2025 Gathering of Silence

Hello, fellow ministry leaders! 

There is this wonderful little nugget in Psalm 66 that praises God by saying, "You have brought us out to a spacious place." 

Serving as ministry leaders can sometimes feel like serving in a vise. We are squeezed for our time, energy, and focus. Even amid blissful seasons, fatigue finds a way. All of this may feel like your current situation. Conversely, none of this may resonate with you. 

Regardless of the season you are experiencing, I invite ministry leaders such as pastors, church staff members, denominational leaders, chaplains, and non-profit ministry leaders to onboard some self-care and join several of your colleagues and ministry partners as we experience the Gathering of Silence. This retreat is held at Crossroads Camp and Conference Center in the breathtaking surroundings of Lowesville, VA. This year's event is September 29th through October 2nd. 

Like last year, I am working to have sponsors assist me in providing participant costs. Last year, we had enough to cover over 50% of attendee fees! I hope to at least replicate that, or possibly improve upon it if possible. Remember, we need 15 registrants to secure food services, and I'll address that below.

Are you ready to enjoy some time with God in a "spacious place" for a few days? Registration is extremely simple - email me! dave@peptalkministries.com

The information I need is simple:

• Your intention to join us at noon on Monday and depart after lunch on Thursday (you can adjust this as needed, but that is the retreat's duration). 

• Your contact information, including email and cell number.

• Any special accommodation needs? (We all have private rooms)

• Any specific food allergies?

That's it! I will take care of getting information to Crossroads, and we will be ready to go.  

NOW, let's make this even better. You spend time with other ministry colleagues. Please forward this blog post to them as a special invitation to have them join us as well. Not only will this help us meet our minimum-attendance goal, but it will also be a great way to show your ministry leader friends what a wonderful retreat this is. As we all know, self-care for clergy is CRITICAL. This is an inexpensive, lightly guided, wonderful opportunity to spend quantity and quality time with God in beautiful surroundings.

As always, each participant will be invited to a free one-on-one coaching session with me during the event. We will have guided meditation booklets to help you maximize God's spacious place, and our usual optional "talking time" from 7-9 pm in Lower Ukrops each evening. 

Don't hesitate. Email me today at dave@peptalkministries.com to secure your spot, and forward this blog post to at least two of your clergy friends who you know could use a retreat like this. 

God bless each of you, my friends. I can't wait to see you on the mountain!