How To Plan a Group Retreat

“For where two or three gather together in my name, there am I among them.”

— Matthew 18:20

For churches and ministries across the globe, the tradition of retreat can be a great time to set themselves apart from the stress of everyday life, fellowship with each other, and hear the Lord's voice. This was modeled by Jesus as He retreated for prayer amidst teaching and healing.

And sure, that sounds like a great idea - but as any pastor or ministry leader knows most great ideas require a lot of work. At Tuscarora, we want everything about the retreat experience to be as easy as possible - so our staff is ready to help you with any questions you may have!

But for some, the task of organizing a church or group retreat might still seem too daunting. But did you know each retreat starts with four big decisions. With some advance planning, a successful retreat is well within your grasp.

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WHY

There are a lot of reasons you might want to take time away - and none of them are bad! But you will probably find your time of retreat most rewarding if you decide upfront on your, "why."

You may simply want to deepen your relationship with God. Maybe you are looking to practice a spiritual discipline like spending time in scripture or prayer. Maybe you just need time away from church for a specific ministry to find a way to connect with each other. Maybe your church leadership is in need of a strategy planning meeting.

Whatever your need, deciding on your why first is a great way to make sure you leave your retreat with your goals met.

WHO

Who are you planning this retreat for? Is it all the members of your church? Your church members and their friends? What about just men, women, or families? Just adults, or are children going to be invited? What about JUST children (with supervision of course!)

There isn't a right answer. But each group has different needs. Answering this question will help you to decide what your potential attendees care about and how to make sure they register!

WHERE

We're biased. We hope you would decide on Tuscarora for your church or group retreat! That's our passion and our ministry.

Truthfully, you don't even need to travel very far to have the experience of retreat. Coffee and cake in someone's home can be special, as well as a meal shared in a church basement.

But there is nothing like visiting a Christian Conference Center for several days of retreat. The experience gives you the true mountain top experience. The size of your group, the type of programming you're interested in, and the age of your attendees will all determine which facilities you may want to consider. Is mobility or transportation a concern? What activities does the facilities offer? These are all questions you would want to ask as you shop around.

WHEN

Tuscarora is open all year round - but our winter groups definitely have a very different experience than our summer groups! In winter we hold coffee house style trivia events, serve LOTS of coffee, and see our guests head out into the snow for sledding and skiing. In summer, water recreation is a popular way to bond and build relationships. It's tough not to create life-long relationships when you're gripping a boat tube together.

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Whatever you're thinking, don't get too stressed! Remember, the great thing about ministry is how much of the groundwork the Lord lays for us. As you plan your retreat - don't forget about Tuscarora!

If you are interested in hearing about Church and Group Retreats at Tuscarora, make sure to fill out an interest form!

How to "Be Still"

There was a time when summer was a season to rest. When the days got longer, kids were off from school, and time seemed to slow down. Lately, it feels like the summer months can be the busiest of all - with vacations, holidays, and sports schedule.

We understand if you're looking ahead to the fall months and feeling a little bit overwhelmed. Here at Tuscarora our business is rest and relaxation - but even we leave the summer months feeling like we haven't taken the time to ready ourselves for the season ahead.

The Bible makes no question about how important this is. Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God." Being still doesn't come easily to many of us, we have trained ourselves to be active and moving every second of every day. But, if God makes a point of commanding us to Be still, how can we make it possible?

1. Find a time

If you feel like you don't have the time for stillness, it's just because you haven't made the time. Whether it's a weekend away, or five minutes every morning, time that you decide on and build into your schedule is more likely to happen.

2. Find a place

There's a reason people love to vacation in beautiful places - often the right setting can put us in the right frame of mind. If you find a place that's beautiful and peaceful, you are more likely to feel peaceful in it. You're also more likely to find the rest you're looking for. This place can be your bed, a special chair, outside on your porch, in the shower, or even a place like Tuscarora.

3. Relax your body

Maybe to relax your body you need fuzzy slippers, a satin bathrobe, and twelve hours of uninterrupted sleep. Maybe you just don't want to talk to anyone else for a little while. Maybe you just need a deep breath, a cup of coffee, and some time in your Bible. Being still means different things to different people - but without relaxing your body it's really hard to follow the next step.

4. Relax your mind

This can be the most challenging step. Even sitting still with our eyes closed, many of us may feel our minds are going full steam ahead. We can think about our to do list, events we need to attend, and meals we need to make. But relaxing your mind is an important part of stillness, so it's worth trying.

5. Open your heart

This step should naturally follow the rest. Once we are resting our bodies and our minds, and open to the voice of the Lord, He can come in to fill us with the things we need. Though we can achieve physical relaxation on our own, a deeper spiritual relaxation needs to come from time in His presence.

If you are feeling tired and worn out from the work of this season - in the calendar year in life - try to follow this commandment to be still. Approach God with a relaxed body, mind, and heart as the scripture tells us and see how God can prepare you for what's to come!

Serving with the strength God provides -Brian Abrahamsen

At Tuscarora, summer is finally here. We are once again reminded by the miracle of creation of the hope we have received in the resurrection of Jesus. This winter presented us with many challenges which sought to attack our hope.

In February, we lost a dear friend in Rev. George Aase, who was a part of the Tuscarora ministry from the very beginning. He served as the Tuscarora Chaplain from 1991-2007, was a support and counsel to staff, and a friend to guests. He will be greatly missed by all.

In early March, a nor’easter for the history books took its toll on our grounds, causing our Spring Women’s Retreat to be cut short due to power outages and road closures. Clean up from this storm lasted for weeks, and we lost many of the trees around our grounds.

It often seems the tasks that need to be done outnumber the hands, and funds, we have available. But God is faithful! The Bible reminds us in 1 Peter that we serve, “with the strength that God provides.” We have seen an increased amount of new volunteers and donors who are helping to do this marvelous work.

So, with this in mind, I invite you to join us in this next exciting season of ministry, whether as a guest, donor, or volunteer. Come, grow closer to God, and discover His plan for you. Partner with us in this adventure. To God be the glory, for ever and ever.

Brian

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Emily Learn - Answered Prayers for a Servant Heart

“Those who hope in the Lord
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.”

— Isaiah 40:31

It's a common struggle in the Christian life to wonder if you are following the direction of God's voice, especially when you're young. With so many choices and opportunities laid out before you, it can be difficult to discern whether you're following the Lord's direction. However, in hindsight, we often see how seemingly small moments were God's leading all alone. Emily Learn experienced that in her time at Tuscarora.

Emily Learn made the decision to come to Tuscarora for the first time entering her sophomore year of high school. A member of the youth group at Mount Bethel Lutheran Brethren Church, and a self-proclaimed "homebody," she was apprehensive. Eventually, the invitations of her friends wore her down. Over the next few years, each visit to Teen Week or Winter Weekend she experienced the name of Jesus being proclaimed, connected with old friends, and was touched by the high energy worship music experiences she found there.

She didn't know it at the time, but these experiences at Tuscarora were preparing her for an even bigger adventure. During one summer, she met a boy named Ryan Barrett who shared his experience with her with a program called Youth With a Mission (YWAM), a global movement of youth dedicated to serving Jesus throughout the world.

When she graduated high school, she realized that while college was her plan, she couldn't deny the calling she felt to follow her friend Ryan to be involved with YWAM.

“YWAM was the best five months of my life. I got to know Jesus for myself, I got to create my own faith, and I could see the Lord work not only in myself but in every person I encountered in Montana, in Cambodia, and in Thailand.”

— Emily Learn

Instead of college, Emily traveled to Montana, Cambodia, and Thailand preaching the gospel to those who needed most to hear it. Through school programs, worship service outreach, and everyday conversations she was able to see the life-changing affects of the gospel in people's lives.

Her time with YWAM took the seed of faith that was planted here at Tuscarora and allowed Emily to grow in her own relationship with God without the pressures of her family, friends, or church members. She began to understand the unique gifts God had blessed her with and she prayed that God would grant her with a servant heart.

When she returned to the United States, she came back to Tuscarora. This time as a staff member working in the dining room. This allowed her to see the other side of the Tuscarora ministry. She saw groups from all backgrounds, ethnicities, and ages come together to receive the rest and relaxation of a retreat. The servant heart she had prayed for allowed her to find meaning in setting tables and pouring coffee in a new way.

“I know now that God has a plan for my life, and it’s beautiful. Even though at times its hard, I’m learning to trust Him and obey Him in everything.”

— Emily Learn

This summer, Emily is planning to be a part of the experience that started so much for her by counseling at Teen Week. She hopes to be able to connect with her campers in a way that will transcend one week of the summer, and walk alongside them in the same struggles she experienced as a camper. In the fall, she's planning to study Hospitality Management at Northampton Community College. She wants to keep serving and loving the Christian community.

Why you should retreat instead of just vacation

“And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone.”

— Matthew 14:23

Summer has arrived. At Tuscarora, and everywhere.  Kids are out of school, or just about to be, and you might be hoping for a slower pace of life for a little while. However, too often, life speeds up in the summertime instead. There are summer TV shows, family parties, new childcare schedules, and the ever increasing noise of current events and media.

Things are more crowded, noisier, and more stressful than they have ever been before. Ever so slowly, our culture seems to have moved away from slow days, quiet evenings, and special family time – even in the summer months. It’s so removed from our everyday lives that the popularity of planned trips and vacations is greater than ever. Whether it be a family getaway, adventure trips, or exotic resorts everyone feels the need for a break every once in a while.

As rest and relaxation becomes more and more of a limited resource – how should you choose to spend that time?

To answer that question – we should look scripture as we so often do.  In Mathew 14, after feeding the 5,000, at his own moment needing rest and recovery Jesus goes away by himself. He goes away to spend time with his Father in prayer. Jesus, who was perfect and knew what to do in the face of exhaustion, turns to His father.

A spiritual retreat, instead of a typical vacation, is a great alternative to receive real rest. Spiritual rest.

When you pull away from the stresses of everyday life with the intent of quieting your heart and mind in the presence of God – God will speak. Like Elijah, who was told to stand on the mountain awaiting the voice of the Lord and did not find it in the powerful wind, the earthquake, or the fire but instead the gentle whisper.

A time of spiritual retreat can look different for everyone. Perhaps you will find God’s voice in a time of biblical reflection, perhaps in the beauty of His creation in a place of natural splendor. Perhaps you need to remove yourself from the things in life that pull you away from spending time in prayer.  Maybe the hospitality of those who welcome you or serve you will touch you. Maybe instead, all you need is time away with your family to laugh together and play.

This summer, consider a more intentional type of vacation. One that will leave you in a place of physical, mental, and spiritual refreshment. At Tuscarora – we have a variety of programs available to help you do just that. You may not know how badly you need the peace – but we are happy to provide it.