DATES
Check the Diocesan Calendar for the most up to date information.

*Youth & Young Adult weekends are restricted to Juniors in high school through college graduation, or age 22 (whichever comes first).

REGISTRATION
Registration opens approximately 2 months prior to each gathering and is available directly through Camp Allen: https://www.campallen.org/registerforevents.html or by calling 936-825-7175.

FORMAT
Discovery Weekend is held three times a year at Camp Allen, including one session dedicated to Youth and Young Adult seekers. Each weekend begins at 5:00 PM on Friday and concludes at lunch on Sunday.

Seekers will learn about vocation, practice tools and models for discernment, and spend time in small groups discussing and reflecting on their own discernment. Facilitators and Table Leaders will guide discussions and exercises and be available for individual conversation.

ABOUT
Our Baptismal Covenant calls all Christians to serve God and the Church. The Outline of Faith in the Book of Common Prayer (1979) defines the ministers of the church as “lay persons, bishops, priests, and deacons.” (See also Title III Ministry, Canon 1). We are all ministers of the church.

The Diocese of Texas strives to help all our members to discover their gifts for ministry and to identify leaders, lay and ordained, for Christ’s mission. Discerning a call to ministry is not limited to those seeking ordination. By expanding the discernment process, we have created opportunities for individuals to join with others in community to discern God’s call. The Diocese hopes to raise up lay and ordained leaders who are willing to be the face, hands, and heart of Christ in our communities and in the world. 

Discovery Weekend is an interactive early step in the discernment process. The retreat is an opportunity to:

• slow down to learn about vocation – that is, God’s call, and to listen for God’s voice,
• spend time in dialogue with others also in discernment,
• get feedback and insight from Episcopal leaders engaged in various types of Christian ministry across the diocese, and
• spend time in personal reflection about your future work and ministry.

CONTACT
For more information and financial assistance inquiries, email:

Resources For Vocational Discernment

The books listed here have been selected from among the vast number of resources on vocational discernment that are available in print. The criteria for selecting these include their inclusion of hands-on, practical exercises that an individual or group can engage in, their focus on the spiritual and emotional elements of vocational discernment, and the Christian theological understanding of vocation.

Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Vocation
by Parker J. Palmer,1999
This gentle little volume began as a collection of essays and talks and is a reflection on Dr. Palmer’s own vocational and emotional journey. He is particularly helpful when talking about the importance of honestly and frankly coming to terms with our own limitations and using that insight to guide us to more successful and fulfilling endeavors.

How to Find Your Mission in Life
by Richard Nelson Bolles, 2005
In this intimate treasury of wit and wisdom, Richard Bolles, author of the job-hunting bible: What Color Is Your Parachute? explores the spiritual aspects of finding one's place in the work world. For anyone who has ever wondered how to make the most of their unique natural gifts, or how to find a vocation that is both socially responsible and personally fulfilling, this enlightening and empowering volume provides immeasurable guidance. 

Calling and Clarity: Discovering What God Wants for Your Life
by Doug Koskela, 2015
As a professor of theology at an undergraduate institution, Doug Koskela has had extensive personal experience with counseling young people when they come to him with questions about career choices, vocation and calling. In this volume poses questions and provides answers to common questions about calling and discernment and distinguishes between the various kinds of calling and their relationships to our gifts, passions and vocation.