Embark on our two-year transformative journey encompassing six distinct retreats. Please note, these retreats are integral parts of the program and are not available for individual booking.
This is the first week of the two-year cohort experience. We take the time to gather everyone who's come from their different places and establish a safe space. In this week we provide a foundational overview of caring for the soul and introducing sacred practices.
Every retreat week has the same rhythm. We begin each day with Fixed-Hour prayer and Lectio Divina, and spend the remainder of the morning receiving input on our theme. After lunch there is ample time until dinner to practice Silence and Solitude followed by time in the Listening Groups and ending each day with Vespers. From the first retreat to the last one, this rhythm establishes a pattern of engagement and disengagement, a healthy way to live.
In our fast-paced, often noisy world, by deliberately choosing silence, we create space to hear, and listen to the voice of God that often goes unheard amidst the clamor. Solitude, in turn, allows us to be present with our thoughts and feelings, free from external distractions. During every retreat, students afternoons are for practicing this sacred rhythm of life, offering a path to ponder what was taught in the morning session and their own reflections.
Reflection papers are a vital component of our retreat experience at the Soul Care Institute. As part of our retreat, each student is paired with a reading companion who reads their reflection papers. By sharing their written reflections, students not only see their own insights, they also benefit from their reading companions insights too. These papers serve as both curriculum milestones and personal beacon, showing the student where they've been and illuminating the path ahead of them on the journey as well.
Included in the curated collection of stimulating reads we've chosen for our students, here are some to nurture your spirit and deepen your understanding of soul care. Our desire is not that everyone agrees with what they are reading, but that they reflect on and learn from each one.
Kaylene and Jimm Derksen met in a college choir and married 35 years ago. Both grew up in Mennonite homes near the Great Lakes. They were called into ministry from an early age, serving as youth pastors and worship leaders, church planters and in ministry administration. They have traveled extensively and lived in Europe where they raised their daughter, Helena. They have experienced and been enriched by the variety of cultures, languages, and people they’ve worked with. The Derksens live in a 200 year old farm house in a neighborhood where they love to take long walks, watch birds, and welcome guests around their table. They especially enjoy dinner most Sunday evenings with Helena and her husband, James.
Now accepting applications for Cohorts 14, 15, and 16.
Stay up to date and get Soul Care resources with our Monthly Reader email.