Fall Retreats Make Space for Conversation about Grief
The Louisiana NOW podcast is hosted by Todd Rossnagel, produced by William Willoughby and sponsored by The United Methodist Foundation of Louisiana.
The podcast features news, opportunities and witness of the Louisiana Conference.
You can listen to all of their podcasts and more at www.la-umc.org/podcast.
Clergy are expected to share the burden of others’ grief as well as the collective grief of the institutions we serve. In the midst of caring for others, how can we make space for tending our own souls?
Tending grief is an essential wellbeing practice for ministry leaders in every season, and especially in response to the last several years of leadership in the church. Thanks to the commitment toward clergy care and healing from annual conference leaders in Louisiana and Texas, Vicki will offer six retreats this fall.
During these one-day coach approach retreats, participants will have the opportunity to reflect on their personal experiences of loss and transition as well as the needs of the congregations they serve. Among those present, we will share ideas and resources to help create personal and congregational rituals for mourning. We will consider the power of practices modeled on lament psalms. We will reflect together on the potential benefits and positive outcomes for clergy and for congregations when we practice grieving well.
Take a few minutes and listen to this podcast in preparation for the first grief retreat, sponsored by the Louisiana Conference of the United Methodist Church. If you are interested in knowing more about offering a coach approach grief retreat for the clergy of your diocese or annual conference, please reach out to us.