Programs

Do you feel like you live in a void of spiritual or cultural identity? White Christian descendants often leave behind their family’s religious roots and reach for yoga, Buddhism, community organizing or rich cultural traditions like Día de los Muertos to fill this void, and to distance ourselves from the violence of our own lineage. […]

In the heart of winter, come nurture your spirit at a hearth of warmth and creativity. As we face an increasingly unpredictable winter season, we invite you to take some time apart to reflect, write, and sit within a supportive circle. We will keep a rhythm of solitude and gathering, with space to share with […]

Familiar and traditional liturgy in Christian worship can be a source of comfort. But liturgies left unexamined can do harm. In this retreat timed for a month before Lent begins, we'll explore various liturgical forms and ask - whose liturgy is this and what "work" is this liturgy doing?  This retreat will engage participants in […]

Participants are taken on a journey through scripture, art, and history to trace the steps of Mary Magdalene, of whom Jesus declares in Mark 14:9, Truly I tell you, wherever the Gospel is preached in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her. Embodied activities include acting out scriptures, […]

A year before his martyrdom, Martin Luther King, Jr. identified the giant triplets of racism, militarism, and extreme materialism, as demanding a revolution of values. William Stringfellow, in his discerning of signs and spirits, also identified them among the reigning powers of that era, as indeed our own. As an exercise in practical theology, this […]

The “good girl” image cons women into banishing their sexual power through the coercive judgement of shame. Shame causes us to compartmentalize our identities, dividing our humanity into two separate categories, never the two shall meet.  Our bodies can be a divine source of pleasure when we devote our energy, mind and spirit toward an […]

When you mean to radically change the system, including YOU! (BD101 WST - TO APPLY: Complete this form Form link: https://forms.gle/puBJz6Vs7rwMUXt39) The BD101 WST Series invites those who hold a deep commitment to liberation, wholeness, and the well-being of all. It is a response to a world crying out to remember. Some are called to […]

At this time on our planet, when many things seem to be on fire, literally and figuratively, we must be creative in responding to all that is burning, churning, crumbling, and being dismantled. Systems of oppression make us feel limited in our response to the magnitude of what we are up against. Yet, we have […]

A weekend retreat program for individuals who are 18+ years of age, identify as LGBTQ+, and Deaf/deaf/DeafBlind/Deaf+/hard-of-hearing. This retreat gathering is presented as an opportunity to bring together individuals who are Deaf and queer. Through group facilitations, community-building, and activities, the two co-facilitators will foster a space of healing, connection, and celebration of the intersectionality […]

With the rise of neo-fascist, far-right extremist, and populist movements across the globe, and particularly across the "liberal" West, now is a better time than ever to re-read Paul's letter to the Roman assemblies.  Following both the "Paul within Judaism" and "Paul among the Philosophers" schools of Paulinist thought, this retreat will challenge the protestant […]

Write to unravel confusion, to understand, to question, explore feelings, honesty, to heal and break silence. Art guides us to new experiences and engages the present moment to work within. Exploring yourself through your creations and connecting with your emotions. We invite women and nonbinary people to explore shared hurts and wounds in a safe […]

He is risen! Or he will be!  And, after guiding your congregation through Lent and Holy Week, it will be time for you to rest. Join us for this unstructured retreat, specifically for pastors, on the beautiful Kittatinny Ridge. We’ll provide you with three meals each day, starting with dinner on Monday, the 21st and […]

It is obvious as we face climate-chaos, empire-collapse, techno-conundrums of all kinds (drones as the new soldiers, pagers as bombs, “should we geo-engineer the sky, the ocean . . . ?”) that we need ancestral wisdom.  So yes, we turn to “elders”—especially among our humankind kin, and even our plant-sisters and animal-brothers. But what if […]

It is required that all participants be fully vaccinated. The long-term and often painful process of recovery from sexual abuse has profound effects on relationships. Partners and survivors experience a parallel process of understanding the nature of abuse, its effects on the survivor and the couple, and the requirements of healing. Lack of information and […]

You are warmly invited to join us for a weekend of 12-step recovery fellowship and conscious connection in a beautiful natural setting. Expect meetings, ritual, art-making, time in nature, a candlelight labyrinth walk, and more. The retreat is open to self-identified women and nonbinary people of all spiritual belief systems. We hope you’ll come!

A Collaboration between Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries (BCM) and Kirkridge Retreat and Study Center. Grace Boggs, Detroit organizer and now ancestor, would ask over and over again, “What time is it on the clock of the world?” We cannot deny that we are standing at an urgent and catastrophic moment. We are witnessing an assault on […]

Most people think about dating and relationships as just about finding the "right person". But then people are disappointed over and over again when that doesn't work out. Yes, finding compatibility is important, but ironically enough, the most important factor is our relationship to ourselves, our desires, our emotions, and our limits. This workshop will […]

“We are participants in a vast communion of being, and if we open ourselves to its guidance, we can learn anew how to live in this great and gracious community of truth.” – Parker J. Palmer from Let Your Life Speak  How are we creating friendships and community in a time of division and increasing […]

Get to the heart of your novel! Learn how to discover the guiding light of your project to focus and tighten your drafting and editing processes. We’ll also discuss the essentials of novel structure, and how to discern what to keep and cut in your novel. Bring a novel in progress—or seeds for a new […]

The leaders are asking that all participants be fully vaccinated. Double and limited single rooms are available. This weekend workshop is for non-offending adult male survivors of sexual child abuse, rape, physical violence, emotional abuse and/or neglect. Our goal is to offer a safe, encouraging environment of healing. The weekend will provide a variety of […]

The air in America is thick with anxiety and the weariness of national uncertainty. This retreat for Black women will review the resources and ways of being of Black women who, seeing the challenges before them, refused to silently acquiesce to the demands of their oppressors. We will delve into the third part of Alice […]

What was it like to come out in the 1970s and 80s? What is it like to come out now? What stories would you like to tell about coming into your full gender expression, whether as trans, butch, femme, androgynous, nonbinary, agender, or something equally glorious. Stories are how we connect, how we learn about […]

The fight for Palestine is a fight for all of our aliveness. We cannot afford to be numb. The ongoing colonization of Palestine and current genocide we are witnessing can feel unbearably devastating. And yet, we must keep feeling so that we can keep fighting. As Jews, our trauma has been weaponized as a moral […]

The Iona Community has been experimenting with the power of faith-based intentional community since1938. We do this through welcoming guests to share a ‘common life’ with us at our residential centres on the Scottish islands of Mull and Iona. And we do this, as a dispersed, global Membership community, through meeting monthly in one another’s […]

Join us at the Writing Table in person. Enjoy the beauty of Kirkridge in the autumn and ample structured and unstructured time to inspire a rhythm of writing and rest. We invite you to bring a writing project with you or dream up a new one at this retreat. The retreat includes short teaching sessions […]

More than four decades ago, Alice Walker coined the term “womanist” to name a space for Black feminists in a movement that centered white women’s striving to be equal to white men. In this retreat, men will let down together and learn from the voices and experiences of Black women to re-member the wholeness, mutuality, […]

“Everyone knows everything sings and dies. But could it be, too, everything dies and sings….” Galway Kinnell   Join singer/songwriter and wise woman, Barbara McAfee, in a soulful investigation of life and death, living and dying, song and silence, beauty and mystery. During our sacred time together, we will: share stories about what we’ve learned […]

If you feel a deep connection to Nature, have an interest in Celtic Spirituality, and a longing to be amongst the stunning autumn foliage at Kirkridge, this annual weekend retreat may indeed call you ‘home’ to the mountain. Throughout our weekend together we will explore some of the many surrounding lessons and gifts available to […]

How is direct action or civil disobedience altered when framed in prayerful worship? What dimensions of freedom are then embraced? When public witness tells the story of faith and marks a feast or season, what new depth of communication is opened? When nonviolence is practiced in sacramental forms, how is liturgy itself enhanced?  With examples […]

On these cold December nights, we will have a fire burning and hot chocolate on the stove. Bring your knitting needles, quilting squares, paint brushes, wrapping paper, or whittling knife and gather in the warmth and stillness of the season.  This retreat will have no facilitator or agenda. There will be delicious food, good company, […]