Pause/Play Annual Gathering 2025

WEDNESDAY Workshop Descriptions:

Not Every Monster is Scary with DeAnna Skedel

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 those characters that show up, noticing those inkblots for the characters they are and then giving them a little more color and backstory. “Not every monster is scary” is an activity rooted in pareidolia—the psychological phenomenon where our brains look for recognizable patterns (like faces or figures) in random shapes, much like seeing shapes in clouds or inkblots. Participants let the unpredictable nature of the materials create the shapes first, and then they "rescue" the friendly characters hidden inside them.

Inner Harmony You can Feel with Ritu Nanos

Join master qigong practitioner to learn how yin.

Collage Meditations with DeAnna Skedel

DeAnna's eclectic, wide-ranging studio art practice has been akin to the practice of reading tea leaves: an act of both divination and meditation. By taking time to pause with collage and visual art you will engage the space beyond words, finding release in fuller expression. Discover ways to find rest in spontaneous creativity in a space held by DeAnna, collage artist, professor, and mystic.

THURSDAY workshop descriptions:

Sand Tray Play with Colleen Runty and Ayrika Watson

Sandtray is a practice that uses simple, tangible objects (a box, sand, small figures) to create space for exploring our intangible inner world (emotions, memories, and spiritual wrestlings). This reflective method uses symbolic imagery to help make clear to us our stumbling blocks in loving others, our stuck points in loving ourselves, and the unexpected places we find God’s love amid the mess. This workshop introduces the concept of sandtray, its psychological roots, and demonstrates how to use sandtray methods as an individual or group spiritual practice.

Play Saves the World with Daniel Hilty

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.

Party Arty with DeAnna Skedel

Are you familiar with the wonderful world of Process Art? Following this workshop, you will be! Learn how focusing on the process changes how you feel about the product. Notice how playing with visual art frees your creativity to flow into your preaching.

Grow Your Church Board Game with Chris Davies

Roll the dice and move about a garden path with your church friends! This game is designed to get people talking about church vitality through the Marks of Faithful and Vital Local Churches. It will help deepen relationships with each other and with the congregation’s covenantal partners while laughing, thinking creatively and having critical conversations. This workshop will have you dreaming about what games you could create for yourself and your communities!