The first Rest and Renewal retreat took place in 1996 with 35 women gathering at Westmont College in Santa Barbara, CA for an afternoon of worship, teaching and fellowship.  In the years following the Retreat has expanded to a full weekend format.  We have visited various awesome locations in Southern California--Catalina Island, Forest Home Ojai, Forest Home Forest Falls, Arrowbear, Salvation Army Camp Malibu....  Though our locations have changed through the years, the constant has been the purpose of the weekend.

 

We were excited to add a second retreat in Oregon spring of 2019.  It was WONDERFUL!!! The Lord has been connecting us with women in the beautiful northwest and we are excited to grow in the depth of our relationships with the Lord and each other.  

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In addition to these, we were excited to begin an east coast retreat at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland.  Our first east coast adventure was put on pause with the onset of the coronavirus pandemic...as were all of the 2020 in person retreats.  God has met us in our time of need with this "new" medium of gathering--zoom conferences.  Our first zoom retreat was May 16, 2020 where 185 women gathered to sing, lament, learn and encourage one another.  It was a powerful time for us all!  And we are hopeful the day will come when our fellowship will be in person once again.  Until then, we will follow His lead as He connects our hearts and minds during this challenging season.

 

We are a group of women who enjoy active lifestyles and want to grow spiritually.  These weekends are designed to be a time of fun, but also a time of rest and an opportunity for spiritual renewal.  This is life on life community.  We study the Bible together and sing.  We hike and play volleyball or basketball or paddle board.  We play and laugh, and we enjoy time set aside for solitude and quiet.  It's a mixture that is hard to explain...it really needs to be experienced!  We would love to have you join us for the Rest and Renewal adventure!   

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Previous retreat videos are below!