Goal: Remind each adult that God knows them personally.
Step by step
- Give each person an index card and ask them to write their first name on one side.
- Read Isaiah 43:1 slowly twice. On the back, each writes: 'God says to me by name: ...' and finishes it in their own words in 3 minutes.
- In pairs, partners read the sentences to each other if they wish.
- Close by praying a short blessing over the group by name, if the group is small enough.
Key verse: Isaiah 43:1 — do not fear, I have redeemed you, I have called you by name, you are mine
Variation: For 80 or more people, give a table list of names and have each table pray for its members.
Goal: Practice listening to Scripture in four slow readings.
Step by step
- Read Luke 24:13-35 aloud once slowly while everyone listens with eyes closed.
- Read it a second time and ask people to notice one word or phrase. Pause 1 minute of silence.
- Read a third time and let them write a sentence about what the passage says to them today.
- Share in pairs for 5 minutes. Pass is always allowed.
Key verse: Luke 24:32 — were not our hearts burning within us while he spoke to us on the road
Variation: With teens, shorten the passage to verses 28 to 32.
Goal: Offer a time of rest and solitude with Jesus.
Step by step
- Read Mark 6:31 and tell the group they have 30 minutes alone, without phones, on the grounds or in a quiet room.
- Hand out a card with three questions: What am I tired of? What do I need to hear from God? What will I do after this retreat?
- Let people write answers or simply sit in silence. Have a leader nearby for anyone who needs prayer.
- Gather again and ring a small bell when it is time to return. No one is asked to share.
Key verse: Mark 6:31 — come away by yourselves to a quiet place and rest a while
Variation: For people with limited mobility, offer seats in a quiet side room.
Goal: Picture surrender through a hands-on object.
Step by step
- Give each person a piece of modeling clay the size of a plum and read Jeremiah 18:1-6.
- Ask them to shape the clay during 5 minutes of quiet music into something, then reshape it into something new.
- Ask: where do I feel pressed or reshaped right now? Write one sentence on a card.
- Pair up and pray for each other for 3 minutes without sharing details.
Key verse: Jeremiah 18:6 — like clay in the potter's hand, so are you in my hand
Variation: Use air-dry clay for people who want to keep the shape as a reminder.
Goal: Reflect on the Samaritan woman who left her jar and told others about Jesus.
Step by step
- Place a large clay or glass jar at the front. Read John 4:28-29 aloud.
- Give each person a slip of paper and ask: 'What am I leaving at the well today so I can go and tell others about Jesus?' Allow 5 minutes of writing.
- Anyone who wishes may put the slip in the jar, while quiet music plays.
- Leave the jar visible until the retreat ends, then pray over it.
Key verse: John 4:28-29 — the woman left her water jar, went into town and said, come see a man
Variation: Instead of a jar, use a basket.
Goal: Receive God's forgiveness through a quiet time of prayer.
Step by step
- Read 1 John 1:9 and Psalm 103:12 aloud. Explain that this is a time between each person and God, with no confession spoken to the group.
- Give everyone a sheet and ask them to write what they want God to forgive or to help them forgive, then fold it.
- After 10 minutes, invite each person to tear the sheet in pieces and drop them in a wastebasket.
- Close with a simple prayer: 'Thank you, Lord, for forgiving us and for freeing us to forgive others.'
Key verse: 1 John 1:9 — if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
Variation: Offer to pray privately with any person afterward.
Goal: Dive into a Gospel story by retelling it in a group.
Step by step
- Assign each group of 5 a short scene: the calling of Matthew (Matthew 9:9-13), the woman at the well (John 4:1-30), Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10) or Jesus calming the storm (Mark 4:35-41).
- Give them 10 minutes to read the passage and ask: who do I identify with, and what does Jesus do?
- Each group retells the scene in 2 minutes with a short reading or a still frame.
- Close by reading Hebrews 12:2 aloud.
Key verse: Hebrews 12:2 — fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith
Variation: With a quieter crowd, replace the reenactment with a one-paragraph summary.
Goal: Plan a rhythm of the whole day from morning to evening.
Step by step
- Hand out a schedule with 5 slots: morning prayer, Scripture reading, silence, a walk and an evening review.
- Read Luke 10:38-42 and ask: 'Where do I need to sit at the Lord's feet?'
- Give people 15 minutes to plan their own day with God for tomorrow, with specific times.
- Pair up and share one thing from the plan in 2 minutes each.
Key verse: Luke 10:42 — only one thing is necessary, and Mary has chosen the good portion
Variation: Send the plan home by mail 2 weeks later.
Goal: Write down what you want to bring to God before a longer prayer time.
Step by step
- Give out a sheet and ask each person to write to God for 10 minutes: what they are hungry for.
- Read John 6:35 aloud and explain that Jesus feeds the hungry soul.
- Fold the letter and place it in a Bible as a bookmark for the next prayer time.
- Pray for 5 minutes in silence with soft music.
Key verse: John 6:35 — I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will not go hungry
Variation: Add a snack table after prayer so the symbol of bread becomes real.
Goal: Close the retreat with the image of light passed from one to another.
Step by step
- Use battery-powered tea lights. Give one to the pastor, who turns it on and says: 'Jesus is the light of the world.'
- Pass the light along the circle by turning on the next person's tea light with a touch of the switch. Each person says one phrase: 'Go in his light'.
- When every tea light is on, read Matthew 28:19-20 aloud together.
- Close with a prayer of blessing and a song.
Key verse: Matthew 28:19-20 — go and make disciples of all nations, and I am with you always
Variation: In daylight, hand out small glow bracelets or colored cards instead.
