Possibilities for Wholeness in Life’s Press: 

Spiritual Practices Engaging the Heart, Mind, & Body

with Debra Paxton-Buursma, Phd 

Spiritual Companion for Individuals & Gathering Souls, Retreats, & Consultations

Feeling the press of life’s distractions and divisions? Join Debra for 1, 2 or 3 retreats exploring wholeness and integration of heart, mind, and body in the soulful context of The Hermitage (Three Rivers, Michigan). We will nurture spiritual awakening and deepening through contemplative conversations, silence and gentle practices using scripture, nature and the creative arts (story, poetry, visual arts, & music). Come as you are (with or without art experience) and be welcomed into this grace-filled slow space for hearing, healing and wholeness. Each retreat begins  Friday with supper at 5:30 and concludes Saturday at 4:00. Feel free to come as early as 4:00 and leave by Sunday morning (see below for Saturday evening stay). 

We will be joined by Jo-Ann VanReeuwyk, my good friend, fellow colleague and artist. Jo-Ann wil gallery some of her work at the Hermitage over the months of our retreats and support gentle exploration of creative spiritual practices. As a former art education professor, Jo-Ann brings gentle wisdom and soulful care into every space she enters. 

Cost: $200.00 Includes:

 1 Overnight stay at The Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center

Friday supper, Saturday breakfast, lunch & snacks

Retreat facilitation, materials, guided & independent experiences

Additional Saturday Night Possibility: Supper, breakfast & lodging

For an additional $75 (leave by or before noon on Sunday)

 Feeling prompted?

Read on…

Retreat 3 Embodied Pathways for Deepening Spiritual Senses

April 24 & 25

Come, bring your beloved body.

Celebrate the beautiful design of you in sacred relationship with the world. Centering activities invite you to explore how your embodied senses open you to ever-expanding Divine revelation. Unfurl with wonder and delight in the dynamic move and mystery of Divine Love through grace-filled, guided and independent practices of slow attention, gentle enfolding, and celebration through music, food, nature, image, conversation and solitude.

(Dates and information for Retreat 1 Hope’s Hold on the Heart)

(Dates and information for Retreat 2 Mindful Spiritual Imagination with Word and Watercolor)

Cost: $200.00 Includes:

• 1 Overnight stay at The Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center
• Meals: Friday supper, Saturday breakfast, lunch & snacks
• Retreat facilitation, materials, guided & independent experiences
• Additional Saturday Night Possibility: Supper, breakfast & lodging — an additional $75 (leave by or before noon on Sunday)

Want to speak with Debra about the retreat, please reach out: debrapaxbuursma@gmail.com

To register, please fill in the registration request form and note in the comments that you are registering for Debra’s retreat. (please pay once you receive confirmation since space is limited to 15)

Possibilities for Wholeness in Life’s Press: 

Spiritual Practices Engaging the Heart, Mind, & Body

with Debra Paxton-Buursma, Phd

Spiritual Companion for Individuals & Gathering Souls, Retreats, & Consultations

Feeling the press of life’s distractions and divisions? Join Debra for 1, 2 or 3 retreats exploring wholeness and integration of heart, mind, and body in the soulful context of The Hermitage (Three Rivers, Michigan). We will nurture spiritual awakening and deepening through contemplative conversations, silence and gentle practices using scripture, nature and the creative arts (story, poetry, visual arts, & music). Come as you are (with or without art experience) and be welcomed into this grace-filled slow space for hearing, healing and wholeness. Each retreat begins  Friday with supper at 5:30 and concludes Saturday at 4:00. Feel free to come as early as 4:00 and leave by Sunday morning (see below for Saturday evening stay). 

We will be joined by Jo-Ann VanReeuwyk, my good friend, fellow colleague and artist. Jo-Ann wil gallery some of her work at the Hermitage over the months of our retreats and support gentle exploration of creative spiritual practices. As a former art education professor, Jo-Ann brings gentle wisdom and soulful care into every space she enters.

Cost: $200.00 Includes:

 1 Overnight stay at The Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center

Friday supper, Saturday breakfast, lunch & snacks

Retreat facilitation, materials, guided & independent experiences

Additional Saturday Night Possibility: Supper, breakfast & lodging

For an additional $75 (leave by or before noon on Sunday)

 Feeling prompted? Read on…

March 27 & 28

Come, open the floodgates of your mind.

The vast world of words teems with possibilities for spiritual awakening and deepening. We will slowly immerse, linger, listen and play within sacred metaphors through poetry, story, journals, scripture, and silence.  Explore the graceful flow of words and simple watercolor as they illuminate spiritual gifts for and from us.

(Dates and information for Retreat 1 Hope’s Hold on the Heart)

(Dates and information for Retreat 3 Embodied Pathways for Deepening Spiritual Senses)

Cost: $200.00 Includes:

• 1 Overnight stay at The Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center
• Meals: Friday supper, Saturday breakfast, lunch & snacks
• Retreat facilitation, materials, guided & independent experiences
• Additional Saturday Night Possibility: Supper, breakfast & lodging — an additional $75 (leave by or before noon on Sunday)

Want to speak with Debra about the retreat, please reach out: debrapaxbuursma@gmail.com

To register, please fill in the registration request form and note in the comments that you are registering for Debra’s retreat. (please pay once you receive confirmation since space is limited to 15)

Possibilities for Wholeness in Life’s Press: 

Spiritual Practices Engaging the Heart, Mind, & Body

with Debra Paxton-Buursma, Phd

Spiritual Companion for Individuals & Gathering Souls, Retreats, & Consultations

Feeling the press of life’s distractions and divisions? Join Debra for 1, 2 or 3 retreats exploring wholeness and integration of heart, mind, and body in the soulful context of The Hermitage (Three Rivers, Michigan). We will nurture spiritual awakening and deepening through contemplative conversations, silence and gentle practices using scripture, nature and the creative arts (story, poetry, visual arts, & music). Come as you are (with or without art experience) and be welcomed into this grace-filled slow space for hearing, healing and wholeness. Each retreat begins  Friday with supper at 5:30 and concludes Saturday at 4:00. Feel free to come as early as 4:00 and leave by Sunday morning (see below for Saturday evening stay). 

We will be joined by Jo-Ann VanReeuwyk, my good friend, fellow colleague and artist. Jo-Ann wil gallery some of her work at the Hermitage over the months of our retreats and support gentle exploration of creative spiritual practices. As a former art education professor, Jo-Ann brings gentle wisdom and soulful care into every space she enters. 

Feeling prompted?

Read on…

Retreat 1: Hope’s Hold on the Heart

February 13 & 14

Come, discover deep heart space. 

Your heart offers a powerful place for becoming more spiritually awake, aware and responsive. Experiences of division, loss or sheer busyness can cause us to shield our heart. Story maps, centers and simple Sgraffito* invite spiritual practices of “heart-listening” that scratch beneath the surface of life stories revealing intertwined experience, emotion and Sacred Presence.

*The Italian art technique Sgraffito invites you to scratch the surface as color and designs emerge. If you’ve used crayons, you can do this!!

(Dates and information for Retreat 2 Mindful Spiritual Imagination with Word and Watercolor)

(Dates and information for Retreat 3 Embodied Pathways for Deepening Spiritual Senses)

Cost: $200.00 Includes:

• 1 Overnight stay at The Hermitage Spiritual Retreat Center
• Meals: Friday supper, Saturday breakfast, lunch & snacks
• Retreat facilitation, materials, guided & independent experiences
• Additional Saturday Night Possibility: Supper, breakfast & lodging — an additional $75 (leave by or before noon on Sunday)

Want to speak with Debra about the retreat, please reach out: debrapaxbuursma@gmail.com

To register, please fill in the registration request form and note in the comments that you are registering for Debra’s retreat. (please pay once you receive confirmation since space is limited to 15)

When: Saturday, December 6, 2025, 9:30 am – 4:00 pm Bonus Evensong: Friday, December 5, 7:00 pm

Where: The Hermitage Community, Three Rivers, MI

To Register: Please fill in the guest reservation request form and note that you are registering for the Advent Retreat. 

Have questions? Reach out to contact@hermitagecommunity.org (or 269-244-8696)

Join us for an exploration of the Music and Mystery of Advent. During this Advent Quiet Day Retreat, we will sample the music of Advent and immerse in lyrics that usher us into the mystery of the Incarnation. Bring your love of music, a willingness to sing, a musical instrument (optional), your sense of wonder, and the courage to create. Musical ability is not required. Bonus: for those wishing to begin their retreat on Friday evening, we offer a candlelit Evensong in the style of Taizé on Friday at 7:00 pm. 

Schedule

Friday 

7 pm Advent Taizé Evensong 

Saturday, 9:30-4

• 9:30-10:30-Session 1
• 10:30-11:30-Personal Reflection
• 1:30-12:15 Session 2
• 12:30-Lunch and personal reflection
• 2:00-2:30-Session 3
• 2:30-3:00 Personal Reflection
• 3:00-4:00-Session 4

Session 1: What is Advent?: Waiting and Watching for Mystery

Session 2: Why is Advent?: Exploring the Incarnation

Session 3: When is Advent?: Reclaiming the Season of Deep Joy

Session 4: How, this Advent?: Sharing our Songs, Becoming Receptive

Please send in your payment when you register or at least a month before the retreat to hold your space. Thank you and we look forward to hosting you then! Payments can be by check (to the Hermitage, 11321 Dutch Settlement Road, Three Rivers, MI 49093) or online. 

Rates:

Day Retreat with Lunch

$100 individual day retreat suggested donation

– Subsidized: $75

Overnight Friday + Saturday day retreat with meals:

$200 (single) individual day retreat + overnight

– Subsidized: $175

$275 (double) individual day retreat + overnight

– Subsidized Price: $225

Overnight Friday and Saturday evenings, all meals, and Advent Retreat

$300 (subsidized $225)

We welcome any who wish to participate in the sabbath garden preparations again this year. We will be setting up a new fence this year, so depending on how far we get by then, some of the work will be planting related and some may be fence related. There are always lots of other options at the Hermitage too! Reach out to contact@hermitagecommunity.org with any questions or to let us know you’re coming. Come for all or part of the day. If you would like to come overnight, please fill in the registration request form. 

Have you been to the Hermitage for a personal retreat and wondered what it might be like to invite your child(ren) into this spiritual experience? Join us for a parent/child retreat for two nights, June 11th (2-5pm arrival)-13th! There will be rhythms of child-friendly contemplative prayer practices in the mornings and evenings led by Daina Kraai, Ministry Director at Creston Church in Grand Rapids. Daina has 15+ years experience working with children in spiritual settings and three children of her own. She believes deeply in the agency of children as worshippers and hearers of God, alongside adults. 

After breakfast, there will be opportunities to work side by side with your child(ren) in The Hermitage’s garden, led by Lance Kraai, an urban farmer and youth worker at New City Neighbors. After lunch there will be self-led free time options open including water play if it’s hot, scavenger hunt trails, labyrinth, etc. 

We invite you to enter into a space of both prayer and play, silence and curiosity as we learn from each other (of all ages) how to experience and encounter a God who meets us right where we are. This retreat is designed for children ages 3-12. (Other ages are welcome, but they may not be as engaged with the materials). 

If you are worried about keeping silence with your children, don’t fear! We will help shape language around this in an inviting way that is age appropriate and not overly restrictive. We’ll work together for it at the appropriate times, while also appreciating that children are children made in the image of a playful God! 

Spaces are limited, so sign up soon! Cost for a parent and child for the event is $335 ($385 for parent and two children in same room).  Please pay in full at time of registration to save your spot!

Pay online: (scroll down to donate link)

Pay by check to: The Hermitage 11321 Dutch Settlement Rd, Three Rivers, MI 49093

Contact dainakraai@gmail.com  for programming questions.

To register please complete the registration form and include your child(ren)’s name(s).

For questions about possible rooms/beds/cabins, please reach out to Hermitage staff: contact@hermitagecommunity.org

The 2024 Advent Retreat will be led by Bette Dickinson. Join us for advent mediations on Christ’s incarnation…

Saturday 7 December

Optional for overnight guests on Friday:

7pm – Friday evening session

Led by author and artist Bette Dickinson, this retreat invites you to journey through the Advent story in a contemplative setting, drawing from Bette’s book, Making Room in Advent. As we reflect on the lives of Zechariah, Elizabeth, Mary, and others in the first chapters of Luke, we are invited to find ourselves in their stories—stories of yearning, questioning, and transformation.

Like Zechariah and Elizabeth, we too know what it is like to wait in barrenness, longing for God to answer our prayers. Like Mary, we have asked “How will this be?” when faced with the mystery of God’s call. Through these stories, we catch a glimpse of God’s unfolding plan of redemption, not just for Israel, but for all people—including us.

This retreat provides time for individual reflection, guided by a retreat booklet, and the opportunity to walk with these stories through Bette’s original 18 paintings from Making Room in Advent, on display in the Phoenix Gallery. Through spiritual practices such as visio divina, led by Bette, participants will lean in and listen to what God is saying through their own stories, making room for Him to dwell within.

As God’s salvation transforms the characters in Luke, we too are challenged to receive His presence in our humanity, yearnings, and longings. Together, we will make space for Christ, trusting that as He makes His home in us, the world will see Jesus in the flesh. There will also be opportunities to connect in community, share reflections, and prepare our hearts for the coming of Christ this Advent season.

Bette’s art will be on display at the Hermitage in the Phoenix Gallery and buildings throughout the fall 2024–come check it out!

Bette Dickinson is a prophetic artist, writer, and speaker who invites audiences to connect with God through visual parables of the spiritual journey in her ministry Awakening the Soul. She has worked with organizations like Barna, World Vision, InterVarsity, Infinitum, and Community Christian Church to awaken the soul through beauty and wonder. Bette and her husband live in Traverse City Michigan with their two boys.

Bette has an MDiv. in Pastoral Studies from Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, and is the author of Making Room in Advent: 25 Devotions for a Season of Wonder (IVP, 2022)

Register for the Advent Retreat! (If only registering for Saturday and not overnight, select ‘any room’ in the form and note in the comments that you are just coming for Saturday. Please note in the comments if you would like to join the additional session on Friday evening)

Price for the Retreat:

Day Retreat with Lunch

$125 individual day retreat suggested donation

– Subsidized Price: $75

Overnight + Day retreat with meals:

$225 (single) individual day retreat + overnight

– Subsidized Price: $175

$255 (double) individual day retereat + overnight

– Subsidized Price: $205

(mention in the comments section of the form that you are registering for the advent retreat–note that guest rooms will likely only be available for overnight guests)

A Transformational Experiential Retreat   GilChrist Retreat Cntr  Fetzer.org

Wednesday, March 13    10-3:30   $95

Forgiving unleashes Energy—Nurtures all our relationships—sets us free!

     WHAT:  Personalized inner work in a supportive group–through stories, gentle   humor, guided visualizations, journaling, sound immersion & moments of prayerful meditation when we may ask our angels to assist us.

         One “Forgiveness Myth”                                                                                                                   “Forgiving means I’m telling one who wronged me that it doesn’t matter”  NOT!

Forgiveness=powerful tool to send healing PEACE energy into our war-torn planet                                                                             Even if you can’t attend, you’re encouraged to practice forgiveness

***   Includes a Very Special SOUND IMMERSION    ***

“Awaken to Sound “  5 practitioners playing Sacred TIBETAN singing bowls hand made by monks as they chanted prayers for health, abundance, peace—                                         These are the high vibrations that will surround us!

 Bring:  journal, blankets for the                                           meditations & Sound Immersion.                                                              Lunch, tea, coffee will be provided.

The presenter discovered the power of forgiveness during a health crisis.      She now feels called to facilitate others  healing, renewed energy & freedom. 

“Tere created a soothing space and through her skillful guidance, I began major healing from decades of anguish and pain.”  Testimonial from prior participant

REGISTER & Questions:  Email or text:  Tere9494@gmail.com   269 329-9494                           

 “Nurturing Spiritual Connection: The Incredible Wisdom & Liberation of Forgiveness”     A special 5 person Sound Immersion is part of this retreat!*

Wednesday, March 13, 2024,  10-3:30  $95  at Gilchrist Retreat Center, 3R, MI

Forgiveness is underrated and misunderstood! It is a remarkably potent tool that has come to us in our wisdom literature as well as in current science. Its healing effects are documented in relationships, decreasing susceptibility to disease and increasing recovery from disease.

Forgiving unleashes spiritual energy, opening connections within us, between us, God and the planet. It sets us free. It’s a form of spiritual nurture and strength that unblocks our energy systems—keeps them flowing. 

We will look at the pungent ideas of author Caroline Myss who describes forgiveness as “healing…a necessity, a Mystical Law”. Of course, we resis forgiveness when we believe ‘forgiveness falsities’ like the myth: “Forgiving means I’m telling one who wronged me that it doesn’t matter”. We will focus on melting resistance through stories, gentle humor, moments of prayerful meditation when we may ask our angels to assist us.

Opportunities to experience forgiveness in a supportive environment will be provided through guided and open-ended meditations, silence, journaling and a very special sound session which will create healing vibrations. The presenter discovered the power of forgiveness during a health crisis. She now feels called to facilitate others’ healing, renewed energy and freedom.

A very special “Sound Immersion” session will be provided by Awaken to Sound, 5 sound practitioners playing sacred singing bowls. These bowls were hand-made by Tibetan monks as they chanted prayers for health, abundance, peace and these are the vibrations they release. Please bring a journal and blankets for floor relaxation and Sound Immersion. Lunch, tea and coffee will be provided.

This is a transformational, experiential workshop. Cradled in the solitude of Gilchrist Retreat Center, you will have space to discover what actions are right for you. Our reconciliation work will send healing vibrations into our war-torn world. You are invited to practice forgiveness privately, even if you cannot attend!

To register, pls email Tere Krueger at Tere9494@gmail.com