RETREAT LEADERSHIP
Kerra has either planned or led retreats for women, for a clergy reunion, for a small church visioning process, and for topics in prayer and spiritual direction. She can help you design and plan an event that works for your group.
Previous/Upcoming Retreats include, but are not limited to:
Basking in the Light of God’s Love – A prayer retreat (Wytheville Baptist Church, April 2024)
Turning to scripture, light is a powerful metaphor we find shining in creation stories – both in Genesis and in John’s Gospel. Genesis says – “In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light,” and God saw that the light was good.” John tells us that what came into being through Christ was life, and the life was the light of all people. That light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. This retreat on prayer will find us contemplating prayer as the light in our lives. Whether it’s the candle in the darkness or the blinding light of holiness, prayer is a light guiding our way. If you are a Bon Jovi fan (or were a teen in the 1980’s), you’ll recognize these segments of our retreat as song titles, but they are also a way to help us remember how we bask in the light of God’s love.
- “I’ll Be There for You” – The candle in the darkness. How do we pray when we feel lost and alone?
- “Livin’ on a Prayer” – Daylight and Starlight. How do we pray with the rhythms of daily life?
- “Blaze of Glory” – The burning bush. The whirlwind. The scales falling from our eyes. How do we talk about those moments of awe that are life changing experiences of God?
- “It’s My Life” – Putting prayer into action – JBJ Soul Kitchen as an example.
With Wild Beasts and Angels: Braving the Wilderness (Duncan Memorial United Methodist Women, November 2023)
Brene Brown writes, “Belonging so fully to yourself that you’re willing to stand alone is a wilderness – an untamed, unpredictable place of solitude and searching. It is a place as dangerous as it is breathtaking, a place as sought after as it is feared.” According to Mark’s gospel, when Jesus fled to the wilderness and faced temptation he was accompanied by the wild beasts and waited on by angels. What does it mean for us to be navigating our own wilderness experiences? On this quest that feels so alone, how do we brave the wilderness – together – and find belonging?
Shared Text, Shared Faith: Lies, Loss, and Lament (For Pastors)
A project of Pastor Kerra English and Rabbi Patrick Beaulier, Shared Text, Shared Faith where Christian pastors and lay learners can improve their understanding of the Hebrew Bible and Judaism as it relates to Christian teaching, preaching and living.
For Lies, Loss and Lament, our retreat will help pastors
- Learn the Jewish understanding of the “suffering prophets” Jeremiah and Lamentations
- Incorporate new hermeneutics and homiletics techniques, just in time for the lectionary preaching cycle for August through October
- Develop a spiritual toolkit for understanding suffering as a teacher and leader
Ash Grove Women’s Retreat (Annually through Ashland Presbyterian Church, 2013-2022)
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT KERRA’S RETREATS
“Ash Grove women’s retreat is an event I return to year after year. The themes are always timely and powerful with activities and responses that beautifully enhance the chosen theme. I go with an intention to be transformed, and I am never disappointed.”
Christy White – on Ash Grove Women’s Retreat
“My retreat experience led by Kerra created needed space for God’s voice to be heard in my life. That voice came in the silence of the garden, the wind of the labyrinth, holy worship, sacred scripture, communal meals, and collegial conversations. This should be a monthly ritual for ministers.”
Jay McNeal – on retreat for leaders of small congregations
“While Richmond Hill is a Christian retreat center, Pastor Kerra helped me to feel at home with an ecumenical group. Loved the retreat and will go again.”
Rabbi Patrick Beaulier – on retreat for leaders of small congregations