Small Church Voices Newsletter

From the Iona Collaborative

During this season of green, growing, Ordinary Time, we're grateful for the opportunity to reflect on a season of learning, connection, and renewal.

In this issue, you'll find highlights from our 2026 Annual Retreat and Deans' Meeting at Camp Allen, where leaders from across the Iona network gathered to worship, learn, and encourage one another in ministry. You'll also get a look at our Fall 2026 Continuing Education lineup, with registration opening August 4, and discover a new self-guided Sabbath resource designed to support you in ministry and in life.

We hope these stories and opportunities encourage you and remind you that you are part of a vibrant community of small church leaders learning and growing together.

The Iona Collaborative Team
Nandra, Rebecca, Katherine, Aneya, Halley, and Chris

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Annual Retreat & Deans' Meeting

Formation, Fellowship, and Renewal: The 2026 Iona Collaborative Annual Retreat & Deans' Meeting

Last month, small church leaders, diocesan staff, and representatives from diocesan schools of formation across the Iona network gathered in the Piney Woods of Texas at beautiful Camp Allen for the 2026 Iona Collaborative Annual Retreat and Deans' Meeting. Participants traveled from as far away as Hawaiʻi and as close as Texas for a week of learning, reflection, fellowship, and renewal.

Click here to read more...

Bishop Kai Ryan (Texas), Amy Richter and Joe Pagano (New Hampshire).

Robin White (Oklahoma) works on a pinch pot during the Nurturing Your Spiritual Well-Being track.

The Iona Legacy! Iona graduates currently serving as local formation leaders.

Sacred music, labyrinth walks, and meditative practices made for a contemplative experience.

Peggy Cromwell (Arkansas), Terri Bays (N Indiana), and Iona's Nandra Perry.

Preaching track leaders John Lewis and Jane Patterson lead a community-wide reflection during worship.

Join Us Next Year

Make plans now to attend!

Iona Collaborative Annual Retreat*

June 1-3, 2027

Camp Allen Retreat & Conference Center
*The next in-person Deans' Meeting will be in 2027

Fall 2026 Continuing Education

for Iona Continuing Education Courses

Thriving in Bivocational Ministry is Iona's continuing education program for clergy and lay leaders serving faithfully in small-church and multi-vocational ministry settings. Through Zoom-based cohorts, participants connect with peers from across the country, building relationships and learning together in a supportive community of practice.

NEW for Fall 2026: A non-refundable registration fee will be required at registration.

$25 for participants from Iona network member dioceses

$100 for participants from non-member dioceses

Not sure which registration fee applies to you? Click here.

Next semester's course lineup offers a variety of opportunities to deepen practical ministry skills, explore new ideas, and grow as a leader. We're excited to partner with outstanding instructors who bring both expertise and real-world experience to these learning opportunities.

Check them out below and learn more at iona.ssw.edu/continuing-education.

PASTORAL CARE

Classic and Postcolonial Images

of Spiritual Care

with Chaplain Sarah Knoll, CPE Educator

Mondays beginning September 14

SPIRITUAL FORMATION

Cultivating Presence, Resilience,

and Renewal in Ministry

with Pastor Tia Norman

Wednesdays beginning September 16

PREACHING & THEOLOGY

Reading and Preaching Acts

As the Mission of God

with the Rev. Amy E. Richter, Ph.D.

Thursdays beginning September 10

DEACON SUPPORT

Identity-Shaping Images

of the Diaconate

with the Rev. Tracie Middleton

Thursdays beginning September 10

CHURCH ADMINISTRATION

Nuts & Bolts

of Small Church Ministry

with the Rev. Canon Leyla King

Fridays beginning September 4

CHRISTIAN DISCERNMENT

Life in Full Color

with the Rev. Jane Patterson, Ph.D.

& the Rev. John Lewis, D. Phil

Tuesdays beginning September 8

Registration Opens August 4!

iona.ssw.edu

Featured Resource

Keeping Sabbath Self-Guided Course

In a world that rarely stops, this new asynchronous course from the Iona Collaborative is an invitation to pause, to breathe, and to rediscover one of the most countercultural practices of the Christian life.

Join Joyce Palevitz and Iona's Aneya Elbert as they explore the gift of rest as a spiritual practice. Whether you journey through this course on your own or gather a small group of friends, it's an opportunity rediscover Sabbath as a way of listening, receiving, and renewing.

Learn more about this course and all of our resources on our Congregations webpage.

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