By Jen Richards
The 2023 Omega Writers online retreat was a fantastic time of togetherness for Australia’s Christian Writers Network.
The 2023 Annual General Meeting…
The retreat started on Friday night with the 2023 Omega Writers AGM, where members gained updates on the business side of the network. President Penny Reeve announced she was stepping down midterm, which was a great loss to the network.
Thankfully, Meredith Resce is willing to step in as interim president, bringing with her a wealth of experience and a passion for supporting Christian writers, while the committee searches for someone to formally fill the position.
Members were treated to a walk-through of the brand new Omega Writers website by Cecily Paterson, who pointed out the exciting new exclusive members content. For those who were keen to kick on after the meeting, committee member Karen Roper ran a fun game of Scattergories.
A day of deep learning
The main part of the retreat began on Saturday morning when around 60 writers from across the country joined together via zoom for learning and encouragement. First up, participants broke into genre groups to get to know each other a little better, before hearing our keynote speaker Rosanna M White. Rosanna spoke on the importance of reading and living with authenticity and self-reflection so that we can inject that into our writing and ultimately write deeply and move readers with truth. Her talk would set the tone for the rest of the day.
In the second session, Meredith Resce and Tamara Wenham spoke on Christian writing in a post-Christian world. They explore the big picture of western culture and the role that a Christian voice has played in that over the last 2000 years.
After lunch, Meredith chaired a session on Hopes, Dreams, Expectations and Disappointments where she invited other writers, editors, and agents to talk about approaching the inevitable ups and downs of the writing life as Christians. The learning part of the day closed with a devotion from Karen Roper and genre groups.
In the evening, Iola Goulton presented the 2023 Caleb Awards. It was thrilling to see so many friends, new and old, learning, connecting and celebrating together across the day.
Thank you to the extraordinary team behind the scenes who made the day run smoothly and especially to Tamara Wenham who balanced calm, professional planning with the excitement of being nominated for the CALEB. Thanks to the work of tireless volunteers, Australia’s Christian Writers Network is going from strength to strength!
Save the date for 2024
A few years ago, the Omega Writers committee made the decision to move from yearly in-person conferences to having an in-person conference in even years, supplemented by an online retreat in odd ones. This approach allows us to hold a highly professional in-person conference but still provides an opportunity for interactive learning for writers at all points of the writing journey.
To that end Carolyn Miller introduced the 2024 Omega Writers conference.
Emerge: Connect, equip, inspire
Dates: Friday 20 to Sunday 22 September, 2024
The Metro Hotel, Newport | Sydney
Keynote speaker: Susan May Warren
Register your expression of interest and get early updates here.
It was such a great conference, thanks to the huge efforts of the behind-the-scenes volunteers, and the presenters who generously gave of their experience and Christian wisdom.
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