Category Archives: Retreats

Resilient Woman Retreat Sponsored by Presbyterian Women

UPDATE 8/9/2023 – Date corrections for both events

FELLOWSHIP | CONNECTION | INSPIRATION

Resilient Woman Retreat

October 6, 2023 from 7 pm to 9 pm and
October 7, 2023 from 8:30 am to 3 pm
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, WHEATON, IL

October 27, 2023 from 7 pm to 9 pm and
October 28, 2023 from 8:30 am to 3 pm,
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, DANVILLE, IL

For more information and to register to go: https://www.intentionalenergy3.com/general-8

We invite you to step away from the everyday, take a break and join us at the
Resilient Woman retreat as we explore the stories of resilient women from the
Bible, the enduring legacies they left behind, our own spiritual journeys and the
impact they have made on the world.

Together we will:

Ignite the spirit of togetherness among women by sharing our stories and lives
with other women of faith
Take a look at the stories of the women in the Old Testament whose legacy is
an example for us today
Explore our own journeys and legacies and their impact on the world around
us
Align with what God is calling us to do today through spiritual practices
Worship together

SPONSORED BY THE SYNOD OF LINCOLN TRAILS PRESBYTERIAN WOMEN
YOU ARE INVITED!

Pyoca Update

PASTORAL RESPITE

Pyoca is on a path to re-opening our doors, beginning in mid-July.

Our soft opening will start with overnight respite for Presbytery of Ohio Valley and Whitewater Valley Presbytery ministers and chaplains. Each pastor (immediate family is welcome to join) will be housed in their own cabin, either the Poplar Apartment or Oak/Cedar cabins. Guests will be responsible for their own meals. Dates and cabins will be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis. Stays are of no cost to pastors, made possible with the generous support of both presbyteries.

Pyoca is following enhanced cleaning procedures set fourth by the CDC, and additionally, air purifiers have been installed in all cabins.

Call Pyoca at (812) 358-3413 or email molly@nullpyoca.org for more details and to reserve your visit today.

A Message from Mike & Molly:
We want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for your continued support of camp in this season. It has been incredibly strange for us to be at camp without hearing the melodious sounds of campers laughing, singing, and lifting up their prayers to God.

That said, working on Camp to You has been such a joy. We have loved seeing pictures of campers and their families opening their boxes, making their tie-dye shirts, and getting a bit of camp at home.

In total, we were able to send out nearly 300 boxes to campers and alumni with this program. We are incredibly grateful to our four summer staff Eli, Ethan, Kari, and Abigail who were able to help us make this program a reality.

We are still at work with our board discerning how to open safely in the coming weeks. In the meantime, we are committed to staying connected virtually through all of our social media platforms.

If you haven’t already, be sure to subscribe to our YouTube channel,
Pyoca Camp and Retreat Center, where you can watch devotionals that go along with this summer’s camp theme, craft and outdoor cooking tutorials, silly songs, and more.

This Summer of Sanctuary is unlike any other we have had in 68 years, and it is one we are likely never to forget. You are missed. You are loved. We can’t wait to see you.

The peace of Christ be with you,

Mike Davis, Senior Director
Rev. Molly DeWitt, Program Director

Pyoca Women’s Retreat: May 3-5, 2019

Rest, relax, renew.

Join us this May as we grow into spring with our women’s retreat
Flow & Grow: Creative Respite held at Pyoca May 3rd – 5th, 2019.

There is no expectation of perfection; we merely seek Sabbath and connection.

Our philosophy is that art & yoga allow us to connect to God and one another through the movement of the Holy Spirit. Over the course of the weekend each woman will discover her innate sense of creativity and discern the movement of the Spirit in her life.

For more Information | To Register

Hope & Clarity: Recharge Your Spirit

Ready for a reset? Just in time for summer, Hope & Clarity: Recharge Your Spirit will be offered June 2-4, 2019 in Peoria, IL. This is your chance to join female colleagues in ministry for about 40 hours of relaxing, re-energizing and restoring. We’ll begin with a reception Sunday night at 7 pm Central, and end on Tuesday morning by 11 am Central.

We can’t promise that you’ll leave the retreat irrevocably transformed, but our intention is that you will leave strengthened, refreshed, and more connected with your self and with others.

We have a great hotel reserved for about 40 women.

We’ll begin there Sunday night at 7 pm Central for hors d’oeuvres and drinks, and informal conversation. Then we invite you to get a good night’s sleep.

On Monday (all day) and Tuesday (morning only) we’ll meet on the 12 beautiful acres of United Presbyterian Church. We’ll have small and large group discussion, worship and individual reflection time. All the things.

Drs. Caroline Burke and Krista Redlinger-Grosse will facilitate our time together.

Revs. Sue Krummel and Sara Dingman will host us.

The Synod of Lincoln Trails is directing its financial resources toward this event, regardless of your presbytery membership, so that YOU can enjoy the resources of ONE ANOTHER. You must be a PC(USA) teaching elder or certified ruling elder/commissioned lay pastor, in good standing, to attend. Whether the setting in which you serve is a congregation, a hospital, a university or college, or another missional organization, we welcome you.

Total cost to you, for two nights’ lodging and all food and conference fees, is $50 if you share a hotel room, and $150 if you’d like your own hotel room. This fee is non-refundable beginning May 1st. Some partial scholarships are available – contact Sara for more details.

Spaces are limited and registration will go live on April 1st. We are asking that colleagues from synods beyond SOLT wait until April 10th to register.

We are proud to subsidize $250+ of the actual cost per partipicant, for all participants regardless of synod membership. We are stronger together.

For logistical questions, contact Wynesia (wynesia@nulllincolntrails.org). For other questions, contact Sara (sara@nulllincolntrails.org).

October News from PYOCA

Friends of PYOCA,

This fall has been extremely busy at Pyoca which is great news! We’ve hosted many retreats including large church groups, high schools, and non-proft organizations. Many volunteer work groups have helped us continue to tear down the rustic cabins, spruce up the grounds, and deep cleen the facilities. Without volunteers, Pyoca wouldn’t be able to offer its outstanding ministry programs at our current level. A big thanks to our volunteers!

Pyoca High School Conference
On Oct 7-9, 70 youth and 20 adult leaders/volunteers joined us for our second ever Pyoca High School Conference. Rev. Mihee Kim-Kort delivered the keynotes themed “This is My Story” and Rev. Jorge Sayago-Gonzalez lead inspiring worship. The keynotes and small group discussions delved into stories of Jesus being the light of the world, the good shepherd, the true vine, and the bread of life. On Saturday night, Jorge and the Louisville-based music outfit, Mundo Brew, played originals and covers, while conference attendees danced and sang, roasted marshmallows, and shared stories around the campfire.

One adult leader said this about the conference, “Our youth truly had a transformative experience. The entire ride back, as well as during our brief stop for lunch, the youth spent their time sharing story after story with me how much they enjoyed the conference. Their experience at PYOCA was one in which they were affirmed as individuals while also being challenged to push themselves outside of their typical comfort zones. They left feeling energized about their faith.”

The Pyoca Yurt Project Fundraiser
On Sept. 10, we had over 70 friends of Pyoca attend our Rustic Cabin Party. Many shared stories and memories from the 65 summers these cabins were a part of Pyoca’s camp ministry. From the silent auction, we were able to raised over $3,200 for the new rustic yurt cabins! Thanks to all those who have donated and/or pledged.

2017 Summer Camp
Check out the Pyoca website for our 2017 summer camp schedule! Registration will go live in November so be sure to sign up soon!

Next month will mark my two year anniversary as executive director of Pyoca. I continue to be grateful everyday for this place and for Pyoca’s community. I appreciate your continued support of our ministry, our staff, and the whole Pyoca family.

Grace and peace,
Rev. Dr. R. Jacob Hofmeister

GLAPCE Event – Still Waters Fall Retreat

Come to Still Waters

Everyone, especially church leaders, need a still moment to be restored, renewed, and refreshed to create new life in our ministry.

The GLAPCE team has created an event to allow all of these important things to happen, as well as time for fellowship, sabbath, discovering new resources and new friends.

We welcome you to join us for the Still Waters Fall Retreat
October 18-20 at the Geneva Center in Rochester, IN.

Click here for more details and here to register

Summary of Presbyterian Youth Triennium

The 2016 Presbyterian Youth Triennium took place 7/19-7/23 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, Indiana. Twenty-two youth and four adults from the Presbytery of Ohio Valley made the trip. Below are some short summaries of what Triennium was like for some of our participants:

“Triennium was really awesome! Worship was really fun and we learned a lot from the sermons! I really enjoyed trading pins and recreation! The Pause Prayer Center was also really cool! My best memory of Triennium is Friday night, where everybody threw glowsticks in the air once it got to the chorus of Fireworks by Katy Perry! The food was also amazing!”

— Samuel Ford

“This was my second time at PYT and my experience was just as wonderful but very different from last time. I loved that we bonded much more as a delegation this year and I made so many friends that I want to stay in touch with for a long time. Also the pastors who spoke were so incredible and empowering. After this experience I feel much stronger in my faith. I wish I could keeping going!”

— Hannah Frey

“It was a whole new experience just like the first time I went. I got to meet new people with different views and backgrounds and sometimes and completely different perspective than mine. It was and will be one of the greatest experiences I have ever had the privilege of having.”

— Alec Hooker

“Hey this is Zoe! Oh geez describe Triennium in a few sentences that’s hard. Triennium this year was a way different experience than 3 years ago, this year I strengthened my faith and got some answers to questions that could only be answered through God. Not to mention I met many wonderful people that I am still keeping in touch with on a daily! This Triennium is the one I will never forget!”

— Zoe Pierce

“It was awesome. It was hot. My favorite memory is bowling with 4 youth down in the bowling alley at the student union. It is great for students to see speakers from across the country about relevant and compelling topics. I also loved that they were able to have bible studies in groups. It would have been nice if they were smaller, but it was great they were still able to do a bible study over what the session talk was about instead of just hearing at the main session.”

— Connor Scanlon, adult advisor

“I thought the 2013 Triennium was amazing. Then I went to the 2016 Triennium. I was nervous that I was expecting more out of it than what I was actually going to get, and boy was I wrong. It was incredible! I would go once a month, if that was even possible! Not only did I form lifelong friendships with people from all over the country, but I also grew in my relationship with God. I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything in the world.”

— Crimson Tennis

“This was my second experience at Triennium and I can say that it was enriching and wonderful as the last time. Worship again opened my ears, eyes, and heart to what God wanted me to hear and carry out into the world. The members of our delegation are certainly welcoming and accepting and that created an even better experience.”

— Alysa Epperson

“The generation with whom I spent this past week is not, as some believe, selfish, always on their phone, apathetic and without valid opinions. Instead, I saw firsthand how compassionate, connected and convicted they are, with an amazing worldview to offer us all. Also, they exemplified the diversity, welcome, and passion of that early Church we read about in the Acts of the Apostles. They are not our future. We need them now. For as adults argue and debate, these youth not only will be but are now the generation of change.”

— Allen Colwell, adult advisor

Triennium Travelers For more, read the articles on the PC(USA) website or check out the Triennium Facebook page that chronicled the 5 day event!