Disaster Response Team ‘Lumberjacks’ Helped Clear Hurricane-Hit Town
More people of Valdosta, GA, can repair their homes after Northern Illinois Conference’s early response volunteers removed fallen trees in that area.
Location: Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus, 2710 S. Country Club Road, Woodstock, IL
![2022 Cpres Retreat]()
Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus
Sunday, September 11, 6:00 pm - Tuesday, September 13, 12:00 pm Noon
Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus
2710 S. Country Club Road, Woodstock, IL
Cost: $250 per person
Includes registration fee, single occupancy, private room and bath, and all meals)
If you attended and paid the full registration fee for the 2021 CPRES Retreat and would like to attend the 2022 Retreat, the cost is $200 ($50 discount).
Open to United Methodist clergy in the Northern IL Conference. Space is limited.
CPRES (Clergy Peer Reflection & Engagement Series) was created for clergy. The premise is simple offer a brave space for clergy to have the difficult conversations about racism without fear of judgement, condemnation, and always in a spirit of understanding. It is designed to build a beloved community, willing to share from deep within their hearts. Participants will spend 3 days and two nights at the retreat, building community through worship, Eucharist, spiritual renewal, and holy conversations in small groups.
Spiritual renewal sessions and small group leaders will be Rev. Dr. Regina Davis-Bridges and Rev. Jenny Weber.
Personal reflection and soul work will be presented by Dr. Richard Guzman, Professor Emeritus from North Central College and Dr. Hendrik Pieterse, Associate Professor of Global Christianity and Intercultural Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary.
Retreat participants must complete and turn in the attached COVID-19 Self Certification Form at the front desk of the Retreat Center during check-in.
Registrants are encouraged to take advantage of the Accountable Reimbursement if they have it. Otherwise, there are some funds available through the Board of Ordained Ministry.
Although not required, those attending the 2022 CPRES Retreat are encouraged to read The Color of Compromise: The Truth about the American Church’s Complicity in Racism by Jemar Tisby, prior to the beginning of the retreat. We will not have a book discussion but there will be time for Q&A about the book during the retreat. The book is also an excellent resource for sermon preparation and/or a congregation book study.
2 CEU credits will be available for those completing the retreat and the 5 follow-up small group discussions.
If questions or assistance are needed, please contact Rev. Jarrod Severing, CPRES Chair, at jarrod.severing@gmail.com or Amania Drane, Project Manager at adrane@umcnic.org.
Speaker Bios
Rev. Dr. Regina Davis-Bridges
Rev. Dr. Regina Davis-Bridges (Spiritual renewal sessions and small group leader)
Regina Davis-Bridges is an Ordained UM Deacon and a licensed Clinical Social Worker. She is in private practice ministry at Light for the Path Spiritual Clinical Counseling Services. She received degrees from University of Illinois—Urbana-Champaign (Psychology), a Masters in Psychology from UI—Chicago, an M.A. in Educational Administration from Governors State University, an M.A. from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from National-Louis University.
Dr. Richard Guzman
Dr. Richard Guzman (Personal reflection and soul work leader)
Richard Guzman is professor emeritus at North Central College where he taught, and still occasionally teaches, courses in English, Leadership, Race & Ethnicity, and others. He is a published poet, composer, and writer, one of his books being Black Writing from Chicago: In the World, Not of It? For many years he has worked in homeless shelters, and is involved with his family's foundation, Emmanuel House (now The Neighbor Project), which seeks to stabilize families and shrink the wealth gap through education and home own-ership. He is a member of Friendship United Methodist Church. His website is richardrguzman.com.
Dr. Hendrik Pieters
Dr. Hendrik Pieters (Personal reflection and soul work leader)
Henk Pieterse is Associate Professor of Global Chris-tianity and Intercultural Theology at Garrett-Evangelical Theologi-cal Seminary. He is a native of Namibia, a country northwest of South Africa. He grew up during the years of apartheid—the brutal system of racial oppression in force in South Africa and Namibia at the time. He moved to the United States in 1982 for graduate work, after which he taught at a multiracial theological college in Port Elizabeth, South Africa, from 1986-1990. He and his family returned to the United States in 1990.
Rev. Jenny Weber
Rev. Jenny Weber (Spiritual renewal sessions and small group leader)
A native Nebraskan, Jenny Weber has served in Northern Illinois since 1999 after receiving an MDiv from Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary and completing a CPE residency at what was then Rush University Medical Center. Between college and seminary, Jenny was a young adult missionary (a US-2) with the General Board of Global Ministries, serving at The Mary Elizabeth Inn, a residence for women in transition and crisis, in San Francisco. That experience a well as interning at Broadway UMC and participating in the ACTS Urban CPE program led Jenny to commit to radically inclusive ministry to all people. Jenny has served urban, rural and suburban congregations. In 2017 she and her husband founded New Morning Retreat Center in Hampshire where they can use their gift of hospitality and offer their expertise in spiritual disciplines. This past July Jenny began serving First and Zion UMC’s in Hampshire. She has a newly graduated son, Spencer, a Beagle mix rescue dog, Ranger and over 60 chickens. Jenny loves to garden, quilt, knit and make music. Jenny holds an A.A. from Cottey College and a B.A. from Hood College and loves learning.
Clergy Peer Reflection & Engagement Series Purpose Statement
Vision: The conviction that racism is incompatible with Christian teaching will be embodied in all United Methodist congregations in the Northern Illinois Conference.
Mission: To help clergy live out, in word and deed, the work of anti-racism.
The Anti-Racism Task Force (ARTF) affirms that “Racism is incompatible with Christian teaching.” Racism was introduced into the United States by persons of European heritage and has had a devastating effect upon generations for more than 500 years. This has impacted people physically, economically, socially, emotionally, and spiritually.
God commands us to “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind,” and to “love your neighbor as yourself.” The ARTF has created the “Clergy Peer Reflection & Engagement Series” (CPRES) to help pastors address the sin of racism. CPRES seeks to:
- Affirm and strengthen the covenant relationship among clergy by creating an intentional, courageous, and safe space where conversations regarding racial injustice and healing can happen.
- Learn about the history, stories, and trauma done to communities of color due to racism.
- Build solidarity with peers who are marginalized because of race, ethnicity, and languages.
- Create opportunities for clergy to learn from and listen to each other.
- Implement the next steps to help local congregations start and/or continue conversations and engage in informed actions within the local church and community.