Bishop Kemper School for Ministry
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First-Year Student Retreat: 
Friday, July 22 - Sunday, July 24

Your spiritual formation is the bedrock of your theological formation at Bishop Kemper School for Ministry.  Your spiritual practices will nurture and fuel your life as a student, and they are essential for you life as a faithful leader in the church, whether lay or ordained.     Finally, participating a collaborative, mutually supportive and encouraging community is central to your BKSM experience. 

All first-year students on a track to become a priest or deacon will begin their formation with a New Student Retreat. If you are a new student on an Anglican Studies or Lay Studies track, you will join returning students for a retreat on July 28-30th.

The weekend begins with dinner on Friday evening, July 22, at 6:00 pm, with the retreat program beginning at 7:00. The retreat will end on Sunday, July 24 at 12:00 noon. 

Throughout the weekend, you will:
  • form and strengthen relationships with fellow students, staff and colloquium leaders
  • learn essential prayer practices
  • spend time in prayer, alone and  in community
  • create a rule of life with your cohort
  • enjoy fellowship during meals and reception times

All new students are required to attend the retreat, as this weekend is a critical component of your formation at Bishop Kemper School for Ministry. If you cannot attend, please fill out the form
Retreat Registration - New Students

Online (Zoom) Orientation: Tuesday, July 26 & August 2, 7:00-8:30 p.m.

In addition to the retreat weekend, new students are expected to attend two online Zoom orientation sessions prior to the first focus weekend in August. 

These sessions will include:
  • Academics 101, to help prepare you for the academic expectations of BKSM and refresh your reading, research, and writing skills
  • An info session a panel of current students and recent graduates, who will talk about their experience and answer all your questions about life as as BKSM student.

During the first all-student praxis session of the year (on Tuesday, August 16th from 7:00-8:30 p.m., on Zoom) , we will review BKSM's academic policies and procedures

General information about the BKSM New Student Retreat Weekend

Location
BKSM is located in the lower level of Grace Cathedral, 701 SW 8th Ave. Overnight accommodations are available onsite at Upton Hall and are included in the cost of registration. There are several hotels in the downtown area (Hotel Topeka at City Center and the Cyrus Hotel) and many others throughout Topeka.

Schedule
A detailed schedule will be sent out around July 18. However, the retreat weekend will begin on Friday evening at 7:00 and wrap up around noon on Sunday.

Cost
The registration fee for the New Student Retreat is $125, which covers the cost of food and materials. 

Contact us    
If you have questions that aren't answered here, please feel free to reach out to the Rev. Casey Rohleder ('16), director of communications, at (785) 259-4672 or bksmoutreach@gmail.com.

Register Now for New Student Retreat and Orientation
Address for Tuition Payments/Donations:
The Very Rev. Don Compier, BKSM Dean
410 SE Independence Ave.

Lee’s Summit, MO 64063
Physical Address:
Bishop Kemper School for Ministry

701 SW 8th Avenue
Topeka, KS 66603

The Bishop Kemper School for Ministry is a collaborative venture of the Episcopal Dioceses of Kansas, West Missouri, Nebraska and Western Kansas.
BKSM also partners with the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.
BKSM offers classes and programs to educate people for church leadership in both lay and ordained vocations.