applications than there were available seminar spots. In the end twenty pastors were chosen, most of whom have been in ministry for between five and ten years and so most of whom have young children who accompanied their parents into the Rocky Mountains for a week of wonderful experiences in a most beautiful parts of God’s creation.
The families arrived on Sunday afternoon, June 22, and had a brief get-acquainted time that evening at Snow Mountain’s "Indian Peaks Lodge" where the pastors, their families, and the seminar leaders all stayed for the week. Starting on Monday morning, the seminar met from 8:45 until noon. Each day began with a time of "Morning Prayers" led by various members of the seminar. Following this, discussions were led by Calvin Seminary President Neal Plantinga and CEP Director Scott Hoezee. Six months prior to the seminar in Colorado, each participating pastor had been sent a shipment of books to read in advance of the meeting. Each day the group pondered a different form of writing or literature, discussing together how preaching can be enriched when pastors engage in a regular program of reading as widely as they can.
Among the works studied were John Steinbeck’s classic The Grapes of Wrath, Marilynne Robinson’s recent Pulitzer Prize-winning novel Gilead, and also a collection of some of the best essays written in the twentieth century. Two of the days were led by guest presenters from the English Department at Calvin College. Gary Schmidt is the author of numerous books for children and adolescents and recently won back-to-back Newbery Medals for his novels Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy and The Wednesday Wars. Gary led the seminar group in a consideration of what preachers can learn from excellent books written for children and youth as well as in a discussion of Gary’s own award-winning books, which seminar participants had read ahead of time. Susan Felch led a discussion on how regular exposure to poetry can shape a preacher’s appreciation for language and enhance the preacher’s ability to wield the tool of language to best effect. Susan used the poetry of Robert Frost and Jane Kenyon as examples of excellence in poetry.
Figure 2 and 3: Gary Schmidt and Susan Felch Lead Seminar
But the morning seminar meetings were only one part of the week. The rest of the time was "free time" for the pastors to spend with their families, exploring the vast environs of Snow Mountain Ranch as well as of the nearby Rocky Mountain National Park. Many children (and their parents!) were awed by seeing moose and elk for the first time as numerous herds of these majestic animals could be seen grazing in the meadows of the National Park. Hikes on the trails of Snow Mountain Ranch and in the park also provided soaring vistas of mountains and the spectacle of rushing mountain waterfalls even as the upper reaches of the mountains were still packed with over seven feet of snow in some places.
Figure 2 and 3: Gary Schmidt and Susan Felch Lead Seminar
The YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch provided a perfect environment for this family-oriented week. Snow Mountain Ranch provides comfortable rooms that accommodate up to six people each with each room having a private bathroom. All meals are provided as part of the package in the Ranch’s spacious dining hall. Additionally, numerous activities abound for children, including an indoor swimming pool, a mini-golf course, a large craft shop, an activities center, and numerous hiking trails.
Figure 4: Families in the Snow Mountain Dining Hall
Without exception, the participants and their families—a group of nearly 100 people in all—said that not only was the seminar itself a rich environment for learning but the opportunity to take a true family vacation in that part of the world was an experience they will long cherish.
Below are some of the comments made by those who participated in the Snow Mountain event:
Thank you for blessing my family through this conference. My family has often been asked to help pay the price of ministry (I have asked them or the church has asked them or people have just expected it from them). This was an occasion to be blessed by being a pastor’s family. I think we derived more than expected pleasure from interaction with the other families.
Figure 5: Snow Mountain Seminar Group
Everything was great. Because my family was with me, very different kinds of mealtime conversation happened than I usually am involved in at continuing ed events. Because we sat with people that the family wanted to sit with, that made for interesting new connections. From a family perspective it was a wonderful week. And certainly my wife appreciated that there was enforced family time (afternoons and evenings). I have never been to a continuing ed event that was as intentional as this one was about family time.
I read a number of books that I otherwise would not have read. It encouraged me to break out of my normal routine of reading church leadership and theology books. I also appreciated the discussion that happened in the conference. It clarified my understanding of the various novels or types of literature. The guest presenters were terrific. Scott and Neal did a very nice job of facilitating discussions and adding their own valuable insights. In addition to the conference per se, I enjoyed the opportunity to build relationships with peers in the afternoons and evenings over meals and in just hanging out. The chance to be at a conference with my family was a real blessing. My kids had a blast. The scenery was awesome.
Figure 6: Snow Mountain Seminar Families
I appreciated the level of respect the presenters showed for those in attendance. The seminar was led in an atmosphere of mutual learning, not a top-down approach of the presenters dispensing information to us. I believe this was a reason everyone was so eager to participate in the discussions. I was impressed with the level of preparation and class Scott and Neal displayed, as well as the content of the seminars.
Thank you so much for supporting the Imaginative Reading for Creative Preaching conference at Snow Mountain Ranch this summer. My husband and I attended as a clergy couple, along with our two children. We had a wonderfully relaxing and enriching week together. It is unusual to find a conference that supports our calling as pastors AND our calling as parents, so it was such a joy to participate in this seminar. Thank you for hosting this wonderful week. We created great memories and it will have a lasting impression on our ministry and our family!
God be praised! This was a wonderful event for me – it was just what I needed to recharge the batteries and get enthused about ministry again. I’ve set some reading goals now and hope to do more reading in the future, including of poetry and essays. It was also good to get pastoral insights from so many. Thanks for the way you guys put this thing together and carried it out with grace and insight.
I have been telling everyone about the seminar in Colorado! It was so good for my soul to have had that experience—that GIFT—in the mountains. I am so grateful to have received a spot in such a creative endeavor. Thank you for all the work you did in preparation and hospitality. My family had such a wonderful time and we are so very thankful.
The mornings were filled with excellent discussions and thought-provoking presentations. Director Hoezee and President Plantinga came prepared each day to lead us on an expedition through literature which promised to make us better preachers. The professors from Calvin College continued this first-rate tour. By the end of the week, I had a greater appreciation for the breadth of literature we explored as well as a commitment to utilize these resources in order to become the best preacher I can be. I also cannot say how grateful my family is for the opportunities this workshop afforded us. This week gave us an opportunity to reconnect as a couple and to spend invaluable time with our children. I have attended nearly a dozen workshops and seminars on preaching in the last five years. Without a question, this seminar was the most formative and helpful. Thank you again!