Retreats for Sabbath Rest and Renewal

Find places for ministry leaders to get away for Sabbath rest and renewal across Western North Carolina. 
 

"YOU PROBABLY NEED A RETREAT:  Why should we take regular days apart for personal retreat? Douglas Steele, the twentieth-century Quaker spiritual writer, suggests one answer. Citing a Japanese translation of Hosea 2:14 ("I will entice you into the desert and there I will speak to you in the depth of your heart"), he comments, "The verse links solitariness with prayer in an almost inimitable way. For until I have been lured into the desert, until I have been brought in solitude to the very ground of my being, where I am beyond the grip of my surface self with all of its plans and distractions, I am not able to hear the divine whisper.  - Douglas V. Steele, Together in Solitude (New York: Crossroad, 1982), 92.

...The deepest formational rhythms of the day are listening to God, loving God, and Resting in God."

-- excerpts from the UM Camp & Retreat Ministries: Clergy Retreat Guide & Directory, with thoughts about preparing for a personal retreat, a suggested schedule and readings, lecto devina, a list of retreat centers, and more...

Please note this is not a complete list of programs, as it is impossible for us to keep up with the many programming changes at the listed facilities, though we've done our best to compile the following list.  We encourage you to check out the retreat center's programming website for updates and changes.
 

Hinton Rural Life Center

• Year-Round Clergy Lodging Discount and August Family Getaway package
• Structured Retreats

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Lake Junaluska

• Spiritual Enrichment Retreats
  • Call 800-222-4930 and ask for the clergy discount!  (Save up to $100/night, as opposed to booking online, where you'll get full price.)
• Programs & Events - a few are recurring:
  • Festival of Wisdom & Grace
  • Journey to Joy Women's Retreat
• Specials & Packages

 

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Tekoa Foothills in Casar, NC

Rent a room and private bath in Loy White Lodge for only $40/night.  Browse the website and contact the camp for additional options!

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Mt. Shepherd Retreat Center in Asheboro, NC

Plan a stay at Bethlehem Cottage or one of the Cabins

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Catholic Conference Center

• “Find Your Center” Private Retreats (Day Trip, Overnight, or Small Groups)
  • Option to include Spiritual Direction

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Ridgecrest Conference Center

• Special Programs
• A private or family retreat can be booked at a "Minister's Getaway" discounted rate (starting at $79). Call Reservations at 800-588-7222.

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Saint Francis Springs Prayer Center

• Private Renewal Retreats at the center or a Cottage or Hermitage
  • Option to include Spiritual Direction
• Retreats & Events, including Silent Directed Retreats 

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Additional Christian retreat centers WNCC clergy have utilized and recommend include: 

• Abbey of Gethsemani, Trappist, KY
• Camp Don Lee, Arapahoe, NC (coastal NC)
• The Community of St. Mary, Sewanee, TN
• Epworth By The Sea, St. Simons Island, GA
• Fort Caswell Coastal Retreat Center, Fort Caswell, NC (coastal NC)
• Mepkin Abbey, Moncks Corner, SC
• Montreat Conference Center, Montreat, NC (near Black Mountain)

 

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