Newsletter Spring 2024
“Nurturing Spiritual Connection: The Incredible Wisdom & Liberation of Forgiveness”
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
Contemplative Watercolor Retreat
Join us for a day of Contemplative and Creative Reflection on Sacred Scripture Using Watercolors
(C.R.O.S.S.)
with Nahed Fernando, Spiritual Director.
Date: Saturday, May 18, 2024.
Time: 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Where:
The Hermitage Community
11321 Dutch Settlement Rd
Three Rivers, MI 49093
With Scripture inspiring us, let us nurture our sense of wonder and creativity.
While delving into the spiritual practices of reading, reflecting, and responding to Scripture, you will be guided into using watercolor painting and journaling to aid in deeply absorbing the truths of God’s word and presence in your life.
Through creative expression, we will seek to quiet the noises and voices that so routinely occupy our lives and practice ways to hear and recognize God’s voice and invitation.
You may arrive on Friday and/or stay on Saturday night, extending your retreat time for an added fee. When you register, please indicate if you would like spiritual direction with Nahed who will be available until noon on Sunday (for an additional reduced fee).
The cost is $120 per person, includes the day retreat on Saturday, lunch, and all supplies. Please bring your own journal.
A $50 non-refundable deposit is requested to save your spot and purchase supplies.
Painting experience is helpful but not required.
Outdoor gardens and walking paths will be available.
Advent 2023 – Creches from Around the World
Advent Day Retreat led by Faith Bierma and Patty Hogan
Maranatha!
December 9
9am-4:30pm
Event Highlights:
*Advent Hymn Sing
*Lectio Divina
*Practice of Listen Prayer
*Exploration of the Depiction of the Nativity from Around the World
*Small Group Discussion and Processing
*Lectio Divina
*Practice of Listen Prayer
*Exploration of the Depiction of the Nativity from Around the World
*Small Group Discussion and Processing
To register, please fill in the registration form and note in the comments that you would like to register for the advent retreat. Thank you!
Howard Thurman Retreat
Join Us for a Day of Reflection and Inspiration!
Howard Thurman 1-Day Retreat led by Dr. Phillip Johnson
The Search for Common Ground
Howard Thurman
A Beacon of Hope
On the anniversary of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birth we reflect on the life and work of Dr. Howard Thurman. Dr. Thurman was spiritual advisor to Dr. King and one of the principal architects of the modern, nonviolent civil rights movement.
Dr. Thurman devoted his life and work to the quest for common ground. He believed that the quest for community begins with the contemplative life and when our inner sense of wholeness, integration, and harmony is awakened we become “apostles of sensitiveness” who work for transformation in the world even as we are working on it in ourselves. Dr. Thurman challenges us to move deep into our own hearts to move nearer to the inner experiences of all peoples, cultures, and faiths. During these troubled and fragile times, Dr. Howard Thurman is a beacon of hope for those who dream and continue the search for common ground. Through prayer, meditation, reflection, and small group discussions, we invite you to listen to “the sound of the genuine” within, as we reimagine the search for common ground amid the challenges and threats we face today.
Date: 20 January 2024
Time: 9am-430pm
The Hermitage
11321 Dutch Settlement Road
Three Rivers, MI 49093
Event Highlights:
- Howard Thurman’s Wisdom and Teachings
- Delicious Lunch Included
- Prayer
- Meditation
- Small Group Discussion
- Reflection and Community
Retreat Day Schedule
8:30 AM – 9:00 AM: Registration and Welcome (informal)
9:00 AM – 10:30 AM: Opening Meditation and Intro to Howard Thurman
10:45 AM – 12:30 PM: Workshop 1: The Quest for Community
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM: Hermitage Lunch
1:45 PM – 3:30 PM Workshop 2: Meditation, Howard Thurman: Spiritual Activist
3:45 PM – 5:00 PM: Silent /Personal Reflection
4:30 PM – 5:00 PM – Departure
Facilitator Bio
Dr. Johnson is a retreat leader, speaker, spiritual director*, associate professor of counselor education and counseling psychology, licensed professional counselor, who has authored journal articles and book chapters. He desires to support all people on their spiritual journeys and help them to embrace a deeper sense of their inherent somebodiness as they discover their unique sacred calling.
*Certified Spiritual Director, (Completed Spiritual Formation and Practicum at Dominican Center Marywood, Aquinas College)
Cost: 85 USD
Registration Details: To register, please fill in the reservation request form. Please note in the comments of the form that you are registering for the Thurman Retreat.
Women’s Experiential Prayer Retreat
Encounter Prayer in a new way! Come and unleash the imagination and creativity of prayer through unexpected mediums. Using art, nature, movement, silence, and listening, we connect with God using all of our senses and honor the Lord who created our whole selves- and engages us wholly.
There will be guided workshops and space for personal reflection and group processing. Presenters: Faith Bierma, Patty Hogan, Mary Knapp, and more!
Come for the total experience: Friday afternoon to Sunday morning, meals included: $250, or come for the day on Saturday 9-4:30, lunch included : $75
Please RSVP at contact@hermitagecommunity.org, space is limited!
Spaces open for Women’s Retreat this weekend – April 14-16
Come and encounter God and His unprecedented dreams for your life surrounded by nature and intentional time away in solitude.
This is a 3-day experience that provides a Holy Spirit tailored setting for a small but powerful group of like-minded women to encounter the presence of God. This will be a beautiful time of building genuine relationship and greater intimacy with God, self, and others.
ROCIO VALLEJO
Identity & Purpose Coach | Writer | Storyteller
“May the heavens split, earth tremble, & sea roar
to welcome the truest parts of you that ever lived.”
‘God’s love made edible’ fundraising retreat: Cultivating/Inoculating Mushrooms
28 April 2023 from 10am-3pm
· Professor Emeritus MSU, Dr. Richard Leep, will lead a class on inoculating gourmet mushrooms on logs. Rich has several years of experience cultivating and marketing mushrooms. Rich will instruct on basic inoculation methods for backyard logs and for more extensive production.
Included with registration:
- A Hermitage prayer of thanksgiving for mushrooms.
- Instruction on types of mushrooms, log selection for species, etc.
- Participants will practice inoculating with the dowel and sawdust methods.
- Hermitage Lunch!
- 2 logs for each participant to bring home—your choice of two mushroom strains from the class—one shiitake and one oyster (60+USD value based on Field & Forest prices for inoculated logs).
- Additional logs available for 20USD each, various species, and strains.
Suggested donation 200 USD
Limit of 10 participants
Register by 20 April. Contact Troy at contact@hermitagecommunity.org
Invite anyone you know who may like to come for this event.
Lent Retreat 2023
Facilitated by Joel and Patty Hogan
March 4, 9:30am-3:30pm $75 Lunch included
On Saturday, March 4, 2023, the Hermitage invites you to participate in a Lenten retreat of Lament. We will work in small groups to write communal laments, and we will write individual, personal laments as well. Time will be given to bear witness to both small group and individual lament as participants are willing.
Lamentation, or Lament, is a God-given and biblical way to respond to and process grief and loss. When we lament, we give voice to the sacred stories of our lives and our world as they are disrupted, and as we strive to find meaning and resolve.
Psalm 102: 1-2
“A Prayer of the Afflicted when he is faint and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
Hear my prayer, O Lord!
And let my cry for help come to You.
Do not hide Your face from me in the day of my distress;
Incline Your ear to me;
In the day when I call answer me quickly.”
Join us by emailing contact@hermitagecommunity.org to reserve your seat