05/20/2026
Pastors and seminarians! Immediately following the All-Canada Convention you are invited to our clergy retreat from supper on Sunday August 23rd until lunch on Tuesday August 25th.
Please RSVP to [email protected].
Meals and retreat are free. We ask congregations to support their pastor's travel and lodging to attend this important event.
Drinking Deep: Exploring the Cups of Scripture and Our Lives
As Disciples, the cup is central to our identity. In our weekly worship, we partake of communion, sharing the bread and cup. The chalice is our identifying symbol, a visible reminder of communion, hospitality, sacrifice, and grace. Yet the image of the cup extends far beyond the communion table. Throughout scripture, cups appear again and again as powerful metaphors for the human and divine experience. A cup may represent blessing or suffering, abundance or emptiness, judgment or salvation. It can symbolize what we receive, what we offer, what we cling to, and what we are called to release. A cup can be full or empty. It can be shared or withheld. It can be bitter or sweet. It can be overflowing or shattered. In this retreat, we will explore the many cups found in scripture and in our own lives. Together we will reflect on the cups we carry, the cups we are offered, and the cup Christ places before us — inviting us into deeper faith, compassion, courage, and community.
Rev. Rachel Frey
I am a seeker on a spiritual journey who feels called to accompany others on their own spiritual journeys. Based in Edmonton, AB, I currently live out this calling as a spiritual companion, having earned a Graduate Certificate in Spiritual Direction from St. Catherine University in 2025, and as a casual chaplain serving in hospice and long-term care settings. My previous ministry experience also includes serving as a corporate chaplain, pastor, and community facilitator and organizer. My particular passions in spiritual accompaniment include vocational discernment, burnout prevention and recovery, sacred rest, soul care for activists, creativity and spirituality, and embodied spiritual practice.
I am grateful for the opportunity to lead this retreat for my Disciples colleagues, and I hope you will find the experience meaningful, enriching, and nourishing for the journey.
