Wild Church Network - Wild Church Retreat 2024

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Hosted by Wild Church Network and Wild Church BC and made possible in part by a grant from

The Living Spirit Fund and the James Robertson Memorial Trust Fund at the United Church of Canada Foundation

and Mennonite Church Eastern Canada Mission Initiatives

Yay! We are so excited to finally be offering a space and a time to gather in-person to share, dream, co-create and co-learn, imagine, hope, make offerings to hold grief and joy and celebrate our 7th year as a Network! This is a time for Sacred Conversations with one another, with the more-than-human kin, and with our soul. Here's a peek into some of the details! More to come!

What do we mean by Sacred Conversation?

Poet David Whyte refers to the "conversational nature of reality," and Victoria Loorz, one of the co-founders of the Wild Church Network and founder of the Center for Wild Spirituality, refers to the word Logos in the Christian context as not a finite 'word,' as we've been taught, but as conversation, the relationship between all things. You can read more about this in her book, Church of the Wild: How Nature Invites Us into the Sacred. A Sacred Conversation is like tapping into something that is already alive in the world, opening our awareness to the existence of the divine within all beings and things, and bringing our presence to this. It is a process that moves within and around at all times.

For this retreat, It means opening in this way to one another, to the natural and created ecosystems and energy of Five Oaks, with reverence and presence, knowing the divine mystery exists within all.

"In the beginning was the Conversation

and the Conversation was with God

and the Conversation was God. In the

beginning the Conversation already existed."

(a rewording of 1 John 1)

What the Retreat Offers

* Conversation with Ideas: Workshops on a variety of topics offered by Wild Church leaders. A few ideas in the mix - The Book of Creation and Scripture, the Arts & Wild Church, Reconciliation and Appropriation, Celtic Spirituality, Shamanism and Wild Church, Restorative Justice with the Earth.

* Conversation with Groups: A different expression of a Wild Church gathering will be offered daily

* Conversation through rituals, prayer, song

* Conversation with one another as relationships open

* Conversation with silence and the more-than-human others at Five Oaks

About the Retreat Centre

Five Oaks Retreat Centre, Paris, ON, is an interfaith/intercultural spiritual center sitting on 116 acres of original territory of the Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe people. It sits on the confluence of two waterways, a sacred place for indigenous traditions.

Forests and fields, river access, numerous walking trails, a labyrinth, and fire pits offer space for wanderings and gathering together. Accommodations are simple, ranging from camping sites to private rooms and everything in-between.

Nourishing meals and snacks are included in the cost and vegetarian options are available.

Costs and Details

Costs are variable according to your own budget and needs. The following costs include the program fee, food and housing and are in Canadian dollars, so participants from the U.S. will wind up paying even less.

Camping - $377

Shared Room - $572

Private Room - $644

Commuter - $347

Closest Airports:

+ Toronto Pearson International Airport (largest airport, probably lowest cost)

+ London International Airport

+ John C. Munro Hamilton International Airport (closest)

More info coming about transportation logistics!

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