Would you like to schedule a spiritual retreat for your church or group? This is one of our favorite type of events to run, because it can help you as a community together pursue a more intimate walk with Jesus. If you’re interested in the possibility of a church or group retreat, please contact us at retreats@abidingwaters.org.

Retreat Length

Custom retreats can be as short as a couple hours or as long as multiple days. They can be a stand-alone event or a series of retreats that cover multiple topics over several weeks or months. For more information on half-day group retreats or weekend group retreats, click the links below.

Location

Abiding Waters does not have a set location for running custom group retreats. We can work with you on determining the best location to host a retreat for your church or group. For shorter retreats that do not include an overnight stay, hosting at your church or typical group meeting place may be a possibility. For longer multi-day retreats, we can host at a dedicated retreat venue that provides meals and lodging.

Content

The goal of our Let the Thirsty Come retreats is to help believers slow down and engage more deeply with Jesus through prayer, meditation on Scripture, reflection, and other spiritual disciplines. The retreat content emphasizes the beauty of God and the hope of the gospel, while exploring how Jesus invites us to abide more deeply in him day by day. Time is structured to provide teaching and practical guidance, as well as ample space for time alone with the Lord. We provide concrete activities and structure to help participants draw near to Jesus with heart, soul, mind, and strength.

Topics

Retreats can be themed on any of the following topics. One topic is enough content for a half-day retreat. Multi-day retreats can cover 1 to 2 topics per day.

1. Prayer – especially focusing on authentic engagement with God
2. Scripture meditation – learning to dwell longer on God’s word, deeply pondering it and talking to God about its impact on us
3. Confession – honestly reflecting on the sin that we see in our lives, confessing these things to God, praying over them, and returning to the hope of the gospel
4. Quiet – learning to slow down from our busy pace of life, using short times of silence to transition or ready our hearts to better engage with God
5. The Psalms – using the book of Psalms as a resource for both prayer and full emotional engagement with God
6. Liturgy – incorporating prayers of other believers into our individual times with God, and using liturgy as a means of dwelling on certain themes over a period of time
7. Lament – bringing our difficulties to God honestly, expressing grief and sadness to God in prayer, looking to him for help and rescue
8. Creativity – using song, art, and other creative means to process on our engagement with Scripture, as well as express prayer and praise to God
9. Reflection – taking a big picture look at what has been going on in my life and how God has been at work over weeks or months