Join us for a week of spiritual renewal at the Oregon Coast!

Here is your chance to spend a week at an ocean view retreat center, with the express purpose of simply listening to God. It's a true retreat - an extended time of conversation with Christ under the tutelage of a spiritual guide.

Who should attend?

• A full-time parent who needs a break
• A young adult seeking life's direction
• A pastor in need of renewal and sabbatical
• A mid-life adult desiring to refocus with God
• An individual emerging from crisis
• A college or seminary student seeking spiritual formation
• A sporadic (or non-existent) church attender pursuing truth
• A retiree who wants to finish life well
• Anyone wanting to walk with Christ in a more meaningful way.

Accommodations are in a cluster of oceanfront beach cabins in Rockaway Beach, Oregon, collectively known as Harbor Villa Retreat Center. These facilities can accommodate up to 12 people. All rooms are private (or shared with your spouse).

This event is for the month of January only. In order to make your stay at Harbor Villa meaningful, retreats last a full week (3pm Sunday through 10am Saturday).

Dates for 2010:

January 3-9 - For young adults ages 18-30 - Joseph & Stephanie Thouvenel, Spiritual Guides

January 10-16 - Traditional Spiritual Retreat Format - Jo Helsabeck & Craig Davis, Spiritual Directors

January 17-23 - Utilizing the writings of Evelyn Underhill, an author and Christian retreat leader of the early 20th century - Gary & Susan Fawver, Spiritual Guides

 

A Sample Day…
No two participants are identical, and every day is different, but here’s a sample of what a day at the Center for Personal Growth in Christ might look like for you:

• 7:30am - Gather with the 12 members of our Center’s community for pre-breakfast prayers read responsively from the Psalms and Isaiah.
• 8:15am - For breakfast, enjoy a scone and a bowl of oatmeal topped with dried cranberries and walnuts. Stay afterwards for a turn at KP, washing dishes.
• 9:30am - Sitting in an overstuffed chair in a room overlooking the ocean, hear and practice some spiritual disciplines that can help in bringing about spiritual growth.
• 10:15am - Begin some extended time alone with the Lord. Take a walk on the beach collecting sea shells and talking with God. Return to your room for some Bible reading and journaling.
• 12:30pm - Grab some lunch and continue time with God. Walk to a local coffee shop and read a few chapters from a spiritual classic like A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God. Journal about the book. Return to your room and take a nap. Or pick up some water colors and
  paint the scenery. Or compose a song on your guitar. Relax. Build a fire in the fireplace. Take another stroll on the beach and thank the Lord for his care and compassion.
• 4:30pm - Meet one-on-one with our spiritual guide (these sessions are entirely optional). Share about your faith journey and dialogue together about ways to enhance your own spiritual growth.
• 5:30pm - Gather with the group for a short volunteer work project such as picking up litter on the beach.
• 6:00pm - Enjoy leisurely fellowship together around the dinner table. Listen to stories of how God is moving in the lives of others.
• 7:30pm - Meet for a time of worship, singing and sharing. If you so choose, tell the group some of the ways you’ve seen God at work in your life this week.
• 8:45pm - Grab a cookie (or apple) from the kitchen and retire to your room to read some more from your book. Listen to an Oregon Coast winter rainstorm beating on your bedroom window as you drift off to sleep.

 

About Our Spiritual Guides...

Week 1 (January 3-9) - For Young Adults (ages 18-30) - Joseph and Stephanie Thouvenel, Spiritual Guides
Joseph and Stephanie Thouvenel are year-round employees at Twin Rocks Friends Camp, overseeing youth camps and young adult
leadership development programs. Joseph is a recent graduate of George Fox Evangelical Seminary (2009) where he discovered a passion for church history and spiritual formation. Stephanie works alongside Joseph, mentoring and encouraging young adults to grow and be stretched in their faith. They both enjoy living on the Coast, writing, traveling, exploring coffee shops and watching Jane Austen movies.

Week 2 (January 10-16) - Traditional Spiritual Retreat Format - Craig Davis and Jo Helsabeck, Spiritual Directors

Jo Helsabeck serves Pastor of Outreach Ministries and Pastor of Women’s Ministries at Newberg Friends Church. In addition, she holds a certificate in Spiritual Direction from George Fox Evangelical Seminary and acts as spiritual director for several individuals. Jo and her husband Hank have been married for 44 years and they have two daughters and two grandsons. Craig Davis oversees student ministries as Associate Pastor at Rose Drive Friends Church, a large southern California congregation. Craig is gifted in retreat leadership and has led numerous
spiritual formation retreats. Craig and his wife Debbie are parents of three.

Week 3 (January 17-23)- Utilizing the writings of Evelyn Underhill, an author and Christian retreat leader of the early 20th century. Gary and Susan Fawver, Spiritual Guides

Gary holds a Doctorate of Ministry from Western Seminary. He was the founding director of Camp Tilikum in Newberg, Oregon and has provided consultation to camps in fifteen countries. Gary retired in 2003 from George Fox University where he was Professor of Outdoor Ministries. Susan graduated from Wheaton College and has travelled and worked alongside Gary at many camps and ministries. Susan served many years on the staff of Barclay Press, a Christian Publishing Company. Gary and Susan have been married for 49 years and have three children. They enjoy opportunities to spend time with family, travel, and be outdoors.

 

Testimonials…

What a wonderful week of renewal! I go home with a lighter heart!
– Sherie Smith, St. Helens, Oregon

I cannot recall another time in life that I have been able to set aside so many days in a row for prayer, listening, reading, and reflection. It was a wonderful time of growth and renewal. The leadership, camp support staff, accommodations, location, the community we experienced with others, and the obvious presence of God, all fit together to make this a very meaningful retreat.
– Cliff Loesch, Wichita, Kansas

The Center for Personal Growth in Christ offers a well-balanced retreat format that draws on the strengths of community, silence, sound biblical teaching, prayer, and God’s majestic creation of the Pacific Northwest. The entire experience is guided by caring, seasoned leaders who allow
ample space for the Holy Spirit to work…. I highly recommend it!
– Jeff Retter, Newberg, Oregon

It’s an experience that is a blessing and something to remember for a lifetime. When I came I was tired, discouraged, and confused. But as the week went on, the Lord gave me rest, hope, and a clear mind through all the people and activities that happened. I leave with great joy!
– Tracey Pruitt, Kelso, Washington

The week was a chance to relax and replenish my soul in preparation for the year ahead —a chance to reflect on the mighty God who created the ocean and who desires to love me so deeply. A wonderful time!
– Michelle Geasland, Tahlequah, Oklahoma

The Center for Personal Growth in Christ, over the past three years, has been an anchor in my spiritual journey — keeping me established in the midst of turbulent currents of life.
– Ron Mulkey, Madras, Oregon

This retreat is a gift from God and to God. It is a time to receive great blessings and unload burdens. It’s been a time to simply adore our maker.
– Paul Almquist, Newberg, Oregon

I came to the retreat with a desire to read, rest, and reflect.  I was able to do so, which meant I could leave here renewed.

– Michael Grogan, Cape Coral, Florida

It was a week "by still waters" for my soul, filled with rich and deep blessings of communing, not only with our living Lord, but also with others in His body also hungering after Him.

– Barbara Baker, Istanbul, Turkey

This week is the best gift you will ever give yourself. The setting at the Oregon coast is magnificent and perfectly suited for a time of personal reflection and drawing close to our Lord.
– Barbara Palmer, Newberg, Oregon

I came tired and depleted from the rigors and joys of ministry. Immediately when I stepped on the grounds I felt God’s hand descend and begin to wash away my depletedness. I come away refreshed, renewed, and remolded. Something significant, yet subtle, took place, and my encounter with the living God will continue to infuse my soul.
– John Stone, Corvallis, Oregon

My experience at Harbor Villa was so great.  I got to spend so much time alone with the Lord, as well as really enjoy and learn from time in community, and all this under the guidance of wonderful spiritual guides.

– Andrew Boone, Austin, Texas

 

Questions?

For more specific information, please download a Center for Personal Growth in Christ brochure.

If you have additional questions, please call or e-mail Ken Beebe, Twin Rocks' Executive Director: 503-355-2284 / ken@twinrocks.org

 

Cost Per Person
$450/week - Private Room with Shared Bath; or

$550/week - Private Room with Private Bath

(Add $25/person for registrations postmarked after December 10, 2009)

Price includes all lodging, meals and program expenses. Some scholarships are available: Please don’t let a lack of funds deter you from coming.  For scholarship details, please contact us at 503.355.2284.