2024 SD Synod Candidacy Retreat

2024 South Dakota Synod Candidacy Retreat

The SD Synod Candidacy Committee and Candidates for Ministry gather together once a year in retreat. The 2024 Candidacy Retreat will be held April 12-13 at Spirit of Joy Lutheran Church (2208 W. LaQuinta Street) in Sioux Falls. Thank you for your commitment to participating in the retreat. It is free of cost to you. We gather for the purpose of worshiping and praying together, building relationships with one another, and learning and asking questions about candidacy.

This year’s retreat will welcome the expertise of Sarah Vining (MSW, CSW-PIP, QMHP) and Angela Hummel (LPC-MH), as we focus on the Candidacy competency of “wellness.” Structured and unstructured social time have also been built into this retreat. You will notice from the agenda that our closing time together will be spent worshiping and eating with Church on the Street. Normally, this retreat is held at a place we all can stay overnight, but given the time of year, we will hold the retreat in Sioux Falls. What that means is everyone will be housed in different locations, so the intentionality of our time together will be our focus. If you have friends or family in Sioux Falls you wish to stay with, we encourage that. If you need a hotel room, please indicate that in the registration, as well as whether or not you are willing to share a hotel room with another person. We will have reimbursement forms for mileage you can fill out, and meals will be provided. If you have any questions leading up to the retreat, or if you have a conflict and cannot make the retreat, please let us know. We’re looking forward to being together this spring!

Dates: April 12, 2024 – April 13, 2024
Time: Beginning at 9:00 AM on Friday (CT) and ending on Saturday at 1:00 PM (CT).

Registration closes on April 1, 2024.

RSVP below. There is no cost for this event.

PLEASE FILL OUT THIS HOUSING INFORMATION FORM – your responses are needed to make sure all attendees have access to housing for the event.

Questions? Contact Pastor Renee Splichal Larson, Associate to the Bishop, at rsplichallarson@sdsynod.org or call 605-274-4024.

About the Speakers:

Sarah Vining (MSW, CSW-PIP, QMHP) is the founder of Worthy Well Empowered LLC (Worthy WE) and a social worker in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.   She is passionate about sharing mental wellness skills through practical applications that we can all use in our everyday lives.  This passion led her to become a certified teacher in the Community Resiliency Model (CRM) in 2020.  This biological model empowers us with simple wellness skills to regulate our nervous system and get us back into our resilient zone where we are more calm, focused, and functioning as our best self.  Sarah loves to share this model, utilizing it with students, families, in professional workshops, and with herself and her own family.  Sarah resides in Sioux Falls with her husband and two children.

Angie Hummel is a licensed mental health professional and certified spiritual director. Much of her work has taken place at the intersection of psychology, spirituality, education, social justice, and emerging adulthood. She values the way that counseling and spiritual direction invite deeper listening and bearing witness to experiences and stories deserving of dignity and time. In her current role as the mental health and wellness specialist at Augustana, she wears a variety of hats while prioritizing the well-being of students. No day is boring! Angie completed her clinical mental health and spiritual direction education and training in Portland, OR, at Lewis & Clark and the Urban Spirituality Center.

The Retreat Schedule:

Friday, April 12

8:30-9:00       Gather
9:00-9:15       Introductions of people and space
9:15-9:45       Morning Prayer
9:45-10:45     Session I: Sarah Vining – “Resilience & Resourcing”
10:45-11:00    Grounding Meditation
11:00-12:00    Wellness stations and one-on-one time
12:00-12:30    Lunch
12:30-1:30      Session II: Angela Hummel – “Rituals, Relationships, Rejoice”
1:30-2:00       Travel time
2:00-3:30      Choice Time:  Empire Bowl [3800 S Westport Ave; Sioux Falls] OR Buff City Soap [4025 W 41st Street Sioux Falls]

3:30-4:00       Travel time
4:00-5:00       Panel of first-call pastors/deacons
5:00-6:00       Supper
6:00-6:30       Evening prayer
6:30-8:00       Wellness stations and social time

Saturday, April 13

8:30-9:00       Coffee and Arrival/Gathering
9:00-9:10       Devotions
9:10-9:30       Krista Anderson – Candidacy
9:30-10:00    Affinity Groups (Entranced, anticipating CPE; Endorsed, anticipating internship; Approaching approval; First call)
10:00-10:30   Travel time
10:30-11:00   Arrive at multi-cultural center [515 N Main Ave] 11:00-11:45    Worship with Church on the Street
11:45-12:30   Lunch with Church on the Street
12:30-1:00    Wrap up and farewell