In Sympathy: Martin Deppe
Rev. Martin Deppe, a retired member of the Northern Illinois Conference, passed away on Friday, October 23, 2026.
Location: Northern Illinois University Student Center
Hosted by the DeKalb District Northern Illinois University Holmes Student Center
Registration: $60 for commuters
$75 for overnight / $90 w/o roommate
Rockford/DeKalb District clergy are cordially invited to join us in a retreat with Rev. Christian Coon, our NIC colleague. Christian will share with us from his new book, Failing Boldly: How Falling Down in Ministry Can Be the Start of Rising Up, and will encourage us to reshape how we think about failure.
Schedule:
Sunday
4:00 pm Check in
5:00 pm Dinner (multicultural flavor) Huskies Den
6:00 pm Opening Worship
7:00 pm Free Time
Monday
8:00 am Breakfast—University Suite
8:30 am - 3:30pm Failing Boldly with Christian Coon
3:30 pm Closing Worship
4:00pm Dismissal
When church leaders feel the pressure to grow and succeed, it makes the thought of failing even more anxiety-producing. But making failure your friend may be exactly what is needed to spur creative ways to connect with your community.
Do you have big ideas, and just need a little encouragement to step out in faith and give it a try?
Register today and be inspired to try something new, trusting God to use both our successes and our failures toward God’s ultimate good.