
Closing Friday, May 12th
Registration Payment
Your registration is not complete until you submit the full $350/person registration amount.
You can submit your payment via PayPal here
or mail a check to the synod office at
1800 55th Ave.
Oakland, CA 94621
This $350/person will cover a single-occupancy room for all participants and 5 meals throughout the Gathering. Limited scholarships are available for the Gathering, please email revdiannelcoc@gmail.com to inquire more. Any questions regarding the Gathering can be sent to revdiannelcoc@gmail.com.
Keynote Speakers, Preachers & Spiritual Directors

Leonard McMahon
Leonard McMahon is an Assistant Professor of Pastoral Care, Spirituality, and Political
Theology at the Pacific School of Religion. A doctoral candidate in political theology at
the Graduate Theological Union at Berkeley, with work in spirituality, theology, and politics.
Leonard holds an MA in Religious Studies from UC Santa Barbara and an MDiv from Harvard Divinity School. His interest is in improving civic engagement, and through his consultancy, Common Ground Dialogue (cgdialogue.org), he works to bring divergent citizens into deeper conversation for the sake of our democracy.
Leonard's role during the Rostered Ministers Retreat will be to facilitate a design thinking workshop. Design Thinking is a rapidly evolving discipline, found across many industries. At the Pacific School of Religion, it is a requirement for all students as a significant step in the process of spiritual formation. A collaborative, iterative, problem-solving methodology, design thinking will offer attendees the chance to envision and craft a practical future where all in the Lutheran community can thrive. Leonard's hope is that this will be a productive way to begin the healing process.

Rev. Dr. David Vasquez-Levy
Rev. Dr. David Vásquez-Levy serves as President of Pacific School of Religion in Berkeley, California –a progressive, multidenominational seminary and center for social justice that prepares theologically and spiritually rooted leaders to work for the well-being of all. A committed pastor, a nationally recognized higher education and immigration leader, and a sought after speaker, Rev. David leads at the intersection of faith, higher education, and social change. Rev. David regularly contributes a faith perspective to the national conversation on immigration, including speaking at a congressional briefing, immigration consultations with both the Obama and the Biden White House, engaging in a series of public conversation with various State Attorneys across the country in an effort to reframe our national conversation about immigration. He has worked on consulted on a number of documentaries on immigration, labor, and human rights and is the author of various publications that explore migration stories in sacred texts and in people’s lives.
Rev. David holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Computer Science from Texas Lutheran University and a Master of Divinity and Doctor of Ministry degrees from the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, including studies at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, Germany. He is married to Dr. Karla Suomala and they are parents of two college students—Dawit who is attending Howard University in DC and Meheret who is at Cal Poly Humboldt.

Rev. Dale L. Webb
The Rev. Dale L. Webb will be leading spiritual practice times throughout the Rostered Ministers Retreat and will preach during the closing worship service. Rev. Dale was originally ordained in the Presbyterian Church (USA) and has served as pastor in both the Presbyterian Church and the United Church of Christ. Following retirement from congregational ministry, Rev. Dale served as a healthcare chaplain in both hospital and hospice settings. He then completed spiritual formation as a Spiritual Director and Supervisor and now offers spiritual direction for interested individuals, as well as supervision for other Spiritual Directors. In addition to spiritual direction activities, Rev. Dale serves in spiritual formation programs at Mercy Center Burlingame and the Journey Center in Santa Rosa. Rev. Dale and his wife Sabina currently make their home in Windsor, California, about 60 miles north of San Francisco.
Tentative Retreat Schedule
Tuesday, May 30th
3:00pm | Welcome & Check-In
5:00pm | Wellness Wheel with Portico Benefit Services
5:30pm | Contemplative Practice with Rev. Dale Webb
6:00pm | Dinner
7:00pm | Opening Worship with Guest Preacher Rev. Dr. David Vasquez-Levy
7:30pm | Keynote Speaker Session with Leonard McMahon
8:30pm | Conduct Covenant
9:00pm | Campfire & S'mores
Wednesday, May 31st
7:00am | Morning Walk
8:00am | Breakfast
9:00am | Spiritual Practice
9:30am | Coffee Connection Time
9:45am | Keynote Speaker Session with Leonard McMahon
12:00pm | Lunch
1:30pm | Contemplative Practice with Rev. Dale Webb
2:00pm | Keynote Speaker Session with Leonard McMahon
4:00pm | Self-Care Option Time - Fiber Art, Succulents, Beekeeping, Music Jam Session, Charcuterie Board Making, Jewelry Making, Contemplative Practice with Rev. Dale, Exercise & Lawn Games
6:00pm | Dinner
7:00pm | Small Group Time
8:00pm | Hospitality & Social Time with ELCA Mission Investment Fund (MIF)
Thursday, June 1st
7:00am | Morning Walk
8:00am | Breakfast
9:00am | Financial Wellness with ELCA Mission Investment Fund (MIF)
9:30am | Spiritual Practice
10:15am | Moving Forward & Connections Time
10:45am | Closing Worship with Guest Preacher Rev. Dale Webb