Encountering God: APR Autumn Retreat

Join our autumn retreat at Shallowford House, Staffs. from 31st October till 2nd November 2023, led by APR President, Rt Revd John Stroyan.

The retreat will cost £250 per person, which will include all your meals; all rooms have en suite facilities. Booking Forms are available to download here, or we can post you one – just ring us on (01395) 272243.

Entitling the retreat, ‘God who comes to meet us – Encountering God’, Bishop John writes, ‘The Church is not about the church. The Church is about God and the world for which Christ died. In this retreat we will be reflecting on God’s desire that we should know him, not simply know about him. Drawing on the Scriptures and the wisdom that the Church of the East can bring, and also on the arts in their various dimensions, we will explore  how we might deepen our relationship with God and the world which God so loves.’

We are delighted to welcome new Friends of APR to the fold. These generous donors of our work choose to double (or more) their annual subscription in order to support our Bursary Fund. Every year, we receive dozens of applications for financial assistance for people who cannot otherwise afford the full cost of going on retreat. Since 2013, we have supported more than 150 retreatants to attend retreats at 30 different retreat houses, at a cost of more than £15,000. With the current cost-of-living crisis, we anticipate many more applications for help in the coming months and years.

Would you like to help? Would you like to become a Friend of APR?

If so, please do follow this link, to our membership application page, and choose the ‘Friend’ option. If you are an existing APR member, and would like to upgrade your membership, please contact the APR Administrator directly, by email on promoting.retreats@gmail.com, or by phone on (01395) 272243.

‘Oasis Days’ offer quiet reflection for people who need a day to re-charge their spiritual batteries and enjoy the stimulation of an excellent speaker.

Currently offered online via Zoom, the next one will be led by Cameron Butland, and is entitled, ‘Living with silence: being a contemplative in daily life’. It will be held on Tuesday 13th June, 10.45am – 3.00pm. Please email APR member, Jane Franklin on janefranklinretreats@gmail.com for the Zoom link.

Do you want to go on retreat, but are anxious about what might be expected of you?

Many people are nervous about going on retreat for the first time – but there’s really no need! All retreat houses welcome ‘first-timers’ through their doors, for all their retreats, but some also offer retreats specifically for people who haven’t been on one before.

Many of the individually guided retreats or ‘Longing for God’ at the House of Prayer, East Molesey, are suitable for beginners – including their retreats from 30 May – 1 June, or 14-16 (or 21) July.

Have you considered an online retreat? All the input (sometimes including spiritual direction) can be accessed online, but you can spend the silent times in the comfort and familiarity of your own home?

Donna Worthington from Christian Retreats also has a full programme of online Quiet Mornings/Afternoons, including on 15th May and 4th June.

Or take a look at Petite Retreats‘ events – Revd Vanessa Cole runs both online and in-person retreats on the Hampshire/Wiltshire border.

As the APR’s way of saying ‘thank you’ to NHS Staff and care-workers for their tireless care throughout the pandemic, we made a number of additional bursaries available for them to go on retreat at any of the APR Retreat Houses across the UK. Thanks to some generous donations, we were able to run the scheme for 2 full years.

In total, we spent almost £20,000 supporting 240 NHS- and care-workers’ retreats, at UK retreat houses from Cornwall to Inverness, Pembrokeshire to Norfolk. You can read a fuller review of how much this scheme was appreciated here.

Our centenary Bursary Fund continues to support retreats for people who might not otherwise be able to afford them. If you would like to contribute to this, and help even more people take a much-needed retreat this year, please follow this link.

‘Make Space for Encounter’ – Individually Guided Retreats at Letton Hall in Norfolk from 13-16 March 2023, and also 18-21 September 2023.

Take time out of your busy schedule to draw near to God, to think, to reflect, pray and grow, noticing and finding God in all things. 1:1 sessions with a Spiritual Director are available (booking in advance required).

The retreat will cost £240 – £265, all meals included. Booking forms are also available from the Revd Deborah Hamilton-Grey, (Email: rev@guidedretreats.org.uk, or telephone: 07896 658373) www.guidedretreats.org.uk

Private self-catered IGR’s are also available to book at any time  – contact Revd Deborah Hamilton-Grey directly to arrange your own!

These are just a selection of the online retreats offered by Donna Worthington. For bookings and further information, please visit www.christianretreats.live, or contact Donna directly: drworthington@live.co.uk

DESERT FATHERS: Mon 17th October (10am-1pm)

WATER INTO WINE: Sat 22 October (2-5pm) or Mon 24 October (10am-1pm)

RESTING IN GOD, HELD BY GOD: Sat 12 November (2-5pm) or Mon 14 November (10am-1pm)

WISDOM FROM THE DESERT: Sun 14th December (2-5pm)

Soul Desire is a timely publication, written for those who are new to contemplation. Author and Spirituality Adviser, Cameron Butland, writes, ‘If we are to value silence and meditation, we need to trust in the contemplative relationship and allow ourselves to experience the love of God. This experience will teach us everything we need to know. God’s love taught St Anthony of Egypt and in the same way this love alone can transform our lives’.

To order your copy, cost £12 (free p&p), please email booksosp@gmail.com, or contact Cameron Butland directly at cdsa03@gmail.com.

Published in March 2020, this beautifully-produced guide offers some practical ideas to help Retreat Houses of all denominations reach out to a wider audience. These include ideas on how to best utilise online and social media promotion, as well as how to promote the value of retreat through more traditional local, regional and national channels.

Spreading the Word is available to download for free here as a pdf file, and comes with our blessings for your ongoing ministries. However, if you would like a hard copy, you can purchase one online (using Paypal) through this link, or by emailing the APR Administrator on promoting.retreats@gmail.com.