Restart your church
2022 Clergy Conference
The 2022 Annual Clergy Conference will be held in-person at the Grand Hotel in Cape May, NJ from April 25-27. If you still need to register, please contact Celeste Fisher, cfisher@diopa.org. Registration is closed.
- Schedule
- Event FAQ
- Background on Dr. Luther Smith
- Service Leaflets (Monday Eucharist, Tuesday Morning Prayer, Tuesday Noonday Prayer, Tuesday Evening Prayer, Wednesday Morning Prayer, Wedesday Noonday Prayer)
Conference Schedule
2:00 Clergy Conference Registration – Penthouse (CC Planning Team)
4:00 Hotel Check In – Lobby
4:45 Eucharist – Ballroom
6:00 Dinner – Hemingway's Restaurant
7:00 Choir Rehearsal – Ballroom
8:00 Compline (Self Lead) – Crystal Room
8:30 Refreshments and Social Time – Ballroom
8:30 AA/Ala-non/NA – Wicker Room
TUESDAY
7:00 Registration/Check In – Penthouse (CC Planning Team)
Silent Prayer – Crystal Room
7:30 Walk on the Beach – Meet in Lobby
8:00 Breakfast – Hemingway's Restaurant
9:00 Morning Prayer with Choir – Ballroom
9:45 Meet and Greet (New Clergy, Ice Breakers) – Ballroom (Canon Arlette & CC Planning
Team)
10:15 Announcements – Ballroom
- Clergy Assurance Fund (Sherry Deets)
- Church Foundation (Lori Daniels)
- History & Housekeeping (Glenn Matis)
- Gratuity (Archdeacon Coleman)
10:30 Speaker Session #1 – Ballroom (Dr. Luther Smith)
11:45 Noonday Prayer
12:00 Lunch – Hemingway's Restaurant
1:00 Free Time
Suggestions for activities:
- Trolley Tours
- Cape May Winery
- Harriet Tubman Museum Tour (contact gmatis@verizon.net for tickets)
- Cape May Brewery
- Whale and Dolphin Watching
- Beach Plum Farm
3:45 DIOPA Topic #1: Sacred Ask Discussion (Canon Wamsley)
4:15 Announcements – Ballroom
- Thistle Hills (Sherry Deets)
- Nominations Committee (Jim Littrell)
4:30 Speaker Session #2 – Ballroom (Dr. Luther Smith)
5:30 Evening Prayer – Penthouse Ballroom
6:00 Dinner – Grand Ballroom
7:30 Evening Activities Options:
- Movie – Crystal Room
- Convivial Conversations – Ballroom
- Hymn Sing – Ballroom
8:00 Compline (Self Lead) – Wicker Room
8:30 AA/Ala-non/NA – Wicker Room
WEDNESDAY
7:00 Silent Prayer – Crystal Room
7:30 Walk on the Beach – Meet in Lobby
8:00 Breakfast – Hemingway's Restaurant
9:00 Morning Prayer – Ballroom
9:30 Speaker Session #3 – Ballroom (Dr. Luther Smith)
10:45 Break
11:00 DIOPA Topic #2: Casting Nets & Serviam – Ballroom (Bishop Gutierrez & Staff)
12:00 Noonday Prayer – Ballroom
Clergy Conference ends with Noonday Prayer. Box lunches will not be available; lunch will be at your own discretion.
Event FAQs
A: What time is check in?
A: Registration on Monday begins at 2 p.m. with hotel check in at 4 p.m. New Wine Skins Cohort (formerly Fresh Start) should check in on Sunday April 24th at 4pm.
Q: Are Spouses, families and surviving spouses welcome to attend?
A: Absolutely! Spouses, families and surviving spouses are welcome to attend but are subject to the same health safety requirements.
Q: What are the health and safety requirements?
A: All attendees should be vaccinated and boosted for a total of three shots for Moderna or Pfizer, or two if Johnson and Johnson. For proof of vaccination, attendees will be on the honor system. For our indoor gatherings, masking is encouraged but not required.
Q: How do I register my spouse and/or children?
A: When the clergy person registers, on the check out screen you're asked "Will you have family (spouse/children) staying with you? Answer yes, then list their names as well as their pronouns, if desired. You will not have to register them separately unless they are staying in a separate room.
Q: Who is this year's Clergy Speaker?
A: We are excited to welcome Dr. Luther Smith as this year's speaker at clergy conference.
Q: When does the conference end?
A: The conference will close with Noonday Prayer on Wednesday April 27th.
Dr. Luther Smith
Dr. Luther E. Smith Jr. is Professor Emeritus of Church and Community at Candler School of Theology at Emory. His teaching and research focuses on the writings and correspondence of Howard Thurman, advocacy on behalf of children, and a spirituality of hope. Smith is an ordained elder in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church.
Smith authored Howard Thurman: The Mystic as Prophet, co-edited two volumes of The Papers of Howard Washington Thurman, edited Howard Thurman: Essential Writings, and co-edited of a CD collection of Thurman’s lectures, sermons, and meditations, called The Living Wisdom of Howard Thurman: A Visionary for Our Times. A fourth book, Intimacy and Mission: Intentional Community as Crucible for Radical Discipleship, takes readers inside Sojourners, Koinonia, Voices of Calvary, Patchwork Central, and Church of the Messiah for a critical read of the structures and dynamics of these intentional communities.