Abound Retreats: Making Church in the Mountains
by the Rev. Linda Brown and Jesse Brown
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” Romans 15:13
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Office of the Bishop organized “Affinity Groups” to meet regularly via Zoom. Composed of both clergy and laypeople, these groups were organized around common interests and ministries in the church: for example, clergy of small, medium, and large congregations in addition to bishop’s wardens. senior wardens, and deacons. The intent of these regular gatherings is to help clergy and lay leaders — even during isolation — stay connected with one another and encourage each other in their respective ministries. As the Episcopal Church, we were all learning how to use technology to help us meet despite the boundaries of our isolation and barriers inherent in the plains, mountains, and plateaus of Colorado geography. With diligent effort, we are staying connected to make church and be church.
The Rev. Kim Seidman, prior executive director of Cathedral Ridge, had been pondering how to help groups emerge post-pandemically and come together in one location. When we assumed our interim roles as co-executive directors at Cathedral Ridge in early 2022, she had seven “Abound Retreats” on the schedule. These retreats were new offerings — envisioned as an opportunity for people in the Affinity Groups and with common ministries to gather in-person from across Colorado into the fresh air and wide-open spaces of Cathedral Ridge. The Abound Retreats drew people from diverse ministry groups: parish administrators, clergy and lay leaders from congregations of various sizes (small, medium, and large), child & youth leaders, and clergy spouses/partners. She asked the five diocesan regions if they would be willing to help fund these retreats, and they responded generously. In fact, Cathedral Ridge received sufficient grant funding so that we could offer these three-day, two-night Abound Retreats at minimal cost to attendees — a $25 registration fee.
We found that as people from all over Colorado came to Cathedral Ridge for these various retreats, they wanted to share what they had been through during this pandemic, including what they had missed and what they had longed for personally and for their church communities. We observed that the groups used their retreat time to settle into conversation, rest, prayer, and worship. They had a deep desire to engage in spiritual practices such as walking the labyrinth, hiking in nature, and dreaming with God and each other about the possibilities of the future for themselves, their ministries, and their congregations.
It seemed to us that each retreat offered unique opportunities for its attendees depending on their particular needs. The parish administrators and members of the Bishop’s staff exchanged ideas on what information the parishes needed, who to contact, and where information can be found, for example, on the Diocesan website. When we asked how their retreat went overall, one retreatant replied, “Content was very engaging — a mix of formational, spiritual, and practical sessions.” The clergy and lay leaders from small congregations held round-table discussions on issues unique to their communities, seeking to answer big questions, like, “What gives me hope?” They responded variously:
- prayer,
- trust that God is in this, and that it’s all in God’s hands,
- transparency, openness, love, forgiveness,
- the church itself, and
- stories of the saints — our spiritual ancestors.
Just getting to meet and connect with other clergy and lay leaders from around the state gave energy to members of the group. The child & youth leaders also used their time to welcome new ministry leaders (“speed friending”), get to know one another through group conversations, do an Emmaus walk to the High Altar, and spend time in worship. One attendee said, “This was my favorite retreat at Cathedral Ridge so far. I loved that this was led by my peers, as I felt they understood what we all needed and where we are in our jobs right now.” Another commented, “The stillness, tranquility, and groundedness of the place is what really struck me — a sense that the energy of God was just hanging in the air.”
As of this writing, we’ve held five Abound Retreats at Cathedral Ridge, averaging about 14 people per retreat (range: 8 to 26). Attendees have come from every region of the Diocese, from Sterling in northeast Colorado to Ouray and Durango in the southwest. People have told us how much they have enjoyed the solace of the mountains at Cathedral Ridge, having time to rest, meeting people from around the state with whom they’ve had one-on-one and group conversations, sharing their deepest concerns with one another, worshipping together, going deeper spiritually, and knowing that they are not alone in their various ministries and leadership roles. We have also heard the deep desire from attendees for these Abound Retreats to be offered again in 2023.
We believe that the people who have gathered in these groups have been guided and blessed by the Holy Spirit. They have expressed a deep desire to discover what it means to be spiritual as well as what it takes to make church in this challenging post-COVID era. It was a gift for us to see folks who arrived with heavy hearts to slowly release what was weighing them down and to breathe in deeply the hope and love of God among their peers in the midst of Cathedral Ridge.
We have scheduled one more Abound Retreat for 2022 at Cathedral Ridge: the retreat for Clergy Spouses will take place November 11–13. The 2022 Music Leaders’ Abound Retreat has been rescheduled for February 6–8, 2023.
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THE REV. LINDA BROWN AND JESSE BROWN are Interim Co-Executive Directors at Cathedral Ridge.