Pause/Play Annual Gathering 2026

July 14 - 17, 2026 / Crossroads Hotel / 2101 Central Street Kansas City, MO

Schedule

All events listed below are taking place in The Crossroads Hotel. Wednesday and Thursday evening, you will be invited to pause or play in whatever way feels best to you - explore the neighborhood, visit art galleries, live shows, local restaurants, etc. If you have any questions or concerns, please call or text our Event Coordinator, Rev. Amy Shoemaker at 515-229-0303.

TUESDAY

3:00 pm - Check In for Hotel Rooms

5:00 pm - Registration & Cocktail Hour @ lobby*

6:00 pm - Dinner @ Private Dining Room*

7:00 pm - Opening Worship @ Ballroom

*There will be a cash bar available in the Private Dining Room from 5 pm to 7pm.

WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY

8:00 am - Breakfast @ Rooftop

9:00 am - Plenary @ Ballroom

10:15 am - Break

10:45 am - Workshops

12:15 pm - Break

12:30 pm - Lunch @ Lazia

1:30 pm - Break

2:00 pm - Workshops

3:30 pm - Break

3:45 pm - Plenary @ Ballroom

5:00 pm - Break

Optional

Wednesday Offsite @ Grinders - Free Live Music

Thursday 7pm @ Ballroom - Game Night

FRIDAY

8:00 am - Breakfast @ Rooftop

9:00 am - Closing Plenary @ Ballroom

10:00 am - Break

10:30 am - Closing Worship

11:30 am - Boxed Lunch

12:00 pm - Check Out for Hotel Rooms

Workshop Descriptions:

Sing Praise! with KJ Song - Ballroom - Weds @ 10:30am

In a world that keeps breaking our hearts and demanding our silence, Sing Praise! is a place to wail, harmonize, stomp, and rise. It’s for anyone hungry for Spirit without the strings, for community that sings back, for a moment of aliveness that feels like YES.

Not Every Monster is Scary with DeAnna Skedel - Wine Room - Weds @ 2pm, Thurs @ 10:30 am

Smash, scratch, slither / jiggly, wiggly, wobbly. Join fine artist DeAnna Skedel to use alcohol ink, natural ink, and plant matter (and maybe a little glitter) on art papers to look for characters that show up in the inkblots. Rooted in pareidolia—the psychological phenomenon where our brains look for recognizable patterns (like faces or figures) in random shapes—this workshop will teach you to play with what could be.

Inner Harmony You can Feel with Ritu Nanos - Private Dining Room - Weds @ 2pm, Thurs @ 10:30am

Breathe. Move softly. Feel. Join martial artist and death doula Ritu Nanos in the practice of qigong — exploring ways to balance yin and yang, stillness and motion, inward energy and outward action, rest and labor. Learn to access an inner harmony that you can take into your pastoral care, preaching preparation, the pulpit, and beyond.

Grow Your Church with Rev. Dr. Chris Davies - Ballroom - Weds @ 2pm

Join Rev. Dr. Chris Davies, a member of the United Church of Christ’s Manual on Local Church Working Group and co-worker on the Grow Your Church Board Game, to journey through a vibrant garden, answer questions about what churches COULD be, and engage in some holy goofiness. This workshops serves preachers through a playful and creative engagement of the Marks of Vital and Faithful Local Churches. Game concept by Erica Dollhopf, Ph.D.

Healing Your Heart with Ritu Nanos - Private Dining Room - Thurs @ 2pm

Our hearts burst, wrench, and break. Our hearts can also HEAL. Join Ritu Nanos to experience heart-healing, body-based practices that support all aspects of your life and health.

Play Saves the World with Daniel Hilty - Conference Room - Thurs @ 10:30 am & 2pm

Play at the intersection of board games, game theory, deep thoughts, and spirituality. Learn how play is essential to a flourishing preaching practice - what play is, what it means, and how to maintain a playful life.

Follow Yourself Out of Yourself with DeAnna Skedel - Thurs @ 2pm

A tactile, intuitive art-making activity designed to bypass the analytical mind and tap into sensory awareness, it uses the physical act of mark-making to shift focus from internal thoughts or self-consciousness to the external, joyful, unfolding present.

Let Your Light Shine with Soyinka Rahim - Thurs @ 10:30 am & 2pm

We are the lights of SPIRITLOVE, made up of special, unique talents, thoughts, actions, and experiences. This workshop incorporates collective breaths, chants, movements, songs, and play to celebrate our lights, igniting our confidence to support collaboration and let our LOVELIGHTS shine.

Get in the Pause/Play spirit by listening to our podcast episodes!

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More Details

  • You will want to be in the lobby of the Crossroads Hotel by 5:00 pm on Tuesday, July 14th. We will end by noon on Friday, July 17th.

    The Kansas City International Airport was recently rebuilt! Filled with food, coffee, and goods from local restaurants and makers, it is the primary airport in the KC Metro.

  • Valet Parking is offered by the hotel with overnight parking available at $35/day & day-use parking is $18/day.

    There is also street parking.

  • In Plenary Sessions, Rev. Dr. Chelsea Yarborough will be leading us. Wednesday will focus on Pause while Thursday focuses on Play.

    You can find the full schedule on this page.

    Thursday evening will be an optional Game Night.

  • Comfortable clothes you can move in easily or potentially get a little messy. Something to wear out to dinner. The weather will likely be very hot and humid. Dress however you need to. We welcome everything from pajamas to ballgowns! In the evenings you have the potential to do some walking around the neighborhood - some comfortable shoes could come in handy.

  • Definitely bring note taking supplies. You are welcome to bring an easy to pack craft-in-progress - crochet, needlepoint, knitting, etc. You will have time to work on those projects. If you play a musical instrument, bring it! Have a favorite game? Bring it for Game Night!

  • Rev. Amy Shoemaker is our Event Coordinator. You can call/text her at 515-229-0303 or email her at amydianeshoemaker@gmail.com.

    You can contact the hotel at (816) 897-8100.