All Church Retreat

All-Church Retreat

April 29 ,11am-3pm

…Help me reclaim who I truly am—
the person you’ve created me to be.

May I live boldly,
speak confidently,
love unconditionally,
forgive readily,
and trust deeply. 

Shape my life to match my soul…

 

~ From “When I need to get back to the basics” 

in Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life

Within each of us is the most profound gift—the presence and voice of God. In your heart are planted unique passions, desires, and wisdom only you can be and bring to the world. 

But this treasure is easily buried. The light quietly dimmed. As we live our lives, we accumulate layer upon layer of expectations and responsibilities. In seeking to care for those we love, provide, and achieve (all important in their own way!) we keep our eyes and ears outward, focused on who we’re told to be. When we do, we miss the voice with both the greatest vulnerability as well as the highest authority. 

The voice of God within you. 

Each of us wants to reach our life’s end believing we were our true selves living out the purpose God gave us. And yet, when we are not in the daily practice of listening for the voice within us, we will spend most of our time not doing the things which actually matter the most to us. 

 In this retreat, we will accompany one another on one of the most important exploratory journeys we can make—the pilgrimage into our deepest hearts, which is, in turn, God’s heart. We will reflect on what our inner voice is and how we connect with this deep wisdom. We will do some digging (however far we need to go!) to listen for what’s at the bottom of our hearts. And we will take the next step in returning to and rekindling the gifts God has placed within us. 

Our prayer and hope with this retreat is to provide space and empowerment for people to connect with the heart of who they are, find tangible ways to live by that compass, and by doing so, to use Paul’s words to Timothy, to “rekindle the gift of God that is in you” (2 Timothy 1:6).

There are 100 spaces for the retreat. $20 for adults and $10 for those 18 and under. Please call the office or click the link to register.

About  Rev. Lehn

Arianne is a mother, one half of a clergy couple, writer, and ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church (USA). She’s originally from Sioux Falls, SD and graduated from Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) with degrees in English Literature and Biblical/Theological Studies. She originally planned on Law School until God called her to Taiwan where everything changed, and later graduated from McCormick Theological Seminary.

Arianne and her husband, Jeff (the other clergy couple half) live in Wilmette, IL with their three children. In addition to working as a writer/editor for Illustrated Ministry,  Arianne’s book, Ash and Starlight: Prayers for the Chaos and Grace of Daily Life was published in October of 2019. She believes the world is a broken and beautiful place, and that a tender, strong God holds us in it.