Roberta Egli Jantzi’s words hit home at the 2022 Women’s Retreat. Sometimes we all just need a Sabbath; even the courageous need a rest! The last five years have been a whole lot of crazy both for Drift Creek and within our family. We faced the 4-month road closure, I had cancer, Covid shut things down for more than a year, a wind storm blew down countless trees on the road and sparked a forest fire only miles away….it all added up to a lot of deferred maintenance projects, many of which were tackled this past fall between outdoor schools, recruiting volunteers, training new staff, and rental groups. Needless to say, we are all a little exhausted. DCC is also trying to figure out how to move forward since Glen Oesch retired from the Food Service Director role. We haven’t really had a long stretch of anything “normal” for several years, but things are starting to be shaped into what the new normal might look like. Prior to Covid, a new law passed that guarantees Outdoor School for every student in Oregon. This is great news for Drift Creek! We’ve been hoping for years to increase the weekday usage, and now it is happening….but it has come in more of a flood than a quiet stream, so we’re still adjusting and trying to figure out how to handle the addition of multiple weeklong groups which also require food service. The spring of 2023 filled up FAST. It’s hard to know how our small staff will be able to cover all the demands, even without a Women’s Retreat….but we’re inching along and trying to recruit help when/where we can. That said, we will be taking a bit of a program sabbatical this spring and will NOT be planning a Women’s Retreat for April of 2023. We have already started to pull together ideas to resume the retreat in the spring of 2024, but for this year, our plate is already running over. We are so sorry to disappoint anyone and we hate to break the momentum of this growing and well-attended retreat….but as they say, “the body keeps the score” and physically, mentally, emotionally, we just cannot add one more thing. We hope that you will join us again in 2024!
Featured Speaker for 2024: To be determined
College Students and daughters (21 and younger) are just $60.
Printable Registration Form
If you happened to complete an online registration form, please kindly send an email to info@driftcreek.org so we can confirm our numbers. Many thanks!!!
Rev. Roberta Jantzi Egli grew up on a Mennonite grass seed farm in the Willamette Valley of Oregon. She pursued her (first) career of nursing after returning to Oregon upon graduating from Eastern Mennonite University. Eventually, she could not ignore a nudge of the Holy One to pursue theological studies and graduated from Pacific School of Religion with a M Div. She is ordained in The United Methodist Church and has served as pastor at several churches in Oregon. Currently she is the Executive Director of Messy Church USA which is affiliated with an ecumenical all age worship experience that started in the UK and now is a global movement. She is married to Lynn Egli and has two adult sons. In her spare time, she loves to walk the bike paths along the Willamette, read and sing.
Worship, fellowship & activities:
Come away for a weekend retreat focused on the “Rhythm of Rest”. We will explore the renewing aspects of creating and observing Sabbath moments in the rhythm of our busy daily lives. We will gather each morning for singing, prayer & reflection in group sessions. Then plan your own time…. Breathe in fresh sea air; walk among ancient giants with a friend or forest bathe in solitude. Practice yoga or get creative in the craft room. Cultivate community with old friends & new while enjoying delicious meals and some pampering. The book discussion will be Sabbath Keeping: Finding Freedom in the Rhythms of Rest by Lynne M. Baab. Jesus called his disciples to “come away and rest” during their active ministry on earth. Can you hear Jesus calling you to ‘come away and rest’?
