Renewal: Students Caring for Creation

Leadership Team Retreat Logistics and Briefing

January 2009

Happy Holidays Renewal rockstars! We’re so excited about our 2009 Student Leadership Team
and looking forward to meeting each of you in Minnesota! Given your combined experience and
passion to create a better world, I know our team can make a very real and positive difference in
our call to protect God’s creation! The possibilities are truly endless.

But before we can change the world- we must address a few little SLT retreat details. So what’s
this retreat about anyhow? Well, there are several important and exciting goals for this retreat:
First, we hope to get to know each other- a bit of bonding and inspiration-exchanging, if you will.
 Second, we want to introduce folks to Renewal’s vision and answer any questions you have
about the creation care community and how we fit into this exciting movement. Finally, and
perhaps most importantly, the main purpose of this event is for us to put our heads together to
make Renewal’s draft 2009 work plan (read: Renewal’s events, ideas and initiatives for this year)
as exceptional as possible, and then get the wheels rolling on the new year. Great discussions are
in store but, given all our resources invested in this time, we also aim to make real decisions and
take practical steps forward. As such, a key to the success of this retreat is that we arrive briefed
and prepared. That is the purpose of this document.

It starts with some logistics and goals, but then delves into pre-retreat questions that will get us
ready. Please print out the questions, make any notes in the spaces provided, and bring
them to the retreat. We will collect the sheets at the end in order to help ensure that
everyone’s input is well integrated and utilized over the long-run. We’re really just looking
for your valuable input – not trying to check up that you did your “homework” – so please don’t
worry about answering every question extensively, or in any specific/formal format. Of course,
legible handwriting will greatly help us as we collate everyone’s notes post-retreat.

To some extent, we choose what we’re busy with; and we’re all busy people! So thank you very
much for your commitment to this groundbreaking effort.

See you in Minnesota!

Anna Jane Joyner and Ben Lowe

Co-coordinators, Renewal: Students Caring for Creation
 RENEWAL SLT RETREAT LOGISTICS:

• This retreat is FREE! All food, travel and housing costs are covered.

• Please bring the following items: a sleeping bag, personal toiletries/medications (we will
have already available: soap, shampoo, conditioner, toothpaste, and shaving cream), a
towel, pillow, writing utensils, a notepad/journal, WARM clothes, $20 for a night out on
the town, a big smile, and lots of passion for protecting God’s creation! *There will be
beds for some folks but not everyone – so please bring a sleeping pad if you have one. 

• The temperature is projected to be 10-25 degrees with the possibility of snow- apologies
to our friends coming from Southern California!

• Anna Jane is coordinating all travel logistics (airport/train station pickups,

reimbursements, etc). She will be sending out additional transportation info before Jan 4
(i.e. who is picking you up, their cell number, car description, etc.). For travel questions,
please email Anna Jane at ajjoyner@renewingcreation.org

• Our retreat cabin is a 1h 45 min drive from the Twin-Cities in Cumberland, Wisconsin.
We will be spending Sunday, Jan 4th in St. Paul, MN (at 1625 Niles Ave, Saint Paul, MN
55116) before heading up to the retreat cabin early Monday. Please plan on arriving late
afternoon/evening on Sunday, Jan 4th and leaving after 3.30pm on Wed, January 7th.

• For folks who will be leaving on Thursday, Jan 8th, we have arranged accommodations
for you with gracious and friendly students at Bethel University. For more information,
please email fellow SLT member (and Bethel student) Nathan Sather at nathan-
sather@bethel.edu and cc Anna Jane.

• Anna Jane’s cell number is 336-469-3042, Ben Lowe’s (Renewal’s new co-coordinator)
cell number is 859-221-8924, and Matthew Anderson-Stembridge’s (our gracious
Minnesota host) cell number is 651-247-6135; feel free to call if you have any questions,
travel glitches, or just want someone to talk to.

How Can We Define Success – for the retreat?

1. Grow together as an effective Christ-centered team.

2. Get equipped – explore the ins/outs of servant-leadership as it pertains to Renewal’s SLT
3. Launch Renewal into 2009:
• Brainstorm, fine tune and ratify Renewal’s goals/plans for 2009
• Select Chairs and launch the following working groups: Communications, Outreach,
Resource Development, and Core Programming
• Organize into task-forces for Renewal’s 2009 events

How Can We Define Success – for the network (Renewal’s goals for 2009)?

1. Build and strengthen student creation care movement through equipping and connecting
student leaders engaged in creation care
2. Develop Renewal organizationally and within the context of the larger creation
care/environmental movement
 3. Have real impact on important environmental issues
RENEWAL SLT PRE-RETREAT QUESTIONS:
(Please print and bring to the retreat – thank you!)

Your name:

Foundations:
1. Please review Renewal’s goals for 2009. Do you agree with these goals and do you have
any feedback to offer?

2. Can you think of other student-led efforts (at any scale, Christian or otherwise) that have
had successes? If so, what aspects of these efforts can we learn from?

3. What resources (goods and services) would you like to see Renewal provide for…
a. Campuses?

b. Individual students?

c. Alumni?

d. Partnering organizations?

4. What do you like about the Renewal website and Facebook group? What would you like
to improve, add, or take away?
Outreach and Communication:
5. Renewal’s primary audience is Christian students. What secondary audiences should we
also prioritize for 2009 and why (faculty, trustees, pastors, secular envr. orgs. etc.)?

6. What are the top three ways we can communicate Renewal’s vision and work (some
general ideas: website, blogging, online groups, publications, podcasts, etc.)…
a. Internally (SLT, Advisors, Senior Advisors, Funders)?

b. Externally (our primary and secondary audiences)?

7. Do you have any ideas on who we should approach for the following categories (please
indicate if you have personal connections to any of these people) -
a. Advisors (recent grads still heavily involved in creation care who can regularly
support/advise Renewal):

b. Senior Advisors (strategic professors or leaders who bring credibility and

wisdom to Renewal):

c. Campus Strategists (recent grads with demonstrated campus organizing skills

who can help support/advise campuses involved in Renewal):

d. Funders and supporters (those who may be interested in supporting Renewal

financially or through other means/donations):

e. Key campuses for Renewal’s campus tour and report (those not already
represented in the SLT that have active creation care initiatives or are especially
influential on the Christian campus scene):
Team Building:
In order for the SLT to work effectively together it is critical to get to know one another and
understand how each of us fit into this team. Please reflect on the following questions and
answer them as honestly as possible, without letting the desire to be humble keep you from
sharing the real picture.

8. Why did you choose to be part of the SLT?

9. What strengths do you bring to the SLT that could be useful? Weaknesses?

10. What skills, talents, and other resources do you bring?

11. What aspects of campus organizing/student leadership do you enjoy (recruiting, event
planning, resource development, strategizing, implementing strategies, follow-up, etc.)?
What aspects do you prefer not to do?

12. How do you personally hope to grow/develop through your involvement with the SLT
(learn more about fundraising, make professional connections within the creation care
movement, etc.)?

13. What, if any, expectations do you have for the SLT? The coordinators? Yourself?
And finally…
14. 5, 10, 15 years from you now when you are no longer a youth what would like to look
back and see this network having achieved through its hard work and by the grace of
God? What does the network look like? What does the church look like? What does the
world look like?

15. Any other thoughts, concerns, questions?

Thank You!