A Day at Iliff – A Pre-Conference Retreat for Your Spirit
June 10 | June 10 - June 10 MDT
Tuesday, June 10, 2025
1:30 PM – Evening Dinner Keynote
Iliff School of Theology, Denver, CO
Join Iliff and the Mountain Sky Conference of The UMC for an afternoon of transformation, learning, connection, and inspiration at “Day at Iliff,” a special pre-conference gathering hosted by the Compelling Preaching Initiative in partnership with Iliff School of Theology, ahead of the 2025 Mountain Sky Annual Conference. In this dynamic gathering, preaching and pastoral leaders will explore the intersections of creativity, care, and communication through three rich workshop experiences—all designed to inspire more compelling and life-giving proclamation.
WORKSHOP SESSIONS
1:30 PM – “Fostering Creativity in Preaching”
Rev. Dr. Lee Butler
This session will discuss creativity as a playful approach to biblical interpretation. Focusing on biblical narratives as the foundation for considering human transformation, the sermonic communications of God’s love will be grounded in psychological theories to help engage the text as a living Divine and human document.
3:15 PM – “Soul Care – Maintaining Balance, Nurturing Creativity, and Avoiding Burnout”
Beth Elliot, M.Div.
As caregivers we are most comfortable and confident providing care, but can sometimes fall short with self-care. Society often tries to frame self-care as bubble baths and binge watching Netflix, but the fundamentals of care are more complicated. Drawing from the wisdom of death care, we will demonstrate profound ways to practice staying grounded in the miracle of our own lives. Using somatic awareness, ritual space for transcendence, and true self care centered in setting boundaries, we will explore the ways in which sustainable, faithful Soul Care can transform our lives and vocation.
5:00 PM – “Storytelling in New Social Spaces” (Keynote & Dinner)
Rev. Dr. Amanda Henderson
We all know that stories are the key to reaching people and catalyzing personal and social transformation. But how do we reach people in a media context of soundbites and doom scrolling? In this interactive, multi-media session, we will explore the power of storytelling utilizing multiple media platforms and take away tips for both tech-savvy and tech-wary storytellers.
Dinner will be provided during this final session—come hungry for both food and insight!