LEESBURG — Getting laity and clergy together to work toward a common goal is not always easy, according to the Rev. Robbi Walker, pastor of St. Andrew’s United Methodist Church in Winter Park. But the 63 laity and clergy who attended the Five-day Academy for Spiritual Formation March 11-16 did work together well and quickly delved into their own spirituality.

Myra Christensen, a member of New Horizon United Methodist Church in Ft. Lauderdale, said the Academy filled a longing in her. "This is the first place I’ve found people who love and enjoy things that are spiritual," she said. "They understand me. They speak the same language."

An Academy for Spiritual Formation is also offered by The Upper Room, a division of the General Board of Discipleship. It is a two-year program that provides teaching and an environment for laity and clergy to open their lives to receive God’s love and grace. Participants in that program meet for five days each quarter.

The five-day ministry in Florida provided the same environment and teaching, but in a short-term format. Last month’s Academy was the Florida Conference’s first, although the seven members of the event’s leadership team have all completed the two-year program.

The Rev. Brice Harris, pastor of First United Methodist Church, Melbourne, and the retreat’s director, said it was designed to help people become better disciples of Jesus Christ.

"We’re doing this so people can grow in their discipleship of Christ and serve him more effectively," Harris said. "We all have been formed spiritually to some degree. By deepening that, we’re able to serve others more effectively."

Walker, the Academy’s theologian, said the event was based on a monastic experience and created by the Rev. Danny Morris, a member of the Florida Conference and former director of developing ministries for The Upper Room.

"It is a liturgical experience of the hours of the day," Walker said. Each day begins and ends with prayer. Communion is served each evening. During the day there are two learning experiences that include a lecture, time for silent reflection and group discussion. Participants are also divided into covenant groups that meet daily for discussion, prayer and accountability.

Mel Ridgway, a member of Arlington United Methodist Church in Jacksonville, said he has been through other spiritual-formation events, but the Academy was different. "The most unique thing about this are the times of silence that are not short," he said. "Think about being silent for an hour and meditating. Silence is one of those things this whole culture just doesn’t think about."

The Academy’s teachers were Dr. Wendy Wright, a frequent contributor to The Upper Room’s "Weavings" magazine and teacher at Creighton University’s Christian Spirituality Program, and Dr. William Mallard, a United Methodist elder and professor at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology.

The Rev. Lew Arnold, pastor of Ocoee United Methodist Church in Orlando, said the retreat’s faculty was one of several reasons he participated. "I also came for personal journey reasons," he said. "Despite my position [as pastor], I’ve always worked on my own sense of spirituality. I like submitting to the discipline and in a short time getting head and heart material."