There are many opportunities for men who want to go on retreats. Choosing to spend time either alone with God or with men from your church can be an uplifting experience. When you go on a mens retreat, you will find everything from fellowship activities to small group studies. Whatever your objectives may be, you can work with a local retreat center to come up with an itinerary.
Here are some questions you should ask when preparing for a mens retreat:
What is the purpose of the retreat?
WHY are you going in the first place?
What do you hope to accomplish?
What about the other men in the group?
How long should you stay?
Will you be able to create an itinerary that does not conflict with anyone’s work schedule?
Who do you plan to involve?
Is the retreat going to focus on inactive men in the church, in hopes of bringing them closer to God?
Will existing, active members of the church be going?
It’s possible to have an all inclusive group; just make sure that a local retreat center will be able to accommodate larger groups.
Activities
Most centers offer a variety of indoor and outdoor activities to suit any guest’s tastes. If there are going to be a lot of physically active men in the group, you might want to incorporate sports activities into the plans. You can also simply enjoy the great outdoors by going on hiking trips, fishing, swimming, etc.
For cold weather, you might want to consider a center that features a gymnasium, entertainment room, bowling, and other indoor games.
Meetings
A well-planned retreat should schedule time for men to learn about each other and to develop the bonds of fellowship. In an ideal, inviting atmosphere, men may find it easier to talk about issues that they might not ordinarily feel comfortable talking about in regular church service. Check with your local center to see if they have a conference room large enough for your group, and if it will be available on the days you are scheduling.
Other Considerations
Here are a few other tips to help you prepare for the retreat:
– Ideally, select a location that is not TOO close to home, yet still fairly local.
– The center should have a cabin or house setting and in-house kitchen facilities that the group can have access to.
– It should be clean, comfortable and reasonably priced. Check out pictures on a center’s website.
– The owners and staff should share the same principles as you and your church.
Now that you know what to look for, you can begin the planning process and select the right local retreat center.
