Group Retreats
Play, Pray, Plan and Relax
One of the best investments you can make into your leadership team, church staff, small group or house church is to disengage from your normal routines and get away for concentrated time to play, pray, plan and bond as a family. Over the last 3+ years we’ve received many groups ranging from 6-20 (and sometimes larger if you’re flexible, young, and okay with sleeping mats!).
While here leaders have gifted their teams with massage & healing prayer, time with spiritual directors, and have brought in Dave Nixon to lead their groups in discussions on a variety of topics. It always thrills us to see these groups dial down, linger around the table, laugh together, and engage in substantial conversations. For those wanting to avoid high-priced, impersonal and institutional retreat spots, The Convent is a wonderful alternative.
Meals
We’ll serve all meals to your group, and we’ll discuss with you in advance what times you’d like those served. We’ll also provide coffee and tea. Our menus will include healthy options, avoiding junk foods, processed foods and foods high in fat. We include lots of fresh fruit and vegetables (organic when we can get it), whole grains, and organic meat. We also cater to vegetarians/vegans and will ask in advance if you have folks attending who want this option.
We should confess that we’re coffee snobs. (Yes, it’s true.) We get freshly roasted La Terza coffee weekly, grind it in a professional burr grinder, and brew it at 205 degrees using filtered water. It’s available early in the morning and through the day. For those who prefer tea, we have a nice selection of regular and herbal ones.
Reservations
Go to this link to learn about making a group reservation, then email Jody with the information requested. It’s best to do this at least a couple of months in advance if possible, but even if you’re wanting something sooner go ahead and contact her, as there may well be availability. We’re typically closed Sunday noon until Tuesday noon. It’s possible we’d make an exception for a ministry staff, so if Sunday-Monday is your only availability do ask and we’ll see what we can do.
Cost
Cost is determined by how many are in the group and what the arrangements are. If it’s a smaller group, and everyone has a private room, we ask for $60 per person, $75 for a married couple. If non-married people will be sharing, or if people will be sleeping on floors, we can negotiate a donation per person. We typically ask for $500 to rent the whole house for a night for up to 15 people, and over 15 we ask for $35 per person per night. We also ask for $10 per person per meal. (This covers the cost of the meal but also the larger prep & cleanup with each meal and hiring some help for serving and cleaning.)
So here are the steps:
• talk details with Jody to settle on:
– group size
– individual / group needs (e.g., diet)
– date
– whether you you want a guided discussion / teaching led by Dave
• send in a non-refundable deposit (1/2 the total cost); this guarantees in your date
• give Jody the final count ten days before you arrive
– this lets us know how many to expect and helps us prepare
– this is how the balance in payment is determined
• pay the balance one week before arrival via debit / credit card, EFT or check