What a beautiful night of joy and celebration as people filled the hallways and rooms to enjoy The Retreat House!
The fall weather could not have been better. The 70 degree temps made for a comfortable evening as people mixed and mingled to the sound of bluegrass tunes and savored delicious food from The Kitchen Table. After months of renovations and time spent preparing, choosing decor, and arranging the spaces, it was a gift to witness people’s excitement and hear the encouraging feedback.
The road leading up to this event was full of challenges and the grace we needed to persevere. The house and property have quirkiness that had to be repaired and layouts that needed to be reimagined. There were construction hurdles, unexpected frustrations like storm debris, and expected frustrations like navigating MLGW. But there were also abundant provisions like new donors we had never met before this project, friends and family helping us mow, demo, and dig, and supporters bringing food and prayer during long days. In reflection, it’s easy to see how God at work, in the midst of all of these things, anchored us as the clock ticked down to October 26th.
As the night arrived, we wanted the event to express the hospitality we hope to offer. We believe, deeply, in the need for a physical space that offers care for mind, heart, body, and soul. The soul was made to rest and find strength in God and to love others out of the overflow of experiencing His love and healing. We hope our guests experienced the heart of this vision and felt invited to participate in it and come alongside.
We believe God is not only calling our team, but is inviting many Christ followers in Memphis to give toward and experience this mission of rest, healing, and spiritual rhythms. We long for that type of care to be accessible to people all across our city. For this reason, we had multiple opportunities throughout the event for people to give. The silent auction was a huge hit as well as QR codes that allowed people to support specific financial needs that we have.
As Henri Nouwen says,
“Fund-raising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission. Fund-raising is precisely the opposite of begging. When we seek to raise funds we are not saying,
‘Please, could you help us out because lately it’s been hard.’ Rather, we are declaring, ‘We have a vision that is amazing and exciting. We are inviting you to invest yourself through the resources that God has given you— your energy, your prayers, and your money—in this work to which God has called us.’”
We are incredibly grateful to each person who came and shared this night with us. We want to continue to offer ways for you to give and receive at The Retreat House. This event was both a conclusion to the second leg of the race, the phase of preparation, as well as a starting whistle for the next leg, the work that is to come. We want you to be a part of this village in multiple ways: consider giving of your talents and resources, come participate in a silent retreat or spiritual direction session, and share this place with those you love who need retreat, which is everyone!
What you can expect from here:
November 29th: Half Day Silent Retreat is full! But you may request to be put on the waitlist or register for the Advent retreat by emailed hello@theretreathousememphis.com.
December 3rd: Advent Retreat (A retreat to give you space to pause and collect yourself before entering this special, but often hectic, season.) Spaces open
December 12th: 8-12 Morning Open Hours (More to come on this!)
December 19th: 4-8 Evening Open Hours
Email hello@theretreathousememphis.com to schedule a session for counseling, coaching, or spiritual direction or to book The Cabin for your overnight retreat.
Also, we do not want to forget those that dove in to make this event and evening possible. We are so grateful to each of you.
Zanone Builders
Apex Flooring
Christie Cut Stone
Talking Walls by Polly Lovely
Michael Christie
Adam Stluka
Rob Bradsher
Jay and Dede Lee
Brad and Alicia Glover
Jim and Ann Wilson
Polly Ann Corpuz
Lauren Winchell
The Kitchen Table
Grind City Brewery
Athens Distributing Company
Dan and Blakely Fletcher
Sara Sells
Holly Edmondson
Jordan Lee
Cherisse Hixson
Cassandra Matthews
Lisa Veteto
Margarett Hinrichs
Hal Stansbury
Mary Katherine Piacentini
Gabriella Pereyra
Evelyn Bradsher
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