About 250 Kansas-Nebraska Conference pastors, teachers and family members gathered last August at Westgate Branson Woods Resort in Branson, Missouri, for their first joint retreat since 2019. Held under the theme Building God’s Kingdom Together, the event brought two groups with different daily roles together around a shared mission.
That sense of togetherness began on the very first evening. When the piano failed on opening night, guest musician Gale Jones Murphy led worship a cappella. Her personality, energy and connection with the room quickly drew people into singing. Once a keyboard was available for the remaining meetings, Murphy continued using creative icebreaker songs to invite participation before moving into worship.
Many conference pastors serve districts that include an Adventist school. The retreat gave pastors and teachers time to see how their work connects. Education may be a different field, but it remains another arm of pastoral ministry. Their roles are different, while their purpose of helping people know Christ is the same.
Morning worships were led by Greg King, dean of the School of Religion at Southern Adventist University. In the evenings, Lola Moore Johnston preached from the book of Nehemiah. In one message, she focused on Nehemiah’s response when he learned that Jerusalem remained in ruins. Although the destruction did not threaten his own livelihood, the news left him distressed. Johnston challenged listeners to care about needs even when the problem does not affect them personally.
Pastors and teachers also met separately for professional development. Alicia Patterson, a grief coach and educator, led the pastoral sessions on grief, listening and resilience. Jeff Bovee, Kansas-Nebraska Conference education superintendent, worked with teachers through review, discussion and group activities.
The teacher breakouts focused on assessing learning in the standards-based classroom. Educators met in professional learning communities organized by grade bands and secondary subject areas to explore how classroom assessments can more effectively guide instruction. Schools also had time to work through their individual pre-session agendas in preparation for the new academic year.
“The education breakout was a relaxed professional development time where teachers had an opportunity to meet in person with their professional learning communities and delve deeper into learning how to most effectively use classroom assessments to drive instruction in their classrooms,” said Bovee. “We ended our last breakout of the retreat with a challenge for the new school year to ensure that all students know they are loved and valued and God has a plan for their lives.”
Afternoons gave families and friends time to enjoy Branson together. Participants visited local attractions, shared meals and spent time with people they may not often see during the year.
By the final evening, Murphy’s opening song had become a family affair. She invited children to the front to lead “I’m In Right, Out Right, Up Right, Down Right,” drawing the room into the motions. The moment captured what the retreat had been designed to do: bring pastors, teachers and their families into the same room as one ministry team.
