MissionaryCare:Home:RETREATS

Dave & Kim Butts <Dave2000AD@XC.org> of Harvest Prayer Ministries state that over 50% of the people in the U.S. ordained as pastors stay long-term in full-time ministry. In addition, over 50% of missionaries do not return to the field for their second term. Dave says that "burn-out" is a significant factor and that we need to provide our pastors and missionaries with retreats to help them deal with the stress. There is a need for below-market-cost retreat facilities for the refreshment of those in vocational ministry. Dave and Kim Butts are also doing their part by developing a prayer/spiritual retreat center in Terre Haute, IN. There are other similar places, including Downing House in Denver and several prayer retreat places designed for day-trips in Colorado front-range area. There are even Christian hospitality networks in place, such as that offered by the Christian Brotherhood Newsletter, where lists are provided of families willing to have guests in their home (this particular network is only for subscribers to the CBN medical cost-sharing newsletter). There are also individuals all over the world who offer their vacation cabins free for the use of pastors and missionaries.

I (Nate) believe in the importance of taking spiritual retreats; God created us with the need for sabbath rests and holidays. Once a month, I take half a day out of the office to to pray and make specific plans for the month with my wife. Then we take a week or weekend retreat with the family three or four times a year. One or two of these are spent with extended family and the rest are just our immediate family. We purposefully make them spiritual retreats, where we do special devotional times every morning and evening, and plan all our activities around a Bible theme. We are trying to approximately follow the model found in the Old Testament holidays, where the Jews would save up one of their tithes toward a religious celebration that included feasting, worship, and fellowship. So we save up for these family retreats and blow it out with good food and worship times and doing fun things together. I find it to be a tremendous "pressure-release-valve" for me in the midst of the stresses of my ministry as a vocational mission mobilizer.

QUESTION: Would it be helpful to begin compiling a directory of retreat places for the benefit of subscribers and the other pastors and missionaries we serve? Send me information, and I'll try to compile a list to store along with the archives, directory and index for our conference.--NateWilson@XC.org

MAKAHIKI HOSPITALITY MINISTRY
Makihiki ministries is a rest and hospitality ministry serving Christians of every denomination and occupation. The name comes from a special celebration in old Hawaii which included a ban on warfare and an extended time of rest. Makihiki offers a network of hospitality homes for workers seeking spiritual and physical renewal. These homes are privately owned by Christians wishing to practice the gift of hospitality. Suggested (tax-deductible) donations for a hospitality home: $40 for a weekend and $80 for a week--subsidies are available. Homes are available in 7 countries (including 21 U.S. States). Contact: Lana Luczy, Hospitality Homes Int'l, PO Box 415, Mariposa, CA 95338 or phone/fax 209-966-2988 <Makahiki@Yosemite.net>

MAKAHIKI HAS HOUSES IN THE FOLLOWING LOCATIONS AS OF 1997

 

From: Bob Stevens <bsuscwmse@aol.com>
PastorCare Network in Raleigh, NC is a National Clergy Support Network. Their number is 919-787-7025. If you know of retreat centers, doctors or dentist who can provide free care, lawyers that can provide legal services, counselors that could care for pastors or missionaries please contact Rev. Bert Moore...

From: "Dr. Kelly O'Donnell" <102172.170@CompuServe.COM>
..You might want to contact Missionary Training Internatinal about the R and R project, as they are having a special gathering this September for missionary care workers and I believe will be doing something on organizing resources/listings of resources in member care. They are in Colorado Springs.

From: <KJHurst@aol.com>
Christian Camping International in Colorado Springs (719.260.9400) publishes a list of retreat centers.

 

VACATION/COUNSELING/ RETREAT CENTERS
From: Focus on the Family, forwarded by Kevin Guttman <74562.3305@Compuserve.com>

 

From: NateWilson@XC.org

 

OMF HOSPITALITY LIST
From: Julie Lynn Ashley <JLAshley@cproject.com>

Dan Holmberg from our Central Region passed along your message about retreat "get-away" places for missionaries. I have a drawer full of them that I've compiled & separated into state files...I would be more than happy to talk with anyone you'd like to refer to me. After all the work on setting this up, it's nice to know that someone is interested in using it! ...Here are the states that I have a file on: California (lots), Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, S.Carolina, Tenessee, Virginia,Washington. [There are 40 listings here, about half of which are with Christian colleges or Mission Agencies.-NW]

 

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