“The Spirit and the bride say, “Come!” And let the one who hears say, “Come!” Let the one who is thirsty come; and let the one who wishes take the free gift of the water of life. ~ Revelation 22:17
Young Adult Fall Retreat
Join us as we explore what it means to Drink Freely the “gift of the water of life”. We are getting back to our Wesleyan roots, taking a new approach to engaging in this retreat. Through clergy lead small groups, we will discover how God’s grace is present in our lives, what it means to share God’s grace with others, and how our free will plays into it all. Over the weekend we will spend time in worship lead by Dave Roberts, in small and large group discussion, and time experiencing “means of grace.” This year, while we will enjoy the Lazy W Ranch Deep Pit BBQ for lunch, the retreat will be separate from the BBQ.
Logistics
Date: October 14-16, 2011. Arrive any time after 4:00 pm on Friday night and we will depart camp before lunch on Sunday.
Where: We’ll be meeting at the Lazy W. Ranch at 23852 Hot Springs Canyon Rd, in San Juan Capistrano, CA 92693. (www.lazywranch.org).
Cost: $60 early bird by October 1st (covers Deep Pit BBQ, program, t-shirt, water bottle, food, and lodging).
Register online! Click here for online registration.
Click here to download the complete 2011-2012 Event Catalogue.
Program
Method Leaders
Rev. Dr. Cedrick Bridgeforth
District Superintendent
Los Angeles and Santa Ana District
Reverend Dr. Cedrick D. Bridgeforth is the Superintendent of the Los Angeles District of the United Methodist Church.
He was born in Decatur, Alabama, and served four years in the United States Air Force (1988-1992). After completing military service, he returned to Alabama where he held several odd jobs before enrolling at Samford University in Birmingham. He graduated in May 1997, with a Bachelor of Arts in Religion. Rev. Bridgeforth ventured to Southern California in the Fall of 1997 to enroll at the Claremont School of Theology, where he completed his Master of Divinity degree in May 2000.
In 1999, he accepted his first pastoral appointment to the Bowen Memorial United Methodist Church in Los Angeles. He served as Director of Alumni/ae and Church Relations at Claremont School of Theology (2001-2003), prior to accepting his appointment to Crenshaw U.M.C. Rev. Bridgeforth continued his quest for high achievement in academia by earning a Doctor of Education degree in Organizational Leadership at Pepperdine University in 2005. Dr. Bridgeforth also serves as a course instructor for the University of LaVerne’s Ecumenical Center for Black Church Studies where he teaches courses in Preaching, Church Administration and Contemporary Theology.
Rev. Bridgeforth was appointed as the Los Angeles District Superintendent on April 1, 2008. The Los Angeles District is one of the most ethnically and culturally diverse District within the worldwide United Methodist Church. He also continues to serve in several capacities within the United Methodist denomination and is a proud member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc.
He is deeply committed to revitalizing the Church of Jesus Christ. Rev. Bridgeforth’s preaching is a unique blend hip-hop and popular culture, mainstream literature, current events, spoken word, humor, along with the uncompromised Word of God.
Rev. Andrew Mattick
Senior Pastor
Simi Valley UMC
Pastor Andy came to serve as Senior Pastor of the UMC of Simi Valley in July of 2010. His passions in ministry are reaching all people through excellence in the arts of worship, preaching, and teaching. A storyteller, Pastor Andy strives to make the story of our faith in Scripture relevant and lively, practical and personal. He has a ten-year history of work with youth and families and has a vision for shepherding the ministries of SVUMC to address the needs of the families of our community.
Andy is married to Rev. Camille Mattick, a deacon who serves as the Minister of Family
and Children at First UMC, Santa Monica. They are blessed with two children, Madelyn and Jackson, who are active in both churches. As a family, they enjoy the kids’ sports, movies, games, and adventures together. Personally, Andy enjoys riding his bike, technology and computers, guitar, and pop-culture.
Andy grew up in the church in many states including Arizona, California, and Nevada. A high school graduate from Las Vegas, Andy studied Religious Studies and Sociology at Southern Methodist University and then received his Masters of Divinity from the Claremont School of Theology, where he first met Camille. Commissioned as a Probationary Member in 2007, Andy was ordained an Elder in Full Connection in 2010.
Rev. Carrie Cesar
Hispanic/Latino Ministry Coordinator
Garden Grove United Methodist Church
Her role is helping the church reach out and relate with families in the local Hispanic/Latino community who want to join in seeking God’s mission. She helps in knowing how to share the great ministries at Garden Grove UMC with their Hispanic neighbors, and in helping discern what new Latino ministries God wants. Carrie has a Masters of Divinity from Iliff School of Theology in Denver CO, and a double major Bachelors of Arts degree in Religion/Philosophy and Theater/Communications from Dakota Wesleyan University. She lived in Mexico for 17 years as a volunteer and community organizer for “Heifer International”. Carrie is married to Alfredo who is also a Pastor of Hispanic Ministry. They have two teenage children.
Rev. Greg Batson
Senior Pastor
Aldersgate UMC
The Reverend Greg Batson was appointed as Senior Pastor to Aldersgate UMC in July, 2009. Previously, he served as Senior Pastor for the First United Methodist Church in Burbank, CA. (2004 – 2009) and as an Associate Pastor at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica, CA (2000 to 2004). Rev. Batson was ordained an Elder in Full Connection in 2004.
A native of Greene County, Georgia, Rev. Batson grew up in a small, rural community between Atlanta and Augusta. He received his Bachelor of Arts in English and Economics in 1986 from Emory University in Atlanta. He then began an eleven year career as a corporate banker with SunTrust Banks in Nashville, TN and The Bank of New York in New York City. In 1997, he decided to follow his call to ordained ministry and returned to school. He received his Master of Divinity degree from Union Theological Seminary in New York City in 2000, and then moved to Southern California with his family to begin his ministry.
Rev. Batson is married to Tania Batson, and they have three sons: Thomas (11), Daniel (6), and Wesley (4). Rev. Batson’s hobbies include golf, camping, and attending baseball games with his sons. He also completed the Los Angeles Marathon in 2006, but is still recovering before tackling another one.
Music: We will be delighted to enjoy the music of Dave Roberts.
Dave Roberts is the worship leader at Santa Margarita United Methodist Church and has led music for this event for the past three years.
Check out Dave’s original music at reverbnation.com
Contact
For more information contact the Cal-Pac Center for Young Leaders at youngpeople@cal-pac.org, or call 626.568.7360.
