“Grounded in Grace”
April (27)28-30, 2023 – Camp-of-the-Woods, NY
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to
1 Peter 4:10-11
serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its
various forms. If anyone speaks [and writes], they should do so as
one who speaks the very words of God.
(schedule subject to change)
Downloadable pdf of the schedule is available here.
THURSDAY, APRIL 27 – PRE RETREAT
| Start | End | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 p.m. | 5 p.m. | Check-in | Front Desk |
| 4 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Free Time | Various Locations |
| 4 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Writing Time | Buirkle Center |
| 5:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | Dinner | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 7:30 p.m. | 8:00 p.m. | Evening Prayers with Rachel Britton and Jennifer Drummond | Purdy Center Lobby |
FRIDAY, April 28 – PRE RETREAT
| Start | End | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 a.m. | 8:00 a.m. | Coffee and light breakfast | Location given on arrival |
| 8:00 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | Morning Prayer with Jennifer Drummond and Melanie Chitwood | Purdy Center Lobby |
| 8:00 a.m. | 8:30 a.m. | Morning Prayer Walk with Maggie Wallem Rowe | Meet in Purdy Center Lobby |
| 8:30 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. | Headshot Appointments (optional) with photographer Marla Darius | Click here to book |
| 9:30 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. | Exercise by the Lake (gym if raining) with Vicki Heath and Mary Ward | Lakeside/Gym |
| 9 a.m. | 4 p.m. | Free Time | Various Locations |
| 9 a.m. | 4 p.m. | Writing Time | Buirkle Center |
| 11 a.m. | 12 p.m. | Brunch | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 2:00 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. | Early Bird Workshops Holy Habits of Writers and Speakers – Dr. Stephen Macchia Platform Development for Communicators – Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith How to Write an Engaging Devotion – Melanie Chitwood Four Keys to Writing Bible Studies – Tessa Afshar | See Workshop List |
FRIDAY, April 28 – MAIN RETREAT
| Start | End | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. | Check-In | Front Desk |
| 2 p.m. | 3:15 p.m. | Early Bird Workshops: Holy Habits of Writers and Speakers – Dr. Stephen Macchia Platform Development for Communicators – Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith How to Write an Engaging Devotion – Melanie Chitwood Four Keys to Writing Bible Studies – Tessa Afshar | See Workshop List |
| 2 p.m. | 3 p.m. | Lakeside stretching (Gym if raining) with Vicki Heath and Mary Ward | Lakeside/Gym |
| 3 p.m. | 4 p.m. | reNEW Book Table | Buirkle Center |
| 4 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Welcome with co-director Rachel Britton Book Celebration with Rachel Britton and Maggie Wallem Rowe Keynote: “Grounded in Grace” Rachel Britton | Buirkle Center |
| 5:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | Dinner | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 6:45 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | Worship + more Keynote: “Practicing a Preference for God” Dr. Stephen Macchia | Buirkle Center |
| 8:30 p.m. | 9 p.m. | reNEW Book Table | Buirkle Center |
| 9 p.m. | 10 p.m. | Night Owl Sessions: The Business of Writing & Speaking – Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith A Plan for Mental and Spiritual Resilience in Writing – Lori Roeleveld | Larsen Lodge & PC Social Hall |
SATURDAY, April 29 – MAIN RETREAT
| Start | End | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Coffee | Purdy Lobby | |
| 7:15 a.m. | 8 a.m. | Morning Prayer with Jennifer Drummond | Purdy Center Lobby |
| 7:30 a.m. | 8 a.m. | Morning Prayer Walk with Mary Ward | Meet in Purdy Center Lobby |
| 8 a.m. | 9 a.m. | Breakfast | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 9 a.m. | 12 p.m. | Writing Time | Buirkle Center |
| 9:15 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. | Workshops: Holy Habits of Writers and Speakers* (repeat) – Dr. Stephen Macchia How to Revise and Edit Your Manuscript for Publication* – Melanie Chitwood The Prevalence, Power, and Possibility of ‘Short Writes’ – Lori Roeleveld 7 Essentials for Speakers – Maggie Wallem Rowe Fundamentals of Fiction Writing – Heidi Chiavaroli Engage Your Target Market with Podcasts and Livestreams – Dr.Saundra Dalton-Smith | See Workshop List |
| 10:45 a.m. | 12 p.m. | Workshops: Writing a Page-Turning Novel – Tessa Afshar How to Write an Engaging Devotion* (repeat) – Melanie Chitwood Nuts and Bolts of Non-Fiction Book Proposals* – Lori Roeleveld Platform Development for Communicators* (repeat) – Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith Training for the Sport of Writing and Speaking – Vicki Heath and Mary Ward Secrets of Self-Publishing* (repeat) – Rachel Britton and Heidi Chiavaoli | See Workshop List |
| 12 p.m. | 1 p.m. | Lunch | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 1:15 p.m. | 2:15 p.m. | Keynote/Drama: “A Visit with Amy Carmichael” Maggie Wallem Rowe | Buirkle Center |
| 2:15 p.m. | 3:15 p.pm | reNEW Book Table | Buirkle Center |
| 2:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Free Time/Recreation Options | Various Locations |
| 2:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Writing Time | Buirkle Center |
| 2:30 p.m. | 3:30 p.m. | Lakeside Dance Blast (Gym if raining) with Vicki Heath and Mary Ward | Lakeside/Gym |
| 2:30 p.m. | 5:30 p.m. | Headshot Appointments (optional) with photographer Marla Darius | Click here to book |
| 5:30 p.m. | 6:30 p.m. | Group Photo/Banquet Dinner | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 6:45 p.m. | 8:30 p.m. | Worship + more Keynote: “Rest in Your Calling” Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith | Buirkle Center |
| 8:30 p.m. | 9 p.m. | reNEW Book Table | Buirkle Center |
| 9 p.m. | 10 p.m. | Night Owl Session: Let’s Talk About Digital Products, Lead Magnets, and Amazon Affiliates – Julie Kieras | Larsen Lodge & PC Social Hall |
SUNDAY, April 30 – MAIN RETREAT
| Start | End | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 a.m. | Coffee | Purdy Center Lobby | |
| 7:15 a.m. | 8 a.m. | Morning Prayer with Jennifer Drummond and Cindy Saab | Purdy Center Lobby |
| 7:30 a.m. | 8 a.m. | Morning Prayer Walk with Vicki Heath | Meet in Purdy Center Lobby |
| 8 a.m. | 9 a.m. | Breakfast | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 9 a.m. | 10:45 a.m. | Writing Time | Buirkle Center |
| 9:15 a.m. | 10:30 a.m. | Workshops: Grow Your Speaking Ministry – Maggie Wallem Rowe How to Use Scripture Correctly in Your Manuscript – Melanie Chitwood Secrets of Self-Publishing* (repeat) – Rachel Britton and Heidi Chiavaroli Nuts and Bolts of Non-Fiction Book Proposals* (repeat) – Lori Roeleveld | See Workshop List |
| 10:45 a.m. | 12 p.m. | Worship Service + more Sermon – Tessa Afshar “For Such A Time As This: Learning to Navigate the Seasons of the Writing Life” Communion with Tessa Afshar, Rachel Britton and Jennifer Drummond | Buirkle Center |
| 12 p.m. | 12:30 p.m. | Book Table Closeout | Buirkle Center |
| 12:15 p.m. | Shuttle leaves for Albany airport | Front of Purdy Office | |
| 12:30 p.m. | 1:30 p.m. | Takeway Lunch | Purdy Center Dining Room |
| 1:30 p.m. | 2:30 p.m. | Checkout & Safe Travels! | Front Desk |