From Bob Schwartz, City Manager
→ Dustin James – has completed the first part of his training. We’ve enclosed a copy of his certificate
as a Groundman, which is the first step to becoming a lineman. See it here
→ City Court – Councilmember George Holt observed city court on Thursday. Between the police
chief and officers, the city solicitor, and the city judge, it’s a well-run court. Give me a call if you
would like to come observe some time.
→ Speeding Tickets– This court day we had fourteen tickets with an average speed of 54.1 MPH in
the 35 MPH zone and five tickets with an average speed of 43.6 MPH in the 25 MPH zone. The
highest speed clocked in the 35 MPH zone was 60 MPH.
→ Oxford College Retreat – I thought you would like to know what Councilmember Pace has been
up to lately.
Fall retreat tradition fosters connection and reflection - September 13, 2013
Fall is in the air and classes have started, signaling the time for Oxford's annual Fall Retreat. This year's
retreat, with the theme Discovering Your Authentic Self: Discovering Meaning and Purpose During College,
was held September 6-8 at the YMCA camp in the North Georgia mountain town of Tallulah Falls.
This Oxford College tradition of a weekend retreat in the fall goes back to 1982, when Oxford's first
full-time chaplain, Sammy Clark organized the initial event. Fifty students and 25 staff, faculty and their
families, participated in the retreat facilitated this year by Kimberly Broerman, founder of Deep Waters
Center for Prayer and Exploration. Broerman leads six to eight retreats each year for different organizations.
"In any weekend retreat, I hope participants have an opportunity to hear their soul's truth more clearly, and are
able to connect more deeply with others in the community, more than our often busy, scattered lives afford,"
says Broerman. "In this particular retreat, we were focused on a theme of Authenticity, so I wanted participants
to have some resources and practices for discovering and expressing their authentic selves while in the Oxford
community and beyond"
College Chaplain Lyn Pace coordinates the event and worked with a volunteer committee of seven sophomores
who helped with publicity and logistics at the retreat. He based the theme for the retreat on evaluations from last
year's participants and what they said they wanted to discuss more in depth. "Fall Retreat is always early in the
academic year and is meant to draw the community together in a meaningful, fun, and restful way," says Pace.
Second-year student Bailey Gage from Paragould, Arkansas, attended last year's retreat and returned this year
to assist as a sophomore leader. "The overall experience was amazing. Fall Retreat allows those connections to
be made with faculty members and other students that would not have happened in the classroom or passing
one another in the stairwell," says Gage.
The weekend away from campus and the normal routine provided attendees time to relax and spend time as
a community. They watched movies, attended the sessions, made s'mores by the campfire, and some even
ventured out hiking or onto the ropes course. The peaceful setting of the North Georgia mountains was the
perfect setting for this time of getting away and focusing on the retreat sessions.
Broerman added, "It was wonderful to be with the Oxford community again this year, and I hope they will
continue to build on this life-giving tradition of offering a fall retreat."