FPC Womens Retreat 2024

Come and be part of our Annual Women's Retreat on January 26-27, 2024. Enjoy a potluck dinner on 1/26, and on Saturday, 1/27, our keynote speaker Rev. Pam Driesell will guide us in exploring how to listen deeply to the whole truth of our lives. Lunch and breakout sessions will also be included. The registration fee is $50. Scholarships and childcare are available upon request.

Keynote Speaker

Rev. Pam Driesell

For twenty years, as a Presbyterian (USA) minister, Reverend Pam Driesell reminded the people gathered on Sunday mornings that “we don’t come to church; we ARE the church! We come to worship, and we leave to Be The Church in the world!” She began her ordained ministry in 1999 as the organizing pastor of a PCUSA new church plant near Athens, Georgia and served the Oconee Presbyterian Church until 2010, when she was called as the fourth Senior Pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Atlanta, Georgia. In collaboration with Trinity’s staff and members, Pam sought to lead the congregation in Making God’s Love Visible through faithful, creative, and inspiring worship; a shared life of compassion and care; and in reaching out beyond themselves to serve the common good by working for a more just, compassionate, and joyful world as they followed in the way of Jesus.

Pam has served on numerous councils and commissions including moderating the Tri-Presbytery New Church Development Commission, Princeton Institute for Youth Ministry’s formative Advisory Council, Columbia Theological Seminary Board of Trustees, Montreat Conference Center Board of Trustees. She and other Trinity leaders were founding members of the interfaith organization, Outcry: Faith Voices Against Gun Violence. She is a member of the Leadership Atlanta Class of 2020 and in 2017-18 she co-led a formation group for The King Center’s Better Together Initiative, which joined Atlanta pastors diverse in denomination, race, and political ideology in the work of racial justice and community transformation.

Pam is a graduate of James Madison University, Hollins University, and Princeton Theological Seminary, where she was awarded the James T. Galloway Prize in Expository Preaching. Some of her extracurricular preaching invitations include, The PCUSA Big Tent, Princeton Youth Forums, Princeton’s Engle Institute of Preaching, Duke University Chapel and Candler School of Theology.

Pam is married to Joe Loveland, a retired lawyer and between them they have four adult children. They love to spend time together with family and friends on a small island in Maine, where they hike, kayak, read, talk politics and religion, culture and psychology, literature and the arts; sing and dance, cook and eat together, gaze at the stars, marvel at the light, and give thanks!

Workshop Leaders

  • Florida Ellis

    Florida Ellis offers spiritual direction, a practice with a rich history in many religious denominations.  Florida has a Diploma in the Art of Spiritual Direction from the San Francisco Theological Seminary. Florida has been a member and leader in the First Presbyterian Church of Atlanta for many years, and welcomes those of all faith backgrounds to work with her.

  • Erin Kendall

    Erin Kendall is an associate licensed professional counselor at Samaritan Counseling Center of Atlanta. Erin graduated with a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia State University in 2022. Prior to entering into the counseling field, Erin practiced healthcare law for eleven years. After over a decade in the legal and corporate world, Erin was compelled to become a counselor to help others navigate the stressors of work, relationships, family, and parenthood. Erin’s areas of interest include anxiety and panic disorders, women’s issues, marriage, family, and professional/career struggles

  • Florida Huff

    Florida Huff has been a member of the prayer shawl ministry for about ten years and has been knitting for almost twenty-years. She is currently knitting all the things for her brand-new grandson Harvey, and she usually has a sock on the needles.

    “Bring your knitting, or just bring yourself! We will knit together, share stories and inspiration, and assist each other. Anyone who wants to try knitting for the first time will receive some basic instruction.”

  • Pam Carver

    Pam Sharpe is a yoga teacher and fitness professional. In the early 1980s, she established Bangkok's first boutique fitness studio, focusing on aerobics, light weight training, and stretching. Since 1985, she has been a key contributor to Wellbridge Fitness Management, serving as a fitness instructor, aerobics trainer, and, since 1993, a certified yoga teacher with training from Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health and Esther Myers Studio in Toronto.

    Beyond her group classes, Pam has been a committed personal fitness trainer in Metro Atlanta since 1993, offering services such as weight management, yoga, weight training, and cardiovascular coaching. With a background in visual arts, including a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Studio Art/Art History, she brings a thoughtful and creative approach to her classes. Recognized as one of Atlanta's Best Yoga Teachers, Pam embodies a wealth of experience and dedication to the field of wellness.

  • Katie Sundermeier

    As Executive Director, Katie oversees the running of the Samaritan Counseling Center. She also provides pre-marital counseling and pastoral counseling. Katie enjoys providing pastoral counseling to those who are seeking ways to understand and process life’s circumstances integrating one’s faith, doubts and theology.

    Katie attended Vanderbilt University where she double majored in German and Communication Studies. Following two years in a corporate job, Katie earned her Master of Divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and did additional coursework at the University of Bonn, Germany. Katie is ordained as a Presbyterian Minister in the PC (USA). She has recently completed her Doctorate in Pastoral Care and Counseling at Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.