2026 First Call Retreat
Ministry comes with deep joy, but also real weight. Pastors quickly discover that ministry rarely stays within tidy hours or clear expectations. The needs are real, the requests keep coming, and the quiet question lingers: How do I care for others without losing myself? The Augustana District First Call Retreat invites pastors in their first ministry context to step away, breathe, and listen again to the gift God gives in Sabbath, rest, and limits. Together we will explore what it means to live within boundaries that do not constrain ministry, but actually sustain it. Through worship, conversation, teaching, and shared rest, we will reflect on God’s insistence on Sabbath, not as a burden, but as a promise. This retreat is not about learning to do more or trying harder, but about receiving again the freedom of being human, forgiven, and free. Come rest, reconnect with old or connect with new colleagues, and rediscover how God’s good limits make space for faithful, lasting ministry. This retreat is also open to seminarians, spouses, and those discerning a future in ministry.
Register Before Holy Week So You Don’t Forget!
Who Can Attend?
**Event Attendance Information**
All first-call pastors, seminarians, and spouses are welcome to attend.
**Fees:**
First-time attendees (first-call pastors and seminarians):
- $25 per person (After April 1, 2026 pricing will increase to $50)
**Spouses and returning attendees:**
- $160 per person to help cover lodging and meals.
**Saturday Attendance:**
All attendees are encouraged to stay overnight Friday and attend the District Convention on Saturday from 9:00 AM to 3:30 PM.
If you're attending the Saturday convention, you don't need to register for that event. The First Call Retreat fee's covers all meals and lodging for the entire weekend, including Saturday’s District Convention.
**Financial Assistance/Sponsorship:**
Returning attendees may be eligible for Financial Assistance.
Financial Assistance
We do have financial aid funds available for those who need financial assistance. Please contact Wendy at 320.234.8403 for details regarding this BEFORE registering.
Don't Wait!!
TIP: Register BEFORE HOLY WEEK so you don’t forget and miss out on early bird savings!!
No registrations will be guaranteed after April 13, 2026 so please make sure to register earlier rather than later.
NOTE:
Each cabin houses 3-7 people (separate bedrooms, shared bathroom). Please consider listing other attendees with whom you would be willing to share a cabin or we are happy to assign cabin mates for you.
If Paying By Check
If paying by check, please mail the completed brochure form along with payment to:
Augustana District
335 Main St. S
Hutchinson, MN 55350
| Refund Policy | |
|---|---|
| 28+ Days before Event | 100% |
| 14 - 27 days prior to the event | 50% |
| 13 days or less prior to the event | 0% |
Hourly Schedule
Thursday, April 23
- 4:00 PM
- Registration/Check-In
- 5:30 PM
- Supper at Camp
- 6:30 PM
- Introductions and Opening Session
- Keynote – Rev. Julie Smith
- 7:30 PM
- Campfire
Friday, April 24
- 8:00 Am
- Breakfast
- 8:45 AM
- Worship
- 9:45 AM
- Keynote Speaker
- Rev. Dave Wollan
- 10:45 AM
- Small Group Discussions
- Breakout groups will be offered for seminarians, clergy spouses, those discerning ministry, and first call pastors
- 11:30 AM
- Lunch
- 12:15 PM
- Panel Discussion
- 1:45 PM
- Small Group Discussions
- 2:45 PM
- Keynote Speaker
- Rev. Steve Olcott
- 3:45 PM
- Free Time
- 6:00 PM
- Group Supper Option in Alexandria
- Join the group or have supper on your own in Alexandria. Cost NOT covered in registration fee.
Date
- Apr 23 - 24 2026
Location
- 800 Mount Carmel Drive NE, Alexandria, MN 56308
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Website
https://www.mountcarmelministries.com/
Organizer
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Augustana District
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Phone
320.234.8403 -
Email
[email protected]
Speakers
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Pastor Julie Smith❖ Groups & Fellowship Coordinator ❖ LCMC ❖Pastor Julie Smith is an ordained Lutheran pastor who co-founded St. Paul Lutheran Seminary and currently serves as the Coordinator for Districts and Fellowship Groups at LCMC. She has experience teaching and is passionate about working with LCMC’s Districts and Fellowship Groups. In her free time, Julie enjoys sports spectating, spending time with her nieces and nephews, and of course, like most Minnesotans, spending time at the lake while listening to the Twins on the radio. (Don’t ask her about the Vikings.)
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Rev. Dr. Dave WollanDave’s first call into ministry was as youth director at Como Park Lutheran. His first call as a pastor was at Faith Lutheran in Hutchinson, MN, where he served first as youth director and then as pastor since 2013. Dave graduated from the Lutheran Bible Institute in Seattle with a B.A. in Youth and Family Ministry, received his Masters of Divinity at the Institute of Lutheran Theology, and a Doctor of Ministry from Western Seminary. Dave and his wife, Andrea, have four kids whom they have raised to love Jesus and the Minnesota Vikings.
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Pastor Steve OlcottPastor Steve Olcott grew up in southern New Jersey and moved to Hutchinson, MN in 2003 to pursue a youth ministry position. A graduate of The Institute of Lutheran Theology, Steve was ordained and is currently serving as Co-Lead Pastor at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Hutchinson, MN. Steve and his wife Corinne have been married for 22+ years and God has blessed their marriage with 3 lovely daughters, a granddaughter and a grandson due in April! Steve enjoys theological talks over coffee and Philadelphia sports talk wherever he can find it.
“So that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” – Eph 3:17a