Thanks to all those involved and all their hard work, I feel this was one of the best conferences.”
Getting to the Good Part: Weaving Community in Christ
Luke 10:38-42
A conference for women to come together, build relationships, worship and do fun activities
As people of faith, we have opportunities to mark these liminal spaces by recognizing that God is with us on the journey, giving us grace. We will spend the weekend reflecting on God’s presence in all the times of our lives – and in the midst of singing, prayer, worship, keynotes, workshops, and rest, we will mark those times and places of grace in our lives.
Each year, hundreds of women from across the region gather together for the Mo-Ranch Women’s Conference. Take a break from the busyness of life to recharge physically, mentally and spiritually. Conference activities include keynote presentations, worship, fellowship, recreation, free time and workshops.
- Create an inviting and safe environment for growth and renewal
- Hear God’s word through inclusive and intentional worship
- Reach a diverse cross-section of women by culture, age and background
- Celebrate and be good stewards of God’s creation
- Practice inclusiveness, radical hospitality and joyful fellowship
- Allow a place to reconnect with ourselves, God and each other
Mothers, daughters and granddaughters come together for a time of reunion and growth. Friendships that last a lifetime are made by women who would not have otherwise met.
Register today, space is limited! Lodging is first come, first served.
Keynote Speaker: The Rev. Keatan King
Keatan graduated summa cum laude from Austin College with a Bachelor of Arts in Spanish and Cultural Anthropology. She was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa while at Austin College. She earned a Master of Divinity from Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, where she received the Field Education Award.
Keatan has served as Associate Pastor at St. Philip Church since 2013. She is a native of Austin, Texas, and a life-long Presbyterian. Keatan serves as a Trustee of the Board of Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary.
Her ministry at St. Philip includes pastoral care, preaching, leading worship, and teaching. Keatan has a special focus on ministry with youth and young adults, as she seeks to accompany young people as they experience the transformative love of Jesus Christ in their lives. She is married to Rev. Dr. Nathan Carlin, who teaches at McGovern Medical School, and together they delight in raising their 2 daughters. They enjoy cooking (especially barbeque), walks in Montrose, and traveling as a family.
Worship Leader: Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer
Margaret Aymer serves as the First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport, D. Thomason Professor of New Testament Studies at Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary. She is the co-editor of The Fortress Commentary on the Bible: New Testament, and an author of overpriced academic books. An ordained Minister of Word and Sacrament, Margaret is a member of Mission Presbytery. She lives in Austin with her husband Laurent and their son Gabriel.
Chaplain: Liz Boulware Landes
Liz’s passion is helping people form and deepen their relationships with God. She’s committed to helping people make connections between worship and their day-to-day life. As a Christian educator, she focuses on teaching the sacred stories and how to question and integrate faith with life. She wants people of all ages to know is they are loved by God just as they are, and this will always be true – no matter what.
Liz grew up in Saginaw, Texas, where she graduated from Boswell High School. She attended Schreiner University in Kerrville, TX, for undergrad. During her time at Schreiner, she was actively involved in campus life and graduated with a B.A. in Religion. She earned her M.Div and a Master of Arts in Christian Education from Union Presbyterian Seminary in Richmond, Virginia.
Liz has two sons, Liam (10) and Lincoln (7). Liam is a fourth-grader who loves piano. Lincoln is a first-grader and loves to explore the world. He also plays piano and is giving basketball a try. In her free time, she loves to be creative. She also loves exploring state parks, taking walks with friends and family, and reading a good book.
Music Leader: Grace Roberson
Grace is a native Texan who was born and raised on the beach in Corpus Christi. After studying acting and directing in college, she moved to Austin and is currently the Associate Director of Youth Ministry at Covenant Presbyterian Church. She has been coming to Mo Ranch since she was born and considers it to be one of the most spiritual places she knows. She has been serving as a music leader for various youth conferences for the last 8 years and can think of no place or role that feels more like home. In her free time, Grace loves hiking, being outdoors, reading, and discovering good music, movies, and food.
Accompanist: Susan Terry
Susan is excited to be back at Mo Ranch! She is a lover of nature and animals and a co founder of a non profit, OurWatch which uses horses as co facilitators with first responders. Music has always been a big part of her life and looks forward to making music with each of you.
2024 Conference Leadership:
Conference Director: Laura Fitzgibbon
Laura Fitzgibbon, Women’s Conference 2023 Co-Director / 2024 Director
Laura is a second-career pastor who earned her Master of Divinity from Perkins School of Theology at Southern Methodist University (SMU). Prior to a call to ministry, Laura earned an MBA, also at SMU, and worked in the technology industry for 10 years. Despite two graduate degrees from SMU, she can still be found cheering on their rival The Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University where she received her undergraduate degree. Laura lives in Plano, TX with her husband of 29 years, Pete. Laura has a passion for travel, trying new cuisines and running. Last but not least, her life is managed by her three furry children, cats Loki, Chai, and Comet. She has been coming to Mo-Ranch for more than 15 years and has many special memories including of time with her mother at family retreats with St. Philip Presbyterian.
Conference Co-Director: Alex Pappas
Alex was born in Texas and grew up at Eastminster Presbyterian Church in Dallas. For her undergraduate degree she attended school at Rhodes College in Memphis. After graduating from Rhodes in 2013, Alex joined the Young Adult Volunteer Program through the Presbyterian church and served in the city of New Orleans for a year. Once she completed the program, she realized that one year wasn’t enough, so she continued to live and work in New Orleans for two more years. Alex went on to attend Austin Presbyterian Theological Seminary where she graduated with a master’s in divinity in May of 2019 and was the recipient of the Chidester preaching award. Since then, she has been serving at First Presbyterian Church, Shreveport first as the Stoer Pastoral Resident and now as their Associate Pastor. She and her husband Ellis welcomed their daughter to their family in June of 2023. She makes pottery, reads novels, and swims laps at the local community pool as a way of filling her cup. She has been attending conferences and retreats at Mo Ranch since 2002, and it was sitting down by the river at Mo that she first felt called to ministry.
Planning Team Members for 2024 include: Mary Neff, Pepa Paniagua, Shelley Smith, Karen Jensen, Amy Fair and Brenda Greer
2024 Workshops are currently being planned. Stay tuned! 
Cost & Housing
Hotel/Premium: $425/person
Wynee-Flato, Pheasant Run, Nicklos Place, Nicklos Barn, Westminster, Casita, Gate House, Chicken Roost, River Dorm Apt.
Group: $375/person
Guest Lodge, Milk Barn, Triplex
Dorm: $355/person
Lod Lodge, River Dorm, Bunkhouse I & II
Commuter: $250/person (includes dinners and lunch)
Under the age of 40 or non-Texas resident: $300/person
Rates include tuition, meals and housing. After receiving your registration, a member of our team will contact you within seven business days to confirm additional details such as housing requests (roommates), dietary needs, t-shirt sizes, etc.
Hotel & Premium group housing*
*space is limited
Pheasant Run | Wynne/Flato Lodge | Casitas | Chicken Roost | Gatehouse | Triplex Apartments | Wynne Apartments | Braun House | Nicklos Place
Group housing:
Guest Lodge | Milk Barn | River Dorm Apartment | Log Lodge
Reservations
Conference participants will be housed on a first-come, first-served basis.
If you wish to secure exclusive use of a standard group housing option, your church or group must pay housing costs for the minimum number of guests. Housing costs are approximately $140 per person. If not, you agree to be housed with other conference participants.
For example, if you wish to be housed in Log Lodge with a minimum of eighteen people, but only have fifteen committed, you must be willing to share the space with three other people or pay $140 each for the unused spots. Please give us a call to learn more about housing minimums, if you are interested in securing exclusive use, or have any other questions about housing options. Our phone number is 800.460.4401 ext. 242.
Scholarships are available! Click here to learn more.
Cancellation
Full refund minus administrative fee up to $75 per person will be made if cancellation is received more than 30 days prior to the conference. There are generally no refunds for cancellations received on or after 30 days prior to the start of the event nor any applying of the amount paid toward other charges or future conferences.
What to Bring
Bring a Bible, notebook, flashlight, hair dryer, rain gear, and other seasonally appropriate clothing. Linens are provided. Bring shoes suitable for Mo-Ranch’s rocky, uneven terrain.
Transportation
Mo-Ranch is 90 miles one-way, or a 2-hour drive from the nearest airport (San Antonio/SAT), allow 3 hours travel/check-in time for departures. We recommend generally scheduling arriving flights before 3 p.m. and departing flights after 3 p.m. to be sure you do not miss any of your event. If you are in need of shuttle service to Mo-Ranch, call Kars for Hire in Kerrville at (830) 890-8200 at least 15 days in advance to arrange transportation from San Antonio International Airport. Directions to Mo-Ranch
Ropes Course
This conference will include a selection of our ropes course elements. To read a description of each element, click here.
Bookstore
Make sure to stop by the Presbyterian Mo-Ranch Assembly bookstore during your conference to pick out a souvenir, including a specialty Women’s Conference tumbler!
Questions
We’re happy to help! Contact us at 1.800.460.4401 ext. 246 or registrar@moranch.org.
