A great blessing for me was to be invited as spiritual director for the 22nd annual conference for persons living with HIV and AIDS sponsored by Province IV of the Episcopal Church (mostly dioceses in the south and southeast). It was held June 7-9 2013 at the gorgeous Kanuga Conference Center, Hendersonville, North Carolina, just minutes from Asheville. It was billed as a "spirit filled weekend of hope, music and rejuvenation." My experience with the several hundred others who were there (mostly non-Episcopal Church members from as far away as Tuscon) was that this billing was right on target. This conference represented a setting where people who carry big and heavy burdens are able to kick back and let God work in life-giving ways. For many of these persons who get to travel only rarely, the conference is described as transformative. Just a word about how it is structured: There are regular worship services. The speaker was the Rev. Roger Hayes who preached powerful messages that brought the crowd to their feet with clapping and amens. There were workshops (reiiki, mask making, Anglican prayer beads and even one on spiritual direction. There was a hugely popular talent show and ice cream social. And lots of free time to meet people, walk in the mountains and let silence take over. Here are some pictures. FYI, everyone in the pics signed a consent form to have them used on the internet or in publications. The pictures speak for themselves and so not many captions.
1 Comment
Rey
11/3/2013 04:26:56 am
hey Dan! great job with everything you're doing and accomplishing. keep up the great work!
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March 2023
AuthorDan Hoffman is an Indianapolis USA based spiritual director, supervisor of spiritual directors, and workshop/retreat leader. This occasional blog discusses things he is thinking about and wants to share. Comments are always welcome. |