“Let Your Light Shine”: Nearly 200 Daughters of the King Unite for Province IV Fall Retreat
The Province IV Board of the Order of the Daughters of the King (DOK) has organized its annual Fall Retreat, drawing nearly 200 participants for a week of worship, fellowship, and spiritual renewal. The gathering marked the most well-attended retreat in six years, continuing the organization’s long-standing tradition of prayer, service, and evangelism among Daughters across the world.
Held from September 30 to October 2 at Camp McDowell for the first time in nearly five decades, the retreat was on the theme “Let your light so shine before people that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven,” taken from Matthew 5:14-16. In her welcome letter addressed to participants, Ruth Foss, President of Province IV DOK, encouraged the Daughters to reflect on the retreat’s setting and purpose. She wrote, “Take this time to enjoy the peace and beauty of this setting and to notice the new opportunities it offers for rest, reflection, and fellowship. Let’s pray together that the Holy Spirit will be present in every moment, guiding all that we do.”
Commenting on the importance of this gathering for spiritual renewal and connection and the attendance this year, Recording Secretary Miki Heaton noted, “The Holy Spirit is doing His work, and the location certainly played a part. This is our first time at Camp McDowell, a site managed by the Episcopal Church that offers both the capacity and accessibility needed for Province IV’s broad geographic reach. Its central location made it an ideal gathering place for dioceses across the region”. The leaders further expressed deep gratitude for the warm hospitality and joyful welcome extended by the staff and community of Camp McDowell, noting the thoughtful planning and care that made the retreat a meaningful experience for all.
This year’s event included a session led by Alabama Bishop and Province IV Chaplain, the Rt. Rev. Glenda Curry, where she spoke to the group about the importance of having DOK support the work of clergy and lay members of churches in the Province. The objective was to strengthen the collaboration between clergy and lay leaders. Foss emphasized the need for this collaboration. “The Daughters of the King play a vital role in parish life, supporting priests in their outreach and spiritual work. We enrich the parish because we are prayer warriors, deeply rooted in ministry focused on prayer, service, and evangelism,” Reflecting on the retreat’s impact, Foss also expressed their hopes for the participants: “We hope that every Daughter leaves here strengthened and inspired to continue the work, go back and call other women to attract growth, and walk with Christ”.
National President Jane Searcy, who served on the Province IV Board for 15 years, was happy to welcome the Daughters to her home diocese. She noted that the Order is in a time of transition, bridging the gap between generations. “We have those in their mid-thirties and those who have carried the knowledge of our history for decades,” she said. “The younger women bring their understanding of technology and physical energy, while the older Daughters bring patience, wisdom, and experience. There are many virtues to be learned and shared by both groups,” she added.
Describing the retreat’s focus, she said, “There is no way you could come to this retreat without experiencing a revival.” To those discerning whether to start a chapter, her message was one of encouragement and faith: “This is a community of sisters in Christ that you can trust with your heart. It’s a huge responsibility, but it comes with joy and honor. Open yourself and let God use you. With maturity comes the willingness to give yourself fully and let the Lord speak. God will feed His people and find ways to do what He needs done through us.”
Nadine Craig, National Membership Chair serving on the National Council and President of the Diocese of Central Florida’s Assembly—the second largest in the nation—described her role as “a rewarding experience helping chapters across the country to attract new members.” She said one of the strong draws of the Daughters of the King is the sense of sisterhood it offers: “a place to be heard and spiritually fed.” Reflecting on the organization’s call to “live in our faith and vow of God’s calling to serve,” Craig emphasized the importance of relying on one another “in a spiritual desert” and “lifting each other in those moments.” She expressed hope that membership will continue to grow, especially among younger generations.
The retreat welcomed Dr. Beth-Sarah Wright, an Atlanta-based author, speaker, educator, and change-maker, as the keynote speaker. Wright spoke on the theme of joy in God, emphasizing what she called “joyness”—the joy found in speaking and sharing one’s story. She encouraged participants to reflect: Do you see God in your story, and how do you share it to inspire others? According to Wright, creating a safe space to tell one’s story fosters healing, builds bravery, and allows individuals to choose joy intentionally.
Other guest speakers included the Rev. Russell J. Levenson Jr., an Episcopal priest with more than thirty years of ministry experience and a spiritual advisor to thousands. Levenson served as rector of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston, Texas, the largest Episcopal Church in North America, for seventeen years before his retirement, offering guidance and inspiration to retreat participants. There was a rich array of spiritual workshops on topics ranging from prayer and meditation to finding peace and practicing forgiveness, often supplemented by small group discussions that allowed participants to reflect and share.
On the final day, the Daughters held their annual Remembrance Service for Departed Sisters, known as the Commendation of Flowers, at St. Francis Chapel, a time to honor and pray for those who had passed. A central feature of the memorial service was a cross designed by Hud Heaton, a civil engineer who brought his skills to the project in service to God. Heaton created a six-by-six-foot wooden cross in the shape of the Order’s emblem, a modified Greek cross inscribed with FHS, meaning “For His Sake.” The Order’s watchword, Magnanimiter Crucem Sustine, translates to “With heart, mind, and spirit uphold and bear the cross.”. “I was pleased to make this for the Lord’s work,” he said. Surrounded by flowers, each representing a departed Daughter, the new cross became a striking focal point for prayer and remembrance. Heaton described the project as deeply personal, reflecting his family’s long tradition of serving the church. “It felt good to have the opportunity to use my skills for something that glorifies God,” he said.
Among those reflecting on the week’s experience was Joyce Pipkin, a member of St. Mary’s Church in the Diocese of Upper South Carolina, who has been part of the Daughters of the King since 2005. Serving on the international committee as liaison for Haiti, Ecuador, and Colombia, Pipkin described her time in the Order as “a tremendous blessing,” saying it has opened her heart to God’s work in ways she could never have imagined. She was first introduced to the Daughters by Peggy Denny, whose encouragement and faith inspired her to begin the discernment process.
Denny, who served as Diocesan President and on the National Council for Spiritual Formation from 2006 to 2009, spoke of the retreat as a sacred opportunity to reconnect and grow. “Come and see,” she said. “Province IV offers so much connection, time to pray and study the Bible together, to keep learning more. At home, we have the regular; here, it’s the deluxe. This is richness—a place for great ideas, story sharing, and the beautiful diversity of sisters who have done the study and the work, all walking the same journey.”
Province IV is the largest of the Episcopal provinces, comprised of 20 dioceses in nine Southeastern states. Members of the Order are from Episcopal, Anglican, Roman Catholic, and Evangelical Lutheran Churches.
The writer is the Director of Communications. She can be reached at nana@dioala.org