You are invited to our second One Day Retreat! Same heart. Same focus on rest, connection, and re-imagination. Same basic flow...all in a six-hour experience. Please join us on October 20th in NYC.
Can I walk you through the schedule and share why we’re so excited about this one?
8:30am — Coffee and Registration
The big red doors of St Peter’s Chelsea will be wide open at 8:30am, and the coffee will be flowing. This is a chance to check in, explore the beautiful sanctuary, and most importantly, begin meeting fellow pastors, priests, worship leaders, vestry members, spiritual directors, children’s pastors, elders, and spiritual guides. The communal experience of this retreat begins in these informal connections, so please come early.
9:00am — Morning worship, liturgy, embodied prayer, and contemplative practice
Every PP&G retreat begins in communal prayer and worship—slowly anchoring ourselves in the Unforced Rhythms of Grace. The liturgy brings Anglican sacramental imagination…together with Evangelical hospitality and full-heartedness…together with Ignatian spiritual practices…and a deep belief that God’s Spirit is really in and with us. And deeper than any particular style or tradition, the worship flows from the beatitude-soaked Way of Jesus. How is God putting us and the world back together through Christ, and how can we join that good work?
Along the way, Rev Lisha Epperson—a priest and trained dancer—will help us embody this invitation through movement, gestures, and embodied prayers. She is a wise and highly skilled guide...especially for those of us who can get stuck in our heads. (Have you seen Rev Lisha’s embodied liturgies HERE?)
10:00am — Drew Jackson teaching on The Good Samaritan, conversation, poetry, holy space, and practice
After a short break, poet and public theologian Drew Jackson will invite us into a fresh exploration of Jesus’ famous teaching about the Good Samaritan (Luke 10). Through poetry, preaching, silence, guided conversation, journaling, and other practices, we’ll invite the Spirit to lead us through this well-known but often sentimentalized text. Rather than rushing to clarity or answers, we’ll hold our honest questions in this safe space…
Who is our neighbor and what does it mean to help bind up their wounds? How can I bind wounds when I too am wounded? As Christ-followers and Church Leaders, how can we tangibly participate with God's healing work in ourselves, our neighbors, and even our enemies?
To get to know Drew, check out his three part conversation beginning HERE.
12:00pm — Lunch Together
At noon, you’ll have the opportunity to discern what you need: Further conversation with fellow journeyers, or an hour of solitude. Lunch will be portable, so it’ll be up to you! We will make space at St Peter’s available…and we’ll share a map to many walkable outdoor spaces in Chelsea. (We’re only one block from The Highline and three blocks from the Hudson River). Either in small groups or on your own, we highly recommend getting outside!
1:00pm — Embodied prayer, Shauna Niequist teaching on Holy Hospitality, and conversation
After lunch, Rev Lisha will invite us back into our bodies to begin metabolizing the morning. And then author Shauna Niequist will continue our reflection on the Good Samaritan by asking “How can we tangibly help bind the wounds of our neighbor? What does holy hospitality look like in our incredibly divided world?” In this highly practical hour, Shauna will help us roll up our sleeves and gain a few concrete tools for offering the gift of hospitality to our neighbors, church communities, and world. (We’re also sure to leave with a couple new dinner recipes and at least one new idea for happy hour!) Check out Shauna’s podcast episode called “Stop Scrolling and Start Gathering”…
2:00pm — Closing Eucharist and Sending Service
We’ll finish the day by gathering around The Table. Rev Lisha and the team will guide a rather robust, contemplative/active, ecumenical, eucharistic worship service that invites us to bring all we’ve experienced together with Christ. We’ll sing, engage the text through poetry, pray for the world, pass the peace, and humbly receive the body and blood of Christ. Regardless of your Christian tradition, sister or brother, you are welcome at this table.
3:00pm — Retreat Ends, Optional Add-ons, and Delight in the City!
While the retreat officially ends at 3pm, we are offering a couple optional add-on sessions from 3:30-5pm. MORE INFORMATION COMING SOON!
And then of course, the Queen of the Spiritual Practice of Delight (Shauna! ha) will help anyone make a plan for delight in the city. Parks, shows, restaurants, museums, karaoke, etc…Shauna and the team will help you plan a joy-filled, delight-soaked evening in city. Again, more information will be coming about this too.
Please let us know if you have any questions! Comment below or DM us at instagram/pastorspriestsandguides. We’d love to help you discern if this is the right retreat for you. (Spoiler alert: If you are feeling drawn, then it is right for you!) We’re happy to help in any way.
Many thanks to Rev Christine Lee and the entire St Peter’s Chelsea community for hosting us!
Grace and peace,
Aaron, Lori, Josh, and the PP&G Team
