Please join us in the Bluegrass State on September 12th for our next annual conference,
this year at Rough River Dam State Park in charming Falls of Rough, Kentucky.
The all-day event will feature engaging speakers from varied jurisdictions, a catered cookout-style lunch, and Q&As sprinkled throughout, concluding that evening with onsite Vespers.
✢ Although the conference “officially” closes on Saturday, we hope one and all will stay through Sunday Divine Liturgy, which will also be held onsite at the Falls of Rough Conference Center in Rough River Dam State Park. Both services will be led by Fr. John Whiteford, Fellowship founder and board chairman.
✢ Our gathering is about serving the Church’s evangelistic mission by promoting the enculturation of the Orthodox faith into the South’s unique ethos and “older religiousness.” Moreover, it’s an opportunity for folks to learn and inquire, discuss and dialogue, break bread, connect with new friends and reconnect with old, and commune with brethren from around the South and beyond. If “Heaven must be a Kentucky kind of place,” as Daniel Boone is purported to have said, we figure our aims are pretty fittin’!
Speakers & Panelists
✢ Dr. David Bradshaw: TBD
Professor of Philosophy at the University of Kentucky. Most of his “work to date has been on the philosophical roots of the division between the Greek-speaking (Eastern) and Latin-speaking (Western) branches of Christianity.” He is an Orthodox Christian and a parishioner in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA).
✢ Dr. L. Daniel Cantey, Jr. (Pachomius): “The State of Nature & The Garden of Eden”
Dr. Cantey earned his doctorate at Emory University and his master’s in theology from Yale Divinity School. He converted to Eastern Orthodoxy from Protestantism in 2013 and is a contributor at the new Orthodox periodical Tennessee Mountain Times.
✢ Michael Warren Davis: “Regional Character & Social Order: Was the South More Paternalistic?” Debate with Benjamin Dixon moderated by Buck Johnson*
General editor of the Union of Orthodox Journalists-America (UOJ). Davis worked in Catholic media for nearly a decade before converting to Orthodoxy. He previously served as a contributing editor at The American Conservative, editor-in-chief of Crisis Magazine, and U.S. editor of the Catholic Herald. Davis is a member of the OCA.
✢ Benjamin Dixon: Debate*
Fellowship member at Large and editor-in-chief and founder of UOJ’s American Bureau. A veteran of the 101st Airborne Division and the French Foreign Legion, Dixon has spent the past eight years in conservative politics. He is also a writing fellow at America’s Future and a board member of the Society of Saint John of Shanghai and San Francisco. Dixon, a layman in the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR), serves as the catechist for his local parish.
✢ Buck Johnson: Conference emcee and moderator
Host of the Counterflow Podcast, a thought-provoking show which explores the intersections of faith, culture, and dissident politics. Buck is a longtime firefighter, a professional drummer, and a native Texan.
✢ Fr. Terence Johnston: “Faith of Our Fathers”
Bio is coming soon.
✢ Dcn. Mark Mathis: TBD
Bio coming soon.
✢ Additional details on presentation titles, speaker bios, Saturday’s full itinerary, and an optional group outing on Friday ALL coming soon!
✢ In the meantime, you can go ahead and register to reserve your spot ti secure our discounted pricing. “Early bird” is $65 and is good through August 2. Admission will increase to $75 on August 3. All you have to do is”
- Simply fill out the registration form below.
- Be sure to hit the grey “Submit” button, located at the very bottom of the registration form, just above the PayPal button.
- Then tender your $65 payment, either by the orange PayPal button, or by check paid to the order of “Ludwell Orthodox Fellowship” and mailed to: 10636 Catharpin Rd, Spotsylvania, VA 22551. You will receive a confirmation email once our treasurer Brother Joseph receives both your registration form AND your payment. Thank you!
Registration Form
Lodging
✢ Rough River Dam State Park: There is limited lodging available at the State Park. To book one of their remaining lodge rooms or cabins, please contact Brenda Armstrong at 270-257-2311 (option 2). These rooms will go fast, so act now!
✢ Falls of Rough Motel: Closest lodging. Located just outside of the State Park.
✢ St. Clair Motor Lodge: 2-minute drive to the State Park.
✢ Alexander Hotel: 23-minute drive. Located in the closest town of Leitchfield.
✢ The Hatfield Inn: 23-minute drive. In Leitchfield. Currently closed for renovation, but open for reservations on July 1.
✢ Twin Lakes Creamery: 23-minute drive. Two lodging options, both located in Leitchfield. The Inn at Twin Lakes Creamery is a traditional hotel-like stay, whereas Homestay on Main by Twin Lakes Creamery provides residential-style accommodations and is described as “Bed & Light Breakfast.” Click here for a property comparison and here for reservations.
Camping
✢ Cave Creek Campground: Closest camping. About 4.8 miles (8-minute drive) from the State Park.
✢ Axtel Campground: Located approximately 5.6 miles (10-minute drive) from the State Park.
✢ North Fork Campground: Roughly 6.8 miles (11-minute drive) from the State Park.
✢ Laurel Branch Campground: Approximately 7.7 miles (12-minute drive) from the State Park.
✢ We’re working diligently behind the scenes to tie up all loose ends, so make certain to keep an out on this Event Page, our main hub for all forthcoming updates. You can also follow us on our social-media accounts, as well as sign up for our occasional newsletter; that way, you won’t miss any important Conference news!
✢ God willing and the creek don’t rise, we’ll be seeing y’all in Kentucky for some down-home fellowship, bluegrass-inflected and outdoorsy fun, and communal worship the weekend of September 12th!
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