Bake & Pray Clergy Training and Retreat
Are you looking for an opportunity to step away from your ministry in order to rest, to learn, and to bake bread—and leading your congregation in these same rhythms?
Then the Bake & Pray™ Clergy Training and Retreat is for you.
Blending baking science and technique with theological reflection, the Bake & Pray™ method teaches participants how to incorporate bread-making into the rhythms of their busy lives. Whether lifelong bakers or intimidated by the thought of yeast, participants will step away from each workshop with a practical understanding of how to bake bread and a deep appreciation for the ways God can shape them in the process.
After attending a 3-day clergy training and retreat, you will be equipped to lead Bake & Pray™ workshops (along with other Edible Theology programming) in your church community.
PLEASE NOTE: The total program cost is $1,000. After completing your retreat registration, you will receive an invoice for the $300 program license fee which is due by the first day of the training.
Are you looking for an opportunity to step away from your ministry in order to rest, to learn, and to bake bread—and leading your congregation in these same rhythms?
Then the Bake & Pray™ Clergy Training and Retreat is for you.
Blending baking science and technique with theological reflection, the Bake & Pray™ method teaches participants how to incorporate bread-making into the rhythms of their busy lives. Whether lifelong bakers or intimidated by the thought of yeast, participants will step away from each workshop with a practical understanding of how to bake bread and a deep appreciation for the ways God can shape them in the process.
After attending a 3-day clergy training and retreat, you will be equipped to lead Bake & Pray™ workshops (along with other Edible Theology programming) in your church community.
PLEASE NOTE: The total program cost is $1,000. After completing your retreat registration, you will receive an invoice for the $300 program license fee which is due by the first day of the training.
Are you looking for an opportunity to step away from your ministry in order to rest, to learn, and to bake bread—and leading your congregation in these same rhythms?
Then the Bake & Pray™ Clergy Training and Retreat is for you.
Blending baking science and technique with theological reflection, the Bake & Pray™ method teaches participants how to incorporate bread-making into the rhythms of their busy lives. Whether lifelong bakers or intimidated by the thought of yeast, participants will step away from each workshop with a practical understanding of how to bake bread and a deep appreciation for the ways God can shape them in the process.
After attending a 3-day clergy training and retreat, you will be equipped to lead Bake & Pray™ workshops (along with other Edible Theology programming) in your church community.
PLEASE NOTE: The total program cost is $1,000. After completing your retreat registration, you will receive an invoice for the $300 program license fee which is due by the first day of the training.
What To Expect:
The Bake & Pray Clergy Training & Retreat is appropriate for any church leaders (ordained or lay) who are interested in leading Bake & Pray™ programs in their own church community. This gathering is meant to be a time of both learning and rest, implementing the three principles of the Bake & Pray™ method—rest, curiosity, and joy—every step of the way.
Over the course of our three days together, you will learn the fundamentals of the Bake & Pray™ method and how to lead a half day workshop or full day retreat with your church community. Our February gathering will specifically focus on leading Bake & Pray™ programming during the season of Lent. With that in mind, you will also learn how to utilize the 6-week Bake with the Bible program, and we will take time to brainstorm together and work individually on planning out how you might implement these programs in your church this Lenten season. During our final day together, we will discuss how to start a Bread Guild, should your church be interested in baking your community’s Communion bread in house.
The training will begin at 3 pm on Tuesday, February 3 and conclude after lunch on Thursday, February 5.
This group is kept intentionally small so that all participants will have the opportunity to engage closely with Kendall as they consider how to integrate these programs in their own churches.
While this program is designed to function as a continuing education opportunity for clergy, it is appropriate for both lay and ordained church leaders. Interested in bringing multiple staff members to learn together, or coming with a friend and sharing a room? Email Kendall directly at admin@kendallvanderslice.com to discuss a group rate.
Participants at a recent Bake & Pray retreat.
What is included in the price?
The total price for the Bake & Pray Clergy Training and Retreat is $1,000.
This includes the $700 retreat fee and the $300 program licensing fee.
Your retreat fee covers lodging, all meals, and retreat programming. The program licensing fee allows your church to use the Bake & Pray™ name and Bake with the Bible programs in perpetuity. After completing your purchase here, you will receive a separate invoice for the $300 program licensing fee. We separate these transactions to streamline your accounting process as most churches budget these items separately.
This training allows you permission to use the Bake & Pray™ name and lead Edible Theology programs within your own church community. It does not license you to teach workshops outside of the church that you name in your registration. If you are interested in utilizing the Bake & Pray™ name and branding to teach workshops in your broader community, then we encourage you to consider the Bake & Pray™ facilitator training and licensing program.
Is there any prep work required before the training?
We ask that you have read the Introduction, Part I, and Part II of Bake & Pray: Liturgies and Recipes for Baking Bread as a Spiritual Practice before the training begins. This will provide an overview of the method, as well as the theology and philosophy behind it. Bake & Pray is available wherever books are sold, or you can ask your local library to carry it.
St. Clare Cottage Living Area
Where is the training retreat held?
We will be gathering at the St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, North Carolina. If you have not yet been to St. Francis Springs, then you are in for a treat. The prayer center’s commitment to contemplation, hospitality, and justice make it a perfect partnership for Edible Theology.
From delicious food and beautiful rooms to forest trails, a labyrinth, and Stations of the Cross, St. Francis Springs invites you to slow your breathing and encounter God from you moment you step onto the property.
We will be staying in the St. Francis and St. Clare cottages, as well as the hermitages on the property. Our baking and learning will take place in the St. Clare Cottage and our worship will be held in the glass chapel. All our meals will be provided by the retreat centers excellent in-house chef.
St. Francis Springs is located 30 minutes from the Piedmont Triad airport in Greensboro, 1 hour 45 minutes from the Raleigh-Durham airport, and just over 2 hours from the Charlotte Douglas airport.
About Your Host:
Kendall Vanderslice is a baker, writer, and the creator of Edible Theology.
A graduate of Duke Divinity School (Master of Theological Studies), Boston University (MLA Gastronomy), and Wheaton College (BA Anthropology), she has committed her life to the study of food and community formation.
Kendall is a professionally trained baker, having learned from several top American pastry chefs. In 2018, she was named a James Beard Foundation national scholar for her work bridging food and religion.
She is the author of We Will Feast: Rethinking Dinner, Worship, and the Community of God and By Bread Alone: A Baker’s Reflections on Hunger, Longing, and the Goodness of God. Her next book, Bake & Pray: Liturgies and Recipes for Baking Bread as a Spiritual Practice, releases October 8 (just in time for this retreat!). She speaks regularly at churches, colleges, and universities around North America.
Her writing appears in Christianity Today, Christian Century, Faith & Leadership, and Religion News Service.
