Last month, small church leaders, diocesan staff, and representatives from diocesan schools of formation across the Iona network gathered at beautiful Camp Allen for the 2026 Iona Collaborative Annual Retreat and Deans’ Meeting. Participants traveled from as far away as Hawaiʻi and as close as Texas for a week of learning, reflection, fellowship, and renewal.
Deans’ Meeting: Casting Vision, Building Skills
Held every two years, the Deans’ Meeting brings together leaders from local schools of formation across the Iona network. This year’s gathering began with an update from Iona Collaborative Director Nandra Perry on the organization’s vision and strategic priorities. Participants then spent two days immersed in instructional design training led by Locally Grown Leaders Grant Co-Director Halley Ortiz.
Working within a flipped-classroom model, the group imagined, questioned, applied, practiced, and learned together in an environment designed to foster collaboration and innovation. The experience modeled learner-centered approaches that participants can now take back and use at the local level.
Annual Retreat: Study, Spiritual Renewal, and Community
Alongside the Deans’ Meeting, Continuing Education participants gathered for the Annual Retreat’s two signature learning tracks.
In Preaching the Parables in Matthew’s Gospel, the Rev. Jane Patterson and the Rev. John Lewis guided participants through Matthew’s parables within the broader context of Matthew’s theological vision and pastoral concerns. Through scripture study, conversation, and reflection, participants explored these compelling stories through personal, social, cultural, and theological lenses. They returned home with fresh insights, practical tools, and renewed inspiration for preaching, teaching, and living the gospel in their own congregations.
In Nurturing Your Spiritual Well-Being, participants considered what it means to remain grounded in a world that often feels increasingly heated—literally, politically, and spiritually. Together, they explored practices that helped them notice the newness God is continually creating within and around us, even amid uncertainty and change. Through worship, conversation, and shared reflection, these church leaders deepened relationships, formed new friendships, and discovered spiritual practices to carry back to their ministries and congregations.
The Whole Church Benefits
Our time together was a powerful reminder that when leaders gather to learn, pray, and encourage one another, the whole church is strengthened. We are grateful to everyone who made this year’s retreat such a meaningful experience, and we look forward to seeing these relationships, ideas, and practices continue to take root in dioceses and congregations across the Iona network.
Join us Next Year
Make plans now to join us!
June 1–3, 2027
Camp Allen Retreat
& Conference Center
