Sing your faith. Refresh your spirit.

A CHORAL AND SPIRITUAL RETREAT IN THE HEARTLAND

First-Plymouth Church, Lincoln, Nebraska | July 19-21, 2024

Inscribed above the main entrance to First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, are the words, “Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” We invite you to come to join us here in the heartland for a weekend choral and spiritual retreat—a gathering intended to offer inspiration for those who love to sing their faith and healing for those who long to refresh their spirit through singing and worship. We look forward to welcoming you to the sanctuary of our church and to the heart of our ministry where you can truly sing your faith and refresh your spirit.

Retreat location: First-Plymouth Church, 2000 D Street, Lincoln, Nebraska, 68502

Retreat dates: July 19-21, 2024

Retreat fee: $75.00 (includes two meals and choral music). Partial and full scholarships will be made available to anyone who expresses a need.

To register for the retreat, please email tom@firstplymouth.org

First-Plymouth Church is easily accessible, within minutes, from Lincoln Airport (LNK).  Many hotels located within a few miles of the church are available in downtown Lincoln and the Haymarket areas.

For more information, please contact lydia@firstplymouth.org or call 402.476.7565, ext. 223

Retreat Leaders

Rev. Katie Miller

Rev. Katie Miller is a Nebraska native, currently serving UCC Vermillion in South Dakota.  Prior to her call to ministry, Katie performed as a musician and actor in and around New York and Chicago.  During that time, she was a witness to the power of storytelling for spiritual transformation, all of which she now incorporates into worship and ritual experiences.  She has also written several (only slightly ridiculous) children’s Christmas/Advent plays, which have been performed across the Midwest.

Mark Miller

Mark Miller believes that everyone is a Child of God and that music is instrumental in healing the world. His congregational hymns and choral anthems are sung by communities of faith throughout the world.  

Mark is Professor of Church Music, Director of Chapel, and Composer in Residence at Drew University in Madison, NJ, and Lecturer in Sacred Music at Yale’s Institute of Sacred Music and Divinity School. Mark is also Minister of Music at Christ Church in Summit, a UCC and American Baptist congregation.   

Mark is a graduate of Julliard and Yale University (and was Assistant Organist and Music Associate at The Riverside Church from 1999-2001 and Director of Contemporary Worship at Marble Collegiate Church from 2002-2007, both in the city of New York.

Tom Trenney

Composer, conductor, organist, preacher, and teacher Tom Trenney has been blessed to serve as Minister of Music to First-Plymouth Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, since 2009. In 2019, he became Associate Professor of Music and Director of Choirs at Nebraska Wesleyan University. Tom’s choirs have performed at regional and national conventions of the American Choral Directors Association, and his choral compositions are sung at churches and schools across the country. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Eastman School of Music, Tom is grateful for the inspiration of his teachers and mentors – especially Anton Armstrong, David Davidson, David Higgs, Craig Hella Johnson, William Weinert, Anne Wilson, Todd Wilson, and Mister Rogers.

To register for the retreat, please email tom@firstplymouth.org

Schedule

Friday, July 19

Please wear comfortable clothes.

5:45-6:15 p.m.   Registration (West Entrance) & Welcome Reception (Pilgrim Hall)

6:15-6:30 p.m.   Seating of the Choir (Choir Room)

6:30-8:45 p.m.   Rehearsal with Tom Trenney (Choir Room)

9:00-9:30 p.m.   Compline with First-Plymouth’s Schola cantorum (Sanctuary)

 

Saturday, July 20

Please wear comfortable clothes.

Breakfast on your own

8:00-8:50 a.m. “Early Risers” Breakout Session

  • Bible Study with Jim Keck and Juan Carlos Huertas (Pilgrim Hall)- First-Plymouth’s ministers lead an inspirational and insightful exploration of Colossians 3:12-17.

  • Sing to the Lord a New Song with Tom Trenney (Choir Room)—A choral reading session to share music that inspires hope and faith.

  • Sound Bath with Cindy Mohr (Mayflower Hall)-- Come restore your body and spirit with a sound bath experience. Bathe in the sounds of instruments such as crystal bowls, gongs, drums, and chimes. Let the practice of deep listening draw you into a state of relaxation and meditation. 

  • Open Console at the Lied Organ (Sanctuary)--Try your hands (and feet!) at the 110- rank Schoenstein Organ.

9:00-9:30 a.m.     Morning Worship with Katie Miller and Mark Miller (Chapel)

9:45-10:45 a.m.   Rehearsal with Tom Trenney (Choir Room)

11:00-11:50 a.m. Breakout Session #1

  • Telling Tales - Renewal in a Grieving World with Katie Miller (Art Room) - We all have stories to tell: stories we've inherited, stories we've avoided, and many stories that continue to shape who we are and will be.  Having the courage to tell them and listen to them might be the key to a world made new.  Let us tell our stories together.

  • Joyfully Creative Protest: Sacred Singing as a means of Social Justice with Mark Miller (Chapel)- Cornell West describes justice as “what love looks like in public.”  We will consider West’s prophetic words in our context and explore the values and principles behind the music we choose to sing in communal worship.

  • Behind the Scenes at 20th and D with First-Plymouth Staff (Choir Room)- Come for a Q and A with First-Plymouth’s Ministers, Musicians, and Media team about the mission, outreach, and worship life of the church in-person and online.

12:00-1:00 p.m.   Lunch included (Pilgrim Hall)

12:30-1:00 p.m.   Carillon concert by Kathie Johnson (Courtyard)

1:00-1:50 p.m.     Breakout Session #2

  • Telling Tales - Renewal in a Grieving World with Katie Miller (Art Room) - We all have stories to tell: stories we've inherited, stories we've avoided, and many stories that continue to shape who we are and will be.  Having the courage to tell them and listen to them might be the key to a world made new.  Let us tell our stories together.

  • Joyfully Creative Protest: Sacred Singing as a means of Social Justice with Mark Miller (Chapel)- Cornell West describes justice as “what love looks like in public.”  We will consider West’s prophetic words in our context and explore the values and principles behind the music we choose to sing in communal worship.

  • Carillon Tour with Kathie Johnson (meet in Sanctuary narthex)- Explore Nebraska’s oldest and largest ‘Singing Tower.’

  • Spiritual Wisdom in the Songs of Mister Rogers with Jeremy Roberts (Calvert Parlor inside Pilgrim Hall): For decades, children grew up learning and growing with Mister Rogers' Neighborhood. Fred Rogers was more than just a TV personality. He was a person of deep faith. Let’s dwell in the spiritual wisdom in the music of Mister Rogers.

2:00-3:00 p.m.     Community Sing with Mark Miller (Chapel)

3:15-5:15 p.m.    Rehearsal with Tom Trenney (Choir Room)

Sunday, July 21

Please wear long black pants or skirts and a solid bright color blue top (any shade).

8:00 a.m. Rehearsal (Sanctuary)

9:00 a.m. Festival Worship (Sanctuary)

10:30 a.m. Festival Worship (Sanctuary)

11:30 a.m. Reception included (Pilgrim Hall)

Retreat Repertoire

  • Let Everything that Hath Breath- Jeffrey Ames

  • For Everyone Born- arr. Tom Trenney

  • I Will Pray and Sing- Jocelyn Hagen

  • Show Us How to Love- Mark Miller

  • Gloria- Jonathan Dove