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Lost and Found
October 14 @ 10:00 am - 3:00 pm CDT
$45.00 – $65.00
Join us for Exploration of the Healing Power of Joy
with Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell
On Saturday, October 14th, join in community for an exploration of the powerful gift of joy to heal broken hearts, remind us that we’re not alone, and offer a path out of despair. Not a guide to surface-level happiness, this is a dive into what authentic, grounded-in-faith joy can do.
“If you’re feeling exhausted, lonely, sad, going through a hard time in your life, you need to come and hang out with us. You’re going to be in the right place on October 14th.” —Angela Williams Gorrell
Leave our time together with:
A better understanding of how joy can find us anytime, anywhere.
The essence of joy and how it can play a vital role in alleviating suffering.
Hope about joy’s potential to help address depression as well as the epidemics of suicide, addiction, and other crises of despair.
New friendships formed with other like-hearted souls.
DATE: Saturday, October 14th
TIME: 10am to 3pm
LOCATION: Abiding Love Lutheran Church
Austin, Texas
FACILITATOR: Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell
FEE: $65 (includes gourmet boxed lunch)
Livestream Option Available ($45 per person)
Partial Scholarships Available
“Joy has a wonderous way of seizing our attention. It often comes swiftly and powerfully. Joy can be a gift of the breaking in of goodness, beauty, and truth amid brokenness.”
—Angela Williams Gorrell
This Event will be recorded. Only registrants for either in person or Livestream will have access to the recording within 48 hours after the event.
In Person Tickets:
Livestream Tickets:
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Many thanks to our sponsors for helping bring Rev. Angela to Austin!
$3,000 Nourishment Sponsor Kristie Bryant, Best of Austin Living, and $500 Contributing Sponsor Kristin Hamlett.
“I was attending a retreat at Laity Lodge in the Texas hill country. Angela Gorrell was the last speaker of the retreat with a 90-minute slot right before lunch and a leisurely afternoon. Attendees were fiddling with phones and papers as Angela began her talk. Within 10 minutes, you could hear a pin drop. I have been attending retreats at Laity Lodge for almost 40 years and have heard well over 100 speakers, including world-renowned preachers, teachers, and theologians. Angela’s talk that day was the most compelling and mesmerizing one that I have ever heard. Her new book, The Gravity of Joy, captures the essence of that 2019 talk and expands it into a life-affirming saga.”
–GoodReads.com Review of The Gravity of Joy
Schedule
10:00 AM
Welcome and Introduction
Dianna Amorde and Pastor Brad Highum
10:10 AM
Lost and Found with Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell
11:30 AM
Break
11:45 AM
Lost and Found Exploration of Joy continues
12:30 PM
Break for One-Hour Lunch (in Activity Center or on your own)
1:30 PM
The Gravity of Joy: A Conversation with Rev. Dr. Angela Gorrell
Facilitated by Rev. Dr. Mona West
2:30 PM
Q & A with Participants
2:50 PM
Closing Comments from Rev. Dr. Angela
3:00 PM
Book Signing (30 minutes)
ABOUT OUR PRESENTER:
Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell
After the devastating loss of three loved ones in less than a month, Angela Gorrell was reeling and completely disconnected from the academic research on joy she was doing for Yale University. Sharing her journey out of the fog of grief in her book, The Gravity of Joy, Angela came to realize “Joy doesn’t obliterate grief…Instead, joy has a mysterious capacity to be felt alongside sorrow and even—sometimes most especially—in the midst of suffering.”
Rev. Dr. Angela Williams Gorrell is the author of always on: practicing faith in a new media landscape and The Gravity of Joy: A Story of Being Lost and Found. Angela’s research has been highlighted in media sources such as the New York Times, NPR, and Christianity Today. She has 14 years of ministry experience and has taught at several schools including Yale University, Baylor University, and McCormick and Fuller Seminary.
Dr. Gorrell speaks and writes about joy, meaning, finding the life worth living, and the intersection of spiritual and mental health. She utilizes her expertise to help create collaborative communities of prevention specifically working to lower suicide and addiction rates. You can find her on instagram @angelagorrell. Dr. Angela and her sister, Coach Stef, co-host The Grief Sisters podcast and The Grief Sisters book club and support group on Facebook.
ABOUT OUR FACILITATOR:
Rev. Dr. Mona West
Director of Adult Christian Formation at St. David’s Episcopal Church in Austin, Dr. Mona West served on the international staff of Metropolitan Community Churches for 11 years as the director of formation and leadership development. She is retired clergy in Metropolitan Community Churches. Mona earned a doctorate in Hebrew Bible from Southern Seminary in Louisville, KY, and completed a Certificate in Spiritual Formation from Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, GA, which included study at the International Center for St. Teresa and John of the Cross in Avila, Spain. She served on the Eremos Board of Directors from 2019-2021.
