Women's Fellowship invites all women to this year’s Fall Retreat, Spiritual Hydration – Drawing from the Living Water, on Thursday, October 22, from 10:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Join us for a day of spiritual renewal through God's Word with guest speaker The Reverend Dr. Ellen Shepard, music by Jana Andringa, and a catered Cue BBQ lunch. The cost is $35, and online registration is open September 10–October 11.

Guest Speaker Bio:

The Reverend Dr. Ellen Shepard

Ellen Shepard, is a retired elder in the North Georgia Conference.  She has served new church starts and established churches, small churches and mega churches in a variety of capacities.  She and her husband Kelly have 3 grown children and 6 grandchildren, all who live in the Atlanta area. 

She has been a faculty member at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and was the past Director of Women Theology & Ministry certificate program. 

Ellen likes to write and has written A River In the Desert, a book on women’s retreats (Abingdon Press) and a children’s book, Who Dared, Joshua Dared (Abingdon Press) in addition to numerous articles and Sunday school curriculum for children and adults.  Early in her ministry she wrote a book with Dick Murray, known to many as the “Grandfather of Christian Education”, titled, Teaching the Bible to Elementary Children.  She is working on a new book about Vocational Discernment. 

A native of St. Simon’s Island, Ellen transferred to the North Georgia Annual Conference from the Texas Annual Conference in 1998.  She is a graduate of Texas A&M University, Garrett Evangelical Theological Seminary at Northwestern University and Columbia Theological Seminary where she received her Doctor of Ministry in Christian Spirituality. 

She enjoys ministry, leading retreats, collecting quilts, writing, working with people of all ages and has a special love for children’s literature.