Small Church Pastor’s Retreat

   Leadership:

Rev. Josh Kerr 

Rev. Josh Kerr serves as the Presbyterian Foundation’s Ministry Relations Officer for the South-Central region, encompassing Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Texas. He came to work for the Presbyterian Foundation in February 2024 after serving as a pastor for ten years in two churches in Oklahoma.

Rev. Dan Milford

Dan Milford is grateful that the Good News of God’s love and forgiveness is for all people. Communicating that reality, particularly to people who have historically been made to feel unwelcome in the church, is important to Dan. He aspires to fully welcome people with mental health concerns, those who are from other cultures or countries, those who identify as LGBTQ+, and anyone else who has felt alienated or disillusioned with the church.
Dan began as the pastor of Covenant Presbyterian in May 2011. Previously, he had served as Associate Pastor at Lake Murray Presbyterian Church in Chapin, SC for five years and then as pastor at First Presbyterian Church of Sand Springs, OK for twelve years. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University in College Station, TX and Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA (Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry).
Dan is happily married to Nadia Rosales, his wife of 32 years, and the proud father of their three children—Austin, Joshua, and Alexis—who are all in their late-20’s. They enjoy traveling, camping, hiking, kayaking, snorkeling, and other outdoor activities as a family when they are together.
A favorite part of ministry for Dan is teaching confirmation classes, adult newcomer classes, and talking with anyone who is seeking to grow in faith or who is simply curious about the claims of Christianity. He enjoys science and helping people discover ways in which science and faith can be in productive dialogue. In ministry, he is also drawn to any activity that allows him to join with others in putti ng Christi an faith into action in service or witness.
Mental health ministry became a passion for Dan about eight years ago. The “Beautiful Minds: A Mental Health Ministry” leads the effort at Covenant, and Dan worked for many years on creating a nationwide emphasis on mental health in the Presbyterian Church. He and Covenant are grateful to have the opportunity to learn from peers, families, professionals, and other congregations to grow in the ability to integrate mental health ministry into their congregational life. This work in mental health ministry led Columbia Theological Seminary to present Dan with its Distinguished Service Award in February of 2020, a witness to the yearning within the church for growth in this area of ministry and to the dedication of the “Beautiful Minds Coalition” at Covenant.

Special 75th Anniversary Guest: David Lamotte

David LaMotte is a songwriter, speaker, author, and activist. As a singer, David has performed over 3500 concerts and released thirteen full length CDs. He has toured in all fifty states and on five of the seven continents. His most recent album, Still, was in the top twenty on Folk Radio for six months, and his song, September Me, reached number one in September of 2022. David has been a featured performer at top tier music festivals worldwide, including the Kerrville Folk Festival, Lake Eden Arts Festival, Merlefest, the Auckland Folk Festival (NZ) and the Australian National Folk Festival. 
David was a Rotary World Peace Fellow, which enabled him to study International Relations, Peace and Conflict Resolution at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. As part of that study, he also spent time in rural Andhra Pradesh, India working with a Gandhian development organization. David and his wife Deanna are founders of the nonprofit Senderos, which supports Guatemalan children through education, music and mentoring projects. He also created the Let’s Be Neighbors campaign to encourage community-building at the neighborhood level. David has authored four books and presented two TEDx talks. The most recent, based on his book, You Are Changing The World Whether You Like It Or Not, was recently featured as a TED Editor’s Pick, enabling a larger audience to hear David’s message on movement work and meaningful change.

2024 Small Church Pastor’s Retreat

Cost and Housing

Hotel-style lodging accommodations will be available for reservations.

Single occupancy room: $350

Spouse rate: $140 (includes all meals for the retreat duration)

Scholarships are available! Click here to learn more.

Cancellation

Full refund minus administrative fee up to $75 per person will be made if cancellation is received more than 30 days prior to the conference. There are generally no refunds for cancellations received on or after 30 days prior to the start of the event nor any applying of the amount paid toward other charges or future conferences.

What to Bring

Bring a Bible, notebook, flashlight, hair dryer, rain gear. Linens are provided. Bring shoes suitable for Mo-Ranch’s rocky, uneven terrain.

Transportation

Mo-Ranch is 90 miles one-way, or a 2-hour drive from the nearest airport (SAT), allow 3 hours travel/check-in time for departures. We recommend generally scheduling arriving flights before 3 p.m. and departing flights after 3 p.m. to be sure you do not miss any of your event.

If you are in need of shuttle service to Mo-Ranch, call Kars for Hire in Kerrville at (830) 890-8200 at least 15 days in advance to arrange transportation from San Antonio International Airport.

Click here for directions to Mo.

Bookstore

Make sure to stop by the Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly bookstore during your conference to pick out a souvenir!

Questions

We’re happy to help! Contact us at 1.800.460.4401 ext. 246 or registrar@moranch.org.