PLANNING AND CONDUCTING RETREATs

A GUIDE TO PLANNING AND CONDUCTING A RETREAT

(This guide is adapted from a booklet “A Guide to Planning and Conducting a Retreat”, written by Frank Hart (Pogo) Smith.  published by the Church Recreation Department of the Southern Baptist Convention, Broadman Press. This book is no longer in print. Used with permission. Many of the articles, that have been added, have been collected over a period of 50 years of ministry and the original source is unknown.  Any infringement on copy rights is due to the lack of knowledge of the original source and has been adapted to meet the need of a program that was being planned for use in the ministry of a local church.  We have tried to reference any known source from which the idea or information was collected and adapted for use.  We apologize for any infringement on the rights of any author or publisher and never intended to plagiarize anyone’s work)

Contents

Chapter                               

                        Preview                       

        1              Retreats and the Church: Running Away from And Toward    

        2              Retreats and the Church: Retreats for Specific Groups

                                     Church Staff

                                     Deacons

                                     Family

                                     Marriage Enrichment

                                     Church Program Organizations

                                     Senior Adults

                                     Median Adults

                                     Young Adults

                                     College Students

                                     youth

                                     Children

                                     Exceptional Persons

        3              Retreats and the Church: Methods and Activities

                                     Small-Group Method

                                     Small-Group Activities

                                     Large-Group Activities

                                     Walks

        4              Retreats and the Church: Logistics 

                                     Planning and Promotion

                                     When to Go and Where

                                     Transportation

                                     Food

                                     Music

                                     Rainy Days

                        Resources 

Preview

Come on, enjoy!  Enjoy the thrill of retreat, the enrichment of retreat, the growth and the fun of retreat. In the pages ahead, we have tried to put together material that will assist you in having the very best retreat possible.

There is a chapter introducing what a retreat is, what a church retreat is, and why have a church retreat.  The chapter explores the relationships of retreats within the church, climaxing with a look at the task of the retreat director.

The largest chapter in the book details many retreats for special groups within the church and for different age groups. Read them all. Many can be adapted for other groups. 

There is the chapter on methods and activities. These can be applied to whatever retreat you plan. The small-group method is detailed (the large-group method is used so often, everyone knows how to work that way!). Then there are scores of activities-small group and large group. A special section talks about the use of walks on retreats.

After discussing the why and who to plan retreats for we will discuss how to plan a retreat and give specific outlines and schedules.

Specifics that will help you with Retreats:

·         You can find out how to plan

·         How to promote

·         How to find a site

·         How to pick a date

·         How to arrange for transportation

·         How to feed the crew

·         How to arrange for music

·         How to survive on rainy days

·         Where to find more help!

Enjoy because we've been able to get together a top team of writers who know retreats and who know their areas of specialization. Because of what they've done here, you can rest assured that your next retreat can be a tremendous success. 

Here they are, and we love 'em!

(At the time Pogo wrote this article these writers served in the following positions.  Many have gone on to be with the Lord but their influence will live on forever.  I cannot tell you the joy that I have experienced from knowing and working with many of these leaders.  Pogo was The Youth Minister at Seventh and James Baptist Church in Waco, Texas, when I first met him and He later became the social recreation consultant with the Church Recreation Department of the Sunday School Board of the Southern Baptist Convention...  He was a great friend and a tremendous witness for the Lord Jesus Christ.)

Nilon Elliott is Glorieta representative in the Sunday School Board's conference center program and promotion section. Also at the Board are Sunday School's Mancil Ezell, Tom McMinn, and Forrest Moorehead. Church Training's representative is Larry Yarborough, and from the Church Administration Department are Brooks Faulkner and Charles Treadway.  Right from the ranks of Church Recreation are Bob Sessoms, Don Mattingly, and Jim Stanton. Joanne and Dick Lisk are from England, Arkansas, where she is active in music circles and he is pastor of First Baptist Church.  Doug Self serves as co-pastor of a Baptist church in Carbondale, Colorado.  Clyde Schiele is minister of music, education, and youth at Boulevard Baptist Church in Memphis, Tennessee. Virgil and Lynn Nelson live in California and are active in retreat ministry in American Baptist churches.  Winifred Tabb Smith is a teacher at Antioch High School in Nashville, Tennessee, and the inspiration of the writer and compiler of this volume. All that power plus little old me, Pogo. We've enjoyed the preparation. Hope you enjoy the retreat. Keep the Son in your eyes,

Pogo,

Frank Hart Smith