Pamela 
When we are children, we learn the stories of the Bible and get out of them what we can. But the biblical narratives are highly literary, theological works — they are sophisticated and complex!
The biblical writers used stories to teach, to edify, and to make a theological point. The deeper we dig, the more richness we discover.
St. Augustine wrote that the Bible is “shallow enough for a child not to drown, yet deep enough for an elephant to swim.”
An in-depth look at well-known Old Testament stories enhances our understanding of their meaning and message, for ancient Israel and for us today.
The 2021 Retreat of Our Own will be following a number of covid-safe procedures:
Christians have long wrestled with the question, “What must I do to be saved?” In 2020, concern for personal salvation also includes more concrete concerns about saving our planet.
We may be alarmed by cries that a global movement could have saved the earth if we had acted yesterday. We may be soothed by promises that the markets and technology will save us if prioritized. What do the resources of Christianity have to offer this contemporary crisis? Where is our hope?
Science is a discipline of observation. As a farmer I ask, “What is science teaching us about the resilience of nature?”
Theology is the discipline of the study of God. We approach theology with the humility of mere humanity. We will explore Bible stories, seeking wisdom to answer these questions:
We began by considering how our lives can be seen as threads of a story and what makes them sacred. Then we explored the first avenue into sacred story through the biblical theme of call and blessing. Two more threads of the sacred tapestry were drawn from our spiritual encounters and our many and diverse relationships: this is the warp and woof of divine and human experiences interwoven.
In the last session, we asked how the darker threads of the unbidden and unasked-for challenges also add texture and meaning to our sacred stories. What, then, is the unique fabric of each of our lives, still unfinished, still becoming?
Dr. Faith Nostbakken
Spiritual Director, Ecumenical Officer, ABT Synod (ELCIC)
2019
September 13–15, 2019
Kuriakos, Sylvan Lake, AB
A Tapestry of Sacred Stories:
Yours, Mine, God's
Sessions:
Summary:
We began by considering how our lives can be seen as threads of a story and what makes them sacred. Then we expored the first avenue into sacred story through the biblical theme of call and blessing. Two more threads of the sacred tapestry were drawn from our spiritual encounters and our many and diverse relationships: this is the warp and woof of divine and human experiences interwoven.
In the last session, we asked how the darker threads of the unbidden and unasked-for challenges also add texture and meaning to our sacred stories. What, then, is the unique fabric of each of our lives, still unfinished, still becoming?
Photo highlights from this retreat
Rev. Dr. Anna Madsen
OMG Centre for Theological Conversation
2018
September 14–16, 2018
Kuriakos, Sylvan Lake, AB
Justice, Grace, Hope:
Making Sense in a Mixed-Up World
Sessions:
Summary:
These loosely connected sessions centered around practical issues of how we can live, as Christians, in a world that continually challenges us.
We considered the factors that have led to a tendency toward quietude in the church. We also learned of theological traditions and resources that help anchor and expand our grasp of the implications of the Gospel.
We considered grace in terms of our interpersonal relations, our approach to public
policies, and our ultimate salvation.
Elements of the Christian tradition, partnered with research and expertise from the disciplines of neurology and psychology, offered tremendous possibilities for framing and attending to the experience of grief, mental illness, and despair. We came away with resources and reasons for hope.
Photo highlights from this retreat
Rev. Dr. Thom Johnson
Adjunct Professor at Claremont School of Theology
2017
September 15–17, 2017
St. Michael's Anglican Church, Canmore, AB
Reformation and Resistance for Today:
Inspiration from the Reformers, Bonhoeffer, and the Interfaith Movement
Sessions:
Summary:
At the heart of the Reformation movement was the call to challenge that which needs to be changed for the sake of the gospel of grace and to resist theology, practices and institutions that promote injustice. We were inspired as we explored the question: what does the Reformation mean for us today?
The format for these sessions was fairly interactive. In addition to lecture, participants enjoyed small discussion groups, tested their skill at a Reformation trivia game (prizes from Old Lutheran!), watch videos, and acted in a Luther-Bonhoeffer dialogue skit.
Photo highlights from this retreat
Rev. Dr. Matthew Anderson
Associate Professor, Theological Studies
Concordia University, Montréal
and ELCIC pastor
2016
September 23–25, 2016
Kuriakos, Sylvan Lake, AB
Pilgrimage
A Western Canadian User's Guide
Sessions:
Summary:
In a world in which so many pilgrims call themselves non-religious, and so many
voyages are called ‘pilgrimages’, we attempted to define Christian pilgrimage and
discover what makes a journey spiritual.
Through biblical and historical material and Matt’s own documentary films and experiences, we examined factors that make up spiritual mobility and how Luther changed the nature of pilgrimage.
Matt’s NW Mounted Police Patrol Trail walk through southern Saskatchewan last summer guided discussion of contemporary practices of journey, and especially ‘settler’ pilgrimage in Western Canada, as a meaningful, restorative and sacred voyage.
Photo highlights from this retreat
2015
September 24–27, 2015
St. Michael's Anglican Church, Canmore, AB
Faith in the 21st Century:
Politics, Science & the Workplace
Sessions:
Summary:
The sessions looked at the way in which faith reframes three contested areas of modern life.
Politics: Using Bonhoeffer’s struggle with the corruption of faith under the Nazis and his decision to participate in the plot to assassinate Hitler, we looked at some ways in which faith may inform and challenge political action.
Science: Science texts have been treated as antagonistic to sacred texts by many religious groups. We looked instead at some of the ways in which the Bible and science help each other to develop their full potential for human life.
The Workplace: Drawing on interviews with Christians working at various jobs in Alberta’s oilpatch, we reflected on the ways in which faith does and does not affect the culture of, and decisions made in, the workplace.
Photo highlights from this retreat
