By: Laura Shields, Co-Director of Women’s Ministries Hume Christian Camps
It’s hard to believe that Women’s Retreats for 2024 have come to a close, marking twelve years of creating Hume Women’s Retreats with Megan Fate Marshman. We have the honor of serving hundreds of women by providing biblical teaching and worship, and most importantly, creating space for women to slow down and meditate on their faith. In the throws of busyness, it’s easy to continue to move without stopping to think about why we are doing what we do. At Women’s Retreats, we do have lots of activities planned over a weekend, but our main goal is to meditate on God’s Word to understand better who He is and then to understand who we are in light of Him. Our identity in Christ has everything to do with our actions and attitude in our everyday life.
So, how do we create a Women’s Retreat to be able to slow women down? Intentionality. In our creative processes over the years, we have developed every aspect of programming to build intentionality. This starts with our host team meeting, which flows into our meeting with the speakers and band, and then to our guests. We seek to be intentional with our conversations, prayers, attitudes, and program layout to invite both guests and staff to quench their thirst spiritually and be renewed by Jesus Christ, as only He can do.
This last year we invited women to not only make a decision of repentance of sin and follow Jesus, but we also asked women, “Who is going to make a decision to change something spiritually in their life?” The response was overwhelming. First-time followers of Jesus and women who have been walking with the Lord for decades almost in unison were dedicating themselves to making a change to glorify God rather than themselves. This past year, for us, really was a testament to remembering that God does the changing, and we are in a constant state of change as a Christ follower. This is how God intends our walk to be with Him. He intends for us to see His glory through the teaching of this Word and thirst for more of Him as He changes our desires and conforms us to the image of His Son, Jesus.
I am excited about what this year’s Women’s Retreats will hold. God is always working for those He loves, and when we take time out of our busyness to meditate on His Word and our faith, good things will happen.
Are you interested in experiencing a Hume Women’s Retreat in 2025 or another type of retreat to grow in your faith? Don’t miss out—we have something for everyone! Click the button below for details…