What is a UA Retreat?
A United Adoration retreat is a dedicated time for people of all ages and skill levels to come together in your church (or other venue) to create, collaborate, and build community. As a host, you will work directly with a trained and certified United Adoration Retreat Leader to plan & run the retreat.
A UA Retreat can be focused on a single artistic discipline (e.g. Songwriting, Visual Arts, Dance, Poetry) or multiple disciplines. (e.g. Visual Arts & Creative Writing, Songwriting & Visual Arts)
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What is the schedule of a UA Retreat?
A typical UA Retreat begins on Friday evening and ends Saturday before dinner. The start and end times for each day vary depending on the schedule and availability of the host church or venue. If our typical retreat schedule is not possible or preferred at the host church or venue, we are happy to do our best to adjust to meet your unique needs. We have led retreats ranging anywhere from 1/2 day to 4 days long.
Each UA Retreat is centered around each participant engaging with the Holy Spirit during the creative process. There are longer periods of “Creative Time” during the retreat where artists have the time and space they need to create and collaborate with other participants.
In addition, we have dedicated times throughout the retreat for devotions and prayer. We always encourage a Pastor from the host church to lead a prayer, devotional, or blessing during the retreat.
Does a UA Retreat have a theme?
Yes! Each UA Retreat has a theme that is meaningful or timely to the host church. The theme serves as the devotional-center for the retreat and gives inspiration for the creative process.
Examples of retreat themes:
- Advent
- Hope
- Rescue
- Pentecost
- Healing
- Freedom
- Rest
Once the host and United Adoration Retreat Leader decide on a theme, we provide an Inspiration Packet for your retreat. An Inspiration packet is a collection of Scriptures, artwork, prayers, and hymn lyrics based on the chosen theme. Each participant receives an Inspiration Packet to use as a devotional & creative guide during the retreat.
How much does a UA Retreat cost?
Church budgets are tight. We get it. Many of our United Adoration leaders are Pastors or on staff at their home churches, so we understand that every dollar counts. Our desire is to make a UA Retreat as accessible as possible for your church.
The financial contributions of the host church and the retreat finances vary depending on your country. Every church context and budget are different. UA is committed to working with each church where they are at financially and contextually. Below are expectations that we are flexible with regarding each church’s unique situation.
USA Host Contributions
In order to host a UA Retreat, the host church commits to making the following contributions:
- Space for the UA Retreat – This could be the church building or another venue.
- Printing of the UA Retreat Materials – Every participant will need a schedule and Inspiration Packet (12 color pages for each packet).
- Food & Hospitality for the Participants – Typically this will include a couple of meals, drinks, and snacks. As the host, you are free to decide whether you want to cater or use your own hospitality teams.
- If we do not have a certified United Adoration Retreat Leader close to you, we request that the host church considers paying for their travel and lodging.
USA Retreat Finances
United Adoration handles the registration process for retreats and charges a modest registration fee when each participant registers. The finances from the registrations help us do the following things as a ministry:
- Take care of the creative & administrative aspects of the retreat, so you don’t have to!
- Give a stipend to the UA Retreat Leader leading your retreat.
- Minister to more artists, partner with more churches, host more retreats, and help build more creative communities around the world.
- Give more support to our UA Mission Initiatives, like Behind the Walls.
How do people find out about the UA Retreat?
The primary group of participants for a UA Retreat are the artists who attend the host church. It’s important that the UA Retreat is well advertised at the host church and congregant members are personally invited.
We also encourage the host church to invite other artists in the area. Some good ways to do this would be to invite partner churches or ministries to attend, share the UA Retreat on your social media channels, and advertise locally.
United Adoration also spreads the word about the retreat through our social media channels, email lists, and personal invitations of artists we know who live in the area.
You can download and use these promotional resources at your church and in your city:
Ready to schedule a retreat or ask more questions?
Fill out our Hosting Form by clicking the button below