LINK HERE to register now!
Read below to learn more.
The EfM Alumni(ae) Retreats are back and we are thrilled to invite you this fall for a time of renewal, reflection, and rich community.
Our inaugural retreat will take place Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25, at the beautiful Solomon Conference Center in Loranger, Louisiana—a peaceful setting that invites rest, prayer, and deep conversation.
We are especially excited to welcome Bishop Jake Owensby of the Diocese of Western Louisiana as our reflections leader. Bishop Owensby’s presentations will be grounded in his book A Full-Hearted Life, the Community Gathering text for 2026-27 Path: Following Jesus. Through teaching, storytelling, and shared reflection, we’ll explore what it means to live faithfully and fully as followers of Jesus—heart, mind, and soul.
Whether you are longing for spiritual refreshment, thoughtful engagement with fellow EfM graduates, or simply time away to listen more closely for God’s voice, this retreat promises to be a meaningful and joy-filled experience.
About Bishop Owensby
The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby is the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Western Louisiana and chancellor of The University of the South in Sewanee, Tennessee. The author of six books, with a manuscript underway, Bishop Owensby also writes a popular Substack. Before attending the School of Theology at Sewanee, Owensby earned a Ph.D. at Emory University and was an associate professor of philosophy at Jacksonville University.
“For me, the gospel makes sense when the rubber hits the road of real existence. And it’s in reflecting upon my life and upon the circumstances now and in the past of my life and our common lives that the gospel really starts to make some sense and becomes the animating force of my life. And that’s what hope is. And hope is the animating force of our lives. It’s God’s presence unfolding itself in our everyday existence.” - The Rt. Rev. Jacob W. Owensby
Registration Details
$600 for a single room
$500 for a double room
Registration fee include a 5% non-refundable administrative fee.
Retreat Syllabus
Friday, October 23, 2026
3:00PM - Retreat Registration
5:00PM - Opening Worship
6:00PM - Dinner
7:00PM - EfM: 50 Years Later
9:00PM - Compline
Saturday, October 24, 2026
8:00AM - Breakfast
9:00AM - Morning Prayer
9:45AM - Reflection 1
12:00Noon - Noonday Prayer
12:30PM - Lunch
2:00PM - Reflection 2
4:00PM - Theological Reflection Small Groups
6:00PM - Dinner
Sunday, October 25, 2026
8:00AM - Breakfast
10:00AM - Closing Eucharist
11:30AM - Lunch
12:30PM - Retreat concludes. Depart.
Getting there
By plane
On Friday, October 23, 2026, flights should arrive at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport by 1:00PM.
For ease of travel, a round-trip shuttle to and from the airport will be available for $105.
On Sunday, October 25, 2026, flights should depart after 3:00PM.
By car
The Solomon Center in the Diocese of Louisiana is located at 54296 Highway 445
Loranger, Louisiana 70446. Directions can be found by LINKING HERE.
For more information
We hope you’ll join us for this gathering of learning, prayer, and companionship. If you have questions or would like more information, please contact The Rev. Kevin M. Goodman, Executive Director, Education for Ministry.
Come away, be renewed, and reconnect with God, with community, and with the heart of EfM.
Register now by LINKING HERE.
