Dates:

Tuesday & Wednesday October 19 &20
Wednesday & Thursday October 20 & 21
Thursday & Friday October 21 & 22

Retreats are held at Grand Hotel - Mackinac Island, MI

  KEYNOTE & 

BREAKOUT SPEAKERS

ANNE BEILER & LAUREN WINNER 

Founder of Auntie Anne’s Pretzels and author of Twist of Faith, Anne Beiler, is a dynamic, articulate, and highly successful business woman.  With only an 8^th grade education,  Anne took her company from the small beginning in a local farmers market to a world-wide enterprise with over 300 franchises in 20 countries.  She was named one of America's 500 women entrepreneurs by Working Woman and Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc. magazine.  Her story has been featured on The Food Network's Unwrapped, The Oprah Winfrey Show and magazines such as Fortune, Nation's Restaurant News, and Guideposts.  Although she has retired from the pretzel business, Anne's legacy lives on. Auntie Anne's Pretzels is still a strong, vibrant, international company. 

Born and raised in an Amish-Mennonite community in Pennsylvania, her close-knit family celebrated a sincere Christian faith. After her 19 month old daughter died tragically in a farming accident, and enduring great personal failure, a gripping depression followed Anne for more than six years. Her personal story of the challenges she faced, and God’s faithfulness through it all, is an inspiration to all who hear her speak.  What makes Anne’s extraordinary story remarkable is her determination to honor Jesus Christ and help others by telling her story.  Anne and her husband, Jonas, live in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  They have two daughters and four grandchildren.  www.thebeilers.com

A spiritual seeker who is both an unconventional thinker and a devoted Christian, Lauren Winner has degrees from Duke, Columbia, and Cambridge Universities, and holds a Ph.D. in history. The child of a Jewish father and a lapsed Southern Baptist mother, Lauren chose to become an Orthodox Jew. But even as she was observing Sabbath rituals and studying Jewish law, Lauren was increasingly drawn to Christianity. Courageously leaving what she loved, she eventually converted.  In her book, Girl Meets God, this appealing woman takes us through a year in her Christian life as she attempts to reconcile both sides of her religious identity. The twists and turns of Winner’s journey make her the perfect guide to exploring true faith in today’s complicated world. The author of three books, Lauren has appeared on PBS's Religion & Ethics Newsweekly and has served as a commentator on NPR's All Things Considered.  She has written for The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post Book World, Publishers Weekly, Books and Culture, Christianity Today, and her essays have been included in several volumes of The Best Christian Writing.  The former book editor for Beliefnet, Lauren is on the faculty of Duke Divinity School.  She lives in Durham, North Carolina, and travels extensively to lecture and teach.  www.laurenwinner.net

BREAKOUT SPEAKER

DON PIPER 

Don Piper is a dynamic speaker and the author of New York Times bestseller, 90 Minutes in Heaven - a True Story of Death and Life. In 1989, Don was on his way home from a church conference when an 18-wheeler struck his Ford Escort head on. He was killed instantly and pronounced dead by four sets of EMTs. Shortly after the accident, a pastor from the same conference arrived on the scene and began praying for "the man in the red car." God worked a miracle and sent Don back to a broken body.  During the time he was dead, Piper was granted the extreme privilege of glimpsing Heaven itself.  His dramatic story has been retold on many TV programs including the Today Show, the Coral Ridge Hour, and the 700 Club. He has been a guest on numerous TV talk shows, and has been frequently featured in publications across America.  His book, 90 Minutes in Heaven , has sold more than 2.7 million copies in the United States, and is enjoying worldwide success. Don’s follow up book, Daily Devotions Inspired by 90 Minutes In Heaven, contains stories compiled from his extensive travel. His third book, Heaven Is Real: Lessons on Earthly Joy, from the Man Who Spent 90 Minutes in Heaven, was released in August 2007 and continues to do well in both secular and Christian markets.  www.donpiperministies.com

Fernando Ortega is a storyteller, worship leader, artist and vocalist of unparalleled talent. As a vocalist, he has been described by critics as gifted, unusually engaging, and refreshingly original.   As a worship leader, he has established himself as a champion of the classic hymns of the church.   And as a story-teller, Fernando Ortega has written and recorded songs that are both unnervingly intimate and universal in appeal.  He was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and received his music education at the University of New Mexico.  According to some, it was his heritage and classical training at the University of New Mexico where he derived his unique sound, embracing country, classical, Celtic, Latin American, world, modern folk, and rustic hymnody.  He has received three Dove Awards, garnered numerous number one radio singles, and made countless appearances at events such as Promise Keepers, the National Day of Prayer, and the crusades of Billy Graham and Anne Graham Lotz.  His latest releases are The Shadow Of Your Wings, an album of hymns and inspirational songs, and Christmas Songs.  Fernando resides in Albuquerque, New Mexico with his wife Margee and their daughter Ruby Aveline.  www.fernandoortega.com

GIFT & BIBLE CENTER
THREE LANSING LOCATIONS
517-321-8711