Frequently Asked Questions
What is the silent retreat like?
What is the Schedule?
What do I Bring?
Who is this retreat for?
What do you do while on retreat?
How do I prepare myself spiritually?
What is the silent retreat like?
The Retreatant does not talk from Friday night until Sunday morning. No one talks but you are friendly to each other. You can “smile, nod, or wave” when you see each other in the kitchen or outdoors.
It’s easy to not talk because everyone comes for the same purpose. They come to be alone. Therefore, everyone respects each other’s personal space. Actually, not talking is a relief. You don’t have to “put your best foot forward” or “hold up your side of the conversation”. You can just relax and take a break. It’s really nice.
The Friday night meal and group worship help you to get to know each other. It helps you to feel safe, knowing that other people are there if you should need anything. Please note that you can at any time talk to a director.
Feeling safe is especially important for women. Men can go off to a motel and feel completely safe, but women can’t do that. Women feel more vulnerable and need people around them in order to feel safe. A person can relax only when they feel safe.
What is the Schedule?
First Day
- 3-6 pm, Arrival/Check-In
- 6 pm, Supper
- 7 pm, Orientation
- DVD showing “Be Still” on Contemplative Prayer (optional)
- Beginning Silence
Mid-way – “hermit day”
- More Silence
- 8 am, Breakfast
- 12 pm, Bag Lunch (Build your own sandwich)
- 1-4 pm, Counsel, 50-minute appointments (optional)
- 5:30 pm, Supper
Last Day
- More Silence
- 8-9:30 am, Continental Breakfast
- 10 am, Room Check-out
- 10:30 am, Worship/Closing (Silence is broken after worship begins)
- 12 pm, Lunch
- 2 pm, Departure
What do I Bring?
- Your PILLOW may help you to sleep better
- Dress is casual: sweats, jeans, sneakers, light jacket, hat, etc.
- Snacks for yourself. Microwave, refrigerator, and coffee pot available.
- BIBLE, JOURNAL, and a good pen. We will provide study helps.
- Two-page Reflection Paper (instructions sent to you prior to the retreat)
Available for a donation: Journals, and Scripture Lullabies CDs
Who is this retreat for?
GodQuest is a Christian retreat open to all people everywhere.
However, we are “gender specific”. Meaning retreats are presently for women only. The rationale behind the decision for the separation is to eliminate as many distractions as possible.
GodQuest retreats usually appeal to two kinds of people:
1. The young mother with small children or the harried father with demands of a high-pressure job who is stressed out and feels like running away.
2. The mature Christian who sees the value of taking a “Sabbath Rest” to become closer to God.
This type of retreat is not for everyone. It appeals to a small population of people who understand the value of getting away to do nothing.
What do you do while on retreat?
You can:
- Pray
- Read scripture (Read a whole book of the Bible or just meditate on a single verse.)
- Journal
- Sleep
- Take long showers
- Take walks in nature
You can meet with a Director. He or she will listen to you, share some scriptures and pray with you.
There is written material to guide you through Prayer, Scripture, Creation, and Community (Church or Friends). There are also written helps for Journaling and Fasting.
We emphasize reading the Bible over other literature.
The Program offers group worship, Christian counsel, and writing helps.
How do I prepare myself spiritually?
We ask that you bring a two-page description of yourself and what you are asking of God in this retreat. The purpose of this exercise is that you will begin reflecting upon your life, where you have been, and where you are going. It will help you to begin to journal (if you choose) while on retreat. It also helps the directors to know you better so that they may pray for you more intelligently. If you decide to meet with a director he or she will have read your paper ahead of time. This will help familiarize him or her with you.
Immediately upon registration, your name is sent to a group of prayer partners who will pray for you daily before, during, and for two weeks after the retreat. In anticipation, we ask that you pray as well.