Embrace the Sabbath
Spiritual Formation retreats to rejuvenate and nourish your soul!
WEEK 1
Embrace the Sabbath
Spiritual Formation Practices
July Cancelled 2024
$995/person*
Food, Transportation & Lodging
Access to Spiritual Formation Resource Page (Prep Classes)
Spiritual Directors available during your stay
Visit Talkeetna
View Denali/Ruth Glacier Overlook
Hike Tangle Lakes Trail
Enjoy Solitude
* Does not include airfare
** Arrival day is the 15th / Depart for camp at 4pm
Departure day is the 22nd**
WEEK 2
Embrace the Sabbath
Spiritual Formation Practices
September 16-23, 2024
$995/person*
Food, Transportation & Lodging
Access to Spiritual Discipline Toolbox (Prep Classes)
Spiritual Directors available during your stay
Visit Talkeetna
View Denali/Ruth Glacier Overlook
Hike Tangle Lakes Trail
Enjoy Solitude
* Does not include airfare
** Arrival day is the 16th / Depart for camp at 4pm
Departure day is the 23rd**
For Information
Contact:
Diana Steer at dsteer.ak@gmail.com
Subject Line: 2024 Talkeetna
Custom
Customized Group Retreat
Spiritual Formation Practices
Year Round
$995/person*
Perfect option to bring your ministry staff, leadership team, friends and or families
We have availability throughout the year to work with you on a customized trip designed specifically to meet the needs of your group.
Special Rates and Excursions Available
* Does not include airfare
**3 day minimum
Personal
Personal Spiritual Retreat
Craft A Special Time to Renew
Year Round
$150/day*
Come “on your own” for a time of personal reflection, rest, restoration, and renewal. Your private retreat provides time in a supportive and contemplative environment for you to explore the workings of the Spirit.
Great for writers, reflection and personal mastery.
Special Rates and Excursions Available
* Does not include airfare
**3 day minimum
Renew with God
"Solitude and silence are not self-indulgent exercises for times when an overcrowded soul needs a little time to itself. Rather, they are concrete ways of opening to the presence of God beyond human effort and beyond the human constructs structs that cannot fully contain the Divine."
"Solitude eventually offers a quiet gift of grace, a gift that comes whenever we are able to face ourselves honestly: the gift of acceptance, of compassion, for who we are as we are. As we allow ourselves to be known in solitude, we discover that we are known by love. Beyond the pain of self-discovery there is a love that does not condemn us but calls us to itself. This love receives us as we are."
Retreat Overview
The Great Land Christian Church, through its privately owned camp, The Gateway to the Arctic, is excited to be offering spiritual formation retreats. These retreats are an opportunity to take time away from the noise and distraction of everyday life, to truly rest and listen for God. This is a TRUE RETREAT in the sense that we are making space to connect with God in new ways that nurture your personal spiritual development, rather than a retreat to plan out your ministry. This is self care in its purist form, believing that this will yield incredible fruit for you personally and your ministry. This is even more important post-pandemic and the sociopolitical environment of our world today. The retreats are focused on exploring, developing and nurturing the soul through contemplative spiritual practices such as:
- Silence, Solitude, Contemplative Prayer, Meditation and Meditative Activity (Nature Walks / Gardening), Journaling, Lectio Divina(Divine Scripture Reading) and Presencing the Spirit and Future.
Through your registration you are offered the services of dedicated and trained professionals, both therapists and church leaders, who are versed in church building and spiritual formation to guide you as spiritual directors (see our team) who will accompany you during these days of silence and contemplation. God longs for relationship with us–a loving, growing relationship. Prayer is relationship, and silence is simply making a space for us to listen to God. When a retreat is directed and silent, it means the that there is intentional time alone with God in prayer and silence, as we listen to what the Spirit brings forth.
Finally, we believe there is no better place than the Last Frontier, the vast and majestic wilderness of Alaska. Be amazed at what God has done and let HIM minister to your soul.
Application Process
We look forward to welcoming you to a retreat at Gateway to the Arctic Camp, a ministry of the Great Land Christian Church If you are considering attending our silent retreat As a part of your registration, you will have access to pre-retreat devotionals on self care, renewal, meditation and prayer through various mediums, including live and Zoom speakers from the ICOC family. The goal is to have a time before the retreat to offer teachings and thought provoking ideas and during the retreat you will practice the disciplines of your choice.
HOW IT WORKS:
1. Reserve your spot - There is great interest in this retreat along with a growing interest in practicing spiritual disciplines as a way of spiritual formation and renewal. Select which retreat dates work best for you. You are welcome to extend your stay, however it has been found that shortening your time is not effective, so we will not be able to offer shorter retreats at this time. In order to preserve the integrity of the experience, we will limit each trip to 10 participants plus spiritual directors.
2. Intake Meeting - We are describing the retreat as self-directed as we want to make available the space for you to do what you need to do with your time to truly rejuvenate. However, you are not alone! To help you prepare and craft your schedule to maximize your experience you will have the opportunity to meet with a spiritual director to help you decide what to focus on and bring into clarity the Spirit's calling in your life.
3. Preparation - After meeting with a spiritual director, we will make available to you resources to prepare you ahead of time, so that during your stay the time is filled with practice, rather than learning. It has been found that those who have become familiar with the spiritual disciplines have a better experience practicing them during the times of retreat. We will have online resources and zoom connection times to prepare you so that you know what to expect and have a baseline of information.
Once registered you have access to our online resource page:
4. Experience / Explore
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It is now time for your trip and your experience in silence and solitude to begin. You and your co-hort will have time to fellowship over meals, but the rest of the time is devoted to you being able to practice your chosen spiritual disciplines. Our prayer is that your experience will bring you new insights and strength in your spiritual journey.
5. Exit Interview
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The exit interview is time for you to debrief your experience and contemplate ways to integrate your experience into your everyday life. Exit counselors will provide insight to this process. This also provides you the opportunity to offer feedback on your trip and help us learn how to serve those who serve better.
Our Team
Dr. Jennifer Konzen
Therapist, San Diego
Dr. Timothy Sumerlin
Therapist, Denver
Joel Peed
Therapist /Spiritual Director
Robert Carrillo, MDiv.
Missionary, Church Leader
LA Church of Christ
Shelly Pope
Spiritual Director
Michael Pope
Spiritual Director
Dr. Tracy Jones
Therapist, Spiritual Director
Diana Steer
Spiritual Director
Gateway To The Arctic Retreat Center
Starting with 101 acres of Alaskan bush, Gateway to the Arctic was born through dedicated volunteers and friends of the Great Land Christian Church. In 2013, members spent that summer clearing trees with the vision of building a camp that could develop into a sacred space to meet the needs of many, both in Alaska and around the world. In just a few short months, more than eight acres of fields were cleared, and four cabins and a road were built. We now have 10 cabins, 3 houses, a gorgeous lodge, a barn and over 100 acres to explore with God by your side.
Our Mission: is to provide a community based spiritual environment to foster growth for youth and adults with all abilities through organic agriculture, environmental stewardship, spiritual development and outdoor education.
Our Purpose: is to build healthy families and strong communities as we experience beauty and preserve the sanctity of rural Alaska through thoughtful and sustainable programming.
Our Promise: Through a generous gift from the Mat-Su board we have pledged to serve the local economy through sustainable agricultural development. Additionally, we recognize that the Great Land Christian Church provides base support, generous resources and compassionate volunteers consistently to help our programs grow and thrive.
