A Time Together, A Time Apart
Maranatha Writers exists to build Christ's church by fostering the development of Christian women writers through transformational biblical teaching, worship, and fellowship in order to serve God and others through our call to write. We gather each year at Maranatha Bible Conference.
​
We provide women
a powerful learning environment
at our beautiful
conference center
We engage female writers
in new and compelling ways by encouraging the integration of faith
and writing
We focus on the Christian woman writer in an intimate community so writing flows from a place of deep purpose grounded in Christ
We facilitate discipleship through small groups, one-on-ones, and encourage new relationships formed to continue
Dawn Anderson
Meet our Keynote Speaker
Dawn Anderson is the Executive Editor of Our Daily Bread Publishing. She oversees acquiring and developing approximately thirty new nonfiction titles yearly, primarily Christian living and devotional. Dawn has enjoyed various aspects of book publishing in both religious and general market for over thirty years.
​
Retreat Presenters
Shawna Beyer
Retreat Speaker
Shawna is the Cohost of Perry & Shawna Mornings on 89.3 Moody Radio in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She is a sought-after retreat speaker and mom to four children, two of whom are missionaries overseas.
​
Catherine McNiel
Retreat Chaplain & Author
Catherine McNiel. Catherine is a published author, speaker and chaplain working toward her Master of Divinity at North Park Theological Seminary. Catherine will be leading us in morning devotionals, evening Vespers, and she will be our Sunday worship speaker.
Learn more about Catherine and her work here.
​
Kelli Worrall
Workshop Speaker
Kelli Worrall (MRE, MFA) is the Field Chair of Music and Media Arts and a Professor of Communications at Moody Bible Institute. She authored Pierced and Embraced: 7 Life-Changing Encounters with the Love of Christ, co-authored (with husband Peter) of 20 year Things We’d Tell Our Twentysomething Selves, and enjoys speaking in various settings. Kelli and Peter live in McHenry, IL, with their two teenage children.
Peggy Sue Wells
Workshop Speaker
​Peggy Sue Wells writes from the 100-acre wood in Indiana. She is the bestselling author of 33 books, including Chasing Sunrise, The Patent, Secrecy Order, Homeless for the Holidays, and The Ten Best Decisions A Single Mom Can Make. Her expertise is independent publishing.
Linda Taylor
Workshop Speaker
Linda K. Taylor has a passion for helping writers understand and navigate the publishing world. She spent four decades in Christian publishing where she worked as an editor, editorial director, and now as a freelancer. She brought all she learned from those years into the Professional Writing major at Taylor University (IN), where she currently is an assistant professor. She has the privilege of teaching her students to be strong writers and communicators and then how to get their words out into the world—via magazine articles, devotionals, or books. Publishing is a process, and writers need to understand how that process works—which is the focus of her latest book, released in March 2023, Pathway to Publication: Move Your Writing from Manuscript to Book. Linda blogs about all things writing and publishing (with a little bit of random life thoughts thrown in, along with some cats) at lindaktaylor.com.
Riley Vandermass
Worship Leader
Riley has been a part of the Maranatha Praise Band for the past three summers and we are so excited to have her with us this weekend! We are blessed by her gift of music.
​
Amy Hamilton
Prayer & Pilates Instructor
Amy is the owner of The Pilates Studio in downtown Muskegon, Michigan, and has been training and teaching pilates for almost 20 years. She believes pilates is for everybody. Come as you are and be renewed in her very special Prayer & Pilates sessions.
​
Jackie Freeman
Pickleball Instructor
Jackie, an author, will be back again this year, not only as a writer but as a pickleball instructor! Join us for a fun and engaging pickleball experience. Whether you’re a seasoned player or just starting out, we will have a beginner court for instruction and another court for those ready to jump into the game.
Shayne Moore
Director, Maranatha Writer's Retreat
Shayne is a summer resident of Maranatha and the author of five books, including Women@Halftime: A Guide to Reigniting Dreams and Finding Renewed Joy and Purpose in Your Next Season. She considers it her vocation to invite women to use their voices for Christ and his Kingdom.
​
On the beautiful shores of Lake Michigan join us and be spiritually renewed.
Register: