Spiritual Growth Retreats - June 13/14, 14/15, 2008


Rev. Mark Barden Song Leader	Adam Ward Organist

Mark Barden was born into a Methodist parsonage family and lived throughout Western North Carolina as a child.. Following his college graduation, he was accepted as a Fellow for graduate study at The University of Mississippi where he later taught broadcasting and coordinated the state press association for high school newspapers and yearbooks. In 1982, he accepted a position teaching broadcast journalism, television production and newspaper editing at Murray State University in Kentucky where he met his future spouse, Barbara Shores. During his teaching career, Mark accepted the call to ordained ministry, returned to North Carolina and completed ministerial studies at Duke University. Mark was ordained deacon in 1986 and elder in 1990. He has served several churches in the Western North Carolina Conference. In 2000, Mark was appointed by the Bishop Director of Mission/Outreach for the Western North Carolina Conference. In this capacity, he traveled extensively worldwide on behalf on the Conference. In June 2006, Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey appointed him Director of Communication and Ministries Team Coordinator for our Conference. As a team coordinator, he serves Town and Country Ministries, Africa University Initiative, Council on Laity, Church and Society. He also is the fiscal officer for the program area. Mark’s wife, Barbara, currently serves as Minister of Education at Myers Park UMC in Charlotte. Their son, Christopher is a sophomore at Providence Day School in Charlotte.

Adam Ward has served as Organist and Choirmaster at First United Methodist Church of Salisbury for 10 years. At First Church, he oversees a music program that includes eight choirs (vocal, handbell and small ensemble) ranging in ages from kindergarten to senior adults. He also directs the Concert Choir, Inc. of Salisbury. Receiving the Bachelor and Master of Music degrees in Organ Performance from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Adam also studied piano, harpsichord, voice and choral conducting at the University. He will complete the Doctor of Musical Arts in Organ Performance at UNCG in May of 2009. Adam has performed at the Washington National Cathedral in Washington, DC, at St Philip’s Cathedral in Atlanta, Bruton Parish Church in Colonial Williamsburg, York Minster in Great Britain as well as recital in Treviso and Torre del Greco in Italy. His 2008 recital schedule will take him to the Cathedral in Pompeii, Italy where he will play in November of 2008. Adam is the proud father of his three year-old son, Benjamin Michael Ward.

Retreat Schedule
Retreat Theme: The Rooms of Your Life NEW! 2008 Spiritual Growth Retreats Program Book [PDF]
Session #	Singing Begins	Message Title	Scripture
1	3:45 pm	The Rooms of Your Life - Overview with emphasis on the Foyer (This session includes Holy Communion)	“By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.” Proverbs 24:3-4
2	7:15 pm	The Attic (“The Junk in Your Life”)	“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
Immediately following Session 2...A Concert by the Junaluska Singers
3	9:00 am	The Living Room (“Your Service for God–Time, Talents, Energy”)	"Serve one another in love.” Galatians 5:13b
4	10:30 am	The Unfinished Room (“God’s Not Finished with You Yet!”)	“…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” Philippians 1:6