The Rt. Rev. David M. Reed, 10th Bishop of the Diocese of West Texas, and the Rt. Rev. Dr. David G. Read, Bishop Diocesan, invite you to attend The Good, The True, & The Beautiful Retreat April 5 - 7 at Camp Capers.

This highly anticipated retreat offers a spiritual and nurturing environment to deepen your faith and build relationships. Explore the restorative power of storytelling, songwriting, and creativity through the lens of faith. Conceived in 2018 by Bishop Reed, the retreat provides an opportunity for participants respite from the demands of everyday life and an opportunity to nurture the creative talents and blessings of nature that God has bestowed upon us. Keeping with tradition, a stellar program has been planned to allow participants to tap into their creativity through art, poetry, music, and nature.

Featured keynote speakers include Monte Warden, two-time honoree and member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame, and Dr. Claire Colombo, director of the Center for Writing and the Arts, and Asst. Professor of writing, theology, and the arts at the Seminary of the Southwest. Retreat chaplains are the Revs. Brian Fox, Alex Holloway, and Madeline Hawley.

Included in the retreat are delicious meals, time for fellowship and personal reflection, and a selection of wonderful sessions to choose from including:

• Linocut Print Making led by Jacqui Read
• Poetry Workshop led by James Dennis
• God & Baseball led by the Rev. Cristopher Robinson
• Reading Nature – A hiking expedition led by Johnson Jeffers
  

Don’t miss out on this opportunity for connection with God, nature, and the arts. To learn more and register for The Good, The True & The Beautiful, click here.

As a Bonus, extend your stay and observe the once-in-a-lifetime Solar Eclipse on April 8, the day following the close of the retreat; participants can register for the Camp Capers EclipseFest and experience this extraordinary occurrence in a prime location.

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Bios and Photos

Dr. Claire Colombo

Dr. Claire Colombo is assistant professor of writing, theology, and the arts at Seminary of the Southwest in Austin, Texas, where she also directs the Center for Writing and the Arts. Claire serves as editor of the seminary's literary and visual arts journal, Soul by Southwest, and hosts an event series featuring writers, musicians, and artists whose work engages or inspires the spiritual life. Claire is the co-author of Colossians in the Wisdom Commentary series (Liturgical Press, 2023) and a regular contributor to The Christian Century. Her 2022 article "The Chair and the Collapse of the Humanities" won an Associated Church Press award for best critical commentary. She is passionate about the connection between mind, body, spirit, and pen (or keyboard), and is at work on projects that take up these connections in the poetry of Gerard Manley Hopkins and in our theological understandings of creativity.

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Monte Warden

Monte Warden, two-time honoree and member of the Texas Music Hall of Fame is a well-known musician and composer whose success includes his work being named one of the 100 best US albums of the 20th Century by NME, receiving the prestigious BMI 'Million-Air' Award for "Desperately", signifying over 1 million radio performances, and 2020 Grammy nominations in six categories, including “Best Americana Album” and the highly coveted “Album of the Year”. Monte won his first of a dozen Austin Music Awards when he was just 15 years old, launching a career filled with singing and writing collaborations with some of the industry’s most renowned bands and artists including The Wagoneers, George Strait, Josh Turner, Carrie Underwood, George Jones, Patty Loveless, Asleep At The Wheel, Kelly Willis, Josh Abbott Band, and Travis Tritt, to name a few. Monte appeared in numerous top-ten music videos and television shows, including multiple appearances on Austin City Limits and The Grand Ol' Opry. Monte has dedicated much of his career in the advocacy of artist's rights, their just compensation, and fair treatment in business. Monte is a proud 7th generation Texan, with ancestors having fought in the Battles of Bexar and San Jacinto in The Texas Revolution.

General Schedule:

Friday, April 5th
‍4:00 p.m. - Check In
5:00-6:00 p.m. - Social Hour
6:00 p.m. - Dinner
7:00 p.m. - Welcome, Introductions & Rules
7:45 p.m. - Plenary Session 1
9:15 p.m. - Compline

Saturday, April 6th
8:30 a.m. - Breakfast
9:30 a.m. - Plenary Session 2 - Part A
10:30 a.m. - Transition Time
11:00 a.m. - Plenary Session 2 - Part B
12:00 p.m. - Break
12:30 p.m. - Lunch / Free Time
2:00-3:30 p.m. - Workshop Session A
3:30 p.m. - Transition Time
4:00-5:30 p.m. - Workshop Session B
5:30 p.m. - Transition Time
6:00 p.m. - Dinner
7:00 p.m. - Plenary Session 3
7:45 p.m. - Compline
8:00 p.m. - Open Mic & Campfire

Sunday, April 7 
8:30 a.m. - Breakfast
9:15 a.m. - Plenary Session 4 & Wrap Up
10:30 a.m. - Closing Eucharist
11:45 a.m. - Adjourn

Single Occupancy Lodge Room ($325) per person), Double Occupancy Lodge Room ($250 per person); Cabin Group Lodging ($175 per person); Commuters ($125)

For questions regarding registration or retreat program, contact Lisa Wray at camp.capers@dwtx.org.