Women’s Connection Conference 2023
Registration for the Women’s Connection Conference 2023 at the Montreat Conference Center opens February 1, 2023 at 10am EST.
As the HMPC women who have attended in past years have experienced, this will be a time for women to connect with old and new friends, a time to care for yourself; a time for space and Sabbath. The weekend includes powerful and authentic worship, space for honest and faithful conversation, and time for discernment and renewing rest.
Here are the details you need to know...
When: August 11-13, 2023 - Friday night through Sunday morning
What and Where: A lot is offered in this yearly event held at Montreat, our denomination’s conference center just outside of Asheville: creative worship and thought provoking bible study; workshops on a variety of topics; an energetic keynote; the opportunity to get to know Hudson women better and the chance to meet diverse women from all over the country. From the scheduled activities you may choose to do what most meets your needs. In addition, you may rest in the beauty of the mountains, rock on a front porch or spend time in the contemplative space of the Spirituality Center. There are plenty more active options if you want to walk, hike, climb, or bike.
Leadership: The keynote speaker is Kate Bowler, PhD is a three-time New York Times bestselling author, podcast host, and an Associate Professor of American Religious History at Duke University. She studies the cultural stories we tell ourselves about success, suffering, and whether (or not) we’re capable of change. She is the author of Blessed: A History of the American Prosperity Gospel and The Preacher’s Wife: The Precarious Power of Evangelical Women Celebrities. After being unexpectedly diagnosed with Stage IV cancer at age 35, she penned the New York Times bestselling memoir, Everything Happens for a Reason (and Other Lies I’ve Loved), No Cure For Being Human (and Other Truths I Need to Hear), and her latest written with her co-producer, Jessica Richie, Good Enough: 40ish devotionals for a Life of Imperfection. Kate hosts the Everything Happens podcast where, in warm, insightful, often funny conversations, she talks with people like Malcolm Gladwell and Anne Lamott about what they’ve learned in difficult times. She lives in Durham, North Carolina with her family and continues to teach do-gooders at Duke Divinity School.
Housing/Meals: The accommodations at Assembly Inn work well for our group: it is a lovely venue where most participants will be staying, it is close to all conference activities, and meals are included. Being centrally located with meals provided is particularly helpful for a short conference. Guest rooms are available for one, two, three or four people. Each year we also have access to spaces where we gather for happy hour and fellowship between activities.
Each of us will register individually. The Inn fills typically fills very quickly and I encourage you to register as soon as you can if you are thinking of going. To register, click on the page for this conference and follow the steps. If you are staying in the Inn, confirm you are registering for the “Comprehensive Package”, under Property click “Assembly Inn” and choose your room preference. There will be a place to note if you have a roommate, each person registers separately so be sure you list the other(s) in your room on the form. Full payment is required at registration, last year it was $400-$500 depending on the room and roommate(s). In the comment section you can note that you are with the Hudson Memorial Presbyterian Church Raleigh group. The fees for a comprehensive package in the Inn are refundable until the end of June, less a small processing fee, then refunds are prorated until shortly before the conference should plans change. You are certainly free to stay elsewhere if you have friends in the area, etc.-- just register for the conference as a commuter. If the Inn is not available, choose another of the conference center properties and if you like you can get on a waiting list for the accommodations in the Inn if they become available.
Registration Link here: Women's Connection 2023 | Montreat Conference Center
Contact Debbie with any questions you have at this point and let me know when you register so we have a complete list of our group.