Hosting a Retreat

Two things are needed from a church or parish to host a Week / Month of Guided Prayer retreat.

1. Someone (or a team of people) who will coordinate logistics from the church/parish end (I refer to this person/team as the champion). The champion will coordinate reserving the meeting spaces, advertising in the bulletin, printing of brochures (I have suggested advertisements and brochures), handling registration of retreatants, and things of this nature.
2. There need to be available spaces for one-on-one meetings between retreatants and prayer guides. We have used quite a variety of spaces, including the church/sanctuary, parish offices, parish meeting spaces and classrooms.

Additionally, there are a few things hosts should be aware of...

1. These retreats are offered at no cost to the church/parish and there is no registration fee for retreatants. Instead, we accept donations.
2. It is our policy to never cancel a retreat because of low registration. The minimum number needed for a retreat to go forward is one.
3. All of our retreats are open to any adult regardless of denomination or parish affiliation.

Comments from some of those who have hosted our retreats are provided below. If you would like to explore hosting a retreat, by all means, please contact me: Clarence Heller, 636-256-6515 or marclar123@aol.com.

Clarence, thank you so much for sending the comments from the retreat. I would say you ran a very successful and meaningful retreat for our parishioners! It is especially gratifying to read how much people enjoyed and felt comfortable with their prayer guide. I hope we have planted seeds for future spiritual direction. I so appreciate how easy you made this whole process for us. You were a gentle and gracious presence here among us. I am grateful.

- Mrs. Shawnessey Custer, Pastoral Associate of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish

 

Our congregation has hosted a Week of Guided Prayer twice. The experience gifted us in a number of ways:

• As a Protestant church, we were reminded of the deep and abiding devotion of our brothers and sisters in the larger Catholic community.
• The prayer guides were great listeners, very inviting, warm, and wise, with a rich appreciation for how Scripture can be used imaginatively to foster a more prayerful life. We resonated with their gentle and gracious ways.
• Our participants were given a deeper and broader sense of God’s presence in Christ as a down-to-earth, daily experience.
• Clarence does a great job of making the week very easy to host. Besides being extremely capable, he and the prayer guides are very flexible and cooperative. We gained far more than we gave in terms of preparation. If you’re ever given the opportunity to host a Week of Guided Prayer, jump on it!

- Rev. Terry Minchow-Proffitt, Senior Pastor, Delmar Baptist Church

 

We hosted a week of guided prayer at EUCC and it was truly life giving for our congregation. The energy that this retreat brought into our space was healing and nurturing and the people who participated had transformative experiences. Although rooted in Roman Catholic spiritual practice, it is truly an ecumenical experience. While meeting in our space, the participants came from several different faith traditions. I would highly recommend the program.

- Rev. Katy Hawker, Pastor, Evangelical United Church of Christ

 

Webster Groves Presbyterian Church hosted "A Week of Guided Prayer" in 2008. It was so well received by the members of our congregation that we initiated co-hosting "A Month of Guided Prayer" in 2009. Both retreats enriched the lives of participants, reminding us of the importance of silence and reflection in our relationships with God and one another. It was a delight to work with the leadership in planning the retreats and as a participant, myself, I found the time with my prayer guides to be insightful and healing. If you are considering hosting a retreat or participating, I highly recommend you do!

- The Reverend Dr. Blythe Denham Kieffer, Associate Pastor of Education and Congregational Life, Webster Groves Presbyterian Church