Hello Girlfriends!
I am happy to announce our 2022 fall retreat at the St. Bernard Abbey Retreat and Conference Center in Cullman. So many of us have gone through difficult times over the past few years. Sometimes the “cares of this world” can choke out our faith focus. Faith friends are so important, and these retreats have made it possible to renew friendships as well as make new friends.
For many years now we have enjoyed this great retreat center, which has a beautiful conference room where we have our general sessions, and the bedrooms are adjacent to the meeting area. The bedrooms accommodate two people (twin beds) and each has a private bathroom.
The dates are October 7-9, 2022. Registration begins Friday afternoon, October 7 at 3:00 p.m. Snacks will be available, but you will be on your own for dinner that evening. A Cracker Barrel and other restaurants are nearby. This evening is free for getting checked in and relaxing. If you will be arriving after 10 p.m., please let us know ahead of time if possible. My cell phone is (205) 540-1515.
Our theme for the weekend will be Salvation Joy! There are so many wonderful passages of Scripture that speak about this special joy that we can have, even when we are going through tough times. Our happiness fluctuates so often, depending on our physical circumstances. But salvation joy can be a constant. The apostle Paul wrote so much about this kind of joy in the book of Philippians, at a time when he was a prisoner. The word “joy” in its various forms occurs repeatedly in this epistle.
Speakers this year include Gerrie Bayley, Becki Brown, Barbara Dahlgren, Ruth Miller, and Sondra Peters. Ann Hartmann will be our guest singer again this year! You can go to Ann’s website (annhartmann.com) to learn more about Ann’s music and ministry. Mary Jo Leaver will be presenting her Music to the Eyes, which includes music, sign language and lyrical dance – beautiful and inspiring!
Dress is casual for the entire weekend. Bring comfy shoes, as you might enjoy a bit of walking. We have a long-standing tradition of great fun playing games on Friday and Saturday evenings, so bring your “play clothes” or pajamas for this! Bring your favorite board games, and label them, please! The retreat center supplies our bed linens, towels and washcloths. You might want to bring your own water bottles, if you enjoy having bottled water. We do have access to a kitchen and a refrigerator, so we are able to enjoy snacks throughout the weekend. The meals that will be provided are Saturday breakfast, lunch and dinner and Sunday breakfast (total of four meals). This year we are planning to have all of our meals at the retreat center again. Being able to eat “in house” is very convenient, and everyone seemed to enjoy the leisurely meal times.
We plan to conclude the retreat by noon on Sunday so that those who need to get on the road will have the full afternoon for travel. For those who want to stick around and visit a bit, we can have prolonged “goodbyes” in the retreat center.
We hope you will help spread the word to others who might enjoy the weekend. If you have questions or need more information, contact me at 205-663-7979 (home), 205-540-1515 (cell), or email ruth.miller@gci.org.
Please fill out the registration form, include payment, and return it to me by August 30. Late registrations will be accepted if space is still available. I’m looking forward to sharing this weekend with you in October!
With love,
Ruth Miller
