Prior to 2020, we had a belief that one of the distinctives for retreat ministry at New Life Ranch was that we offered a place group leaders and their guests could get away from the routine of everyday life. In that break from the routine of everyday life there would be margin to listen, reflect, and grow in a relationship with their Creator in this camp “set apart for the glory of God.”

When March of 2020 ushered in Covid and we began to see empty grounds and facilities, we had no idea that the next year and a half would create a new, and very isolated, routine of everyday life. Through that time we experienced complete shutdown of no groups on site, a slow fall/winter season with a much reduced capacity into early 2021, and a spring filled with hopeful optimism and a desire by many group leaders to reconnect with their faith communities by getting away from the isolation that accompanied many of the decisions by organizations during the pandemic. The idea of getting away from the new normal of everyday life was even more appealing than prior to the pandemic when it meant just getting away from the busyness of life, schedules, and technology.

As we have seen this fall, many of our larger churches and organizations that we hadn’t been able to serve through retreats during the pandemic have been moving towards meeting once again in on site events at both of our locations. For the mental, emotional, and spiritual health of their guests they have found ways to take appropriate precautions and allow individuals and families to make decisions on whether or not they desire to engage in these opportunities to reconnect in person. As a staff that is committed to partnering with churches and Christian organizations to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ and equip believers for ministry, it has brought us great joy to see empty spaces filled again, for the silence to be replaced with singing, laughing, and the sounds of community, and for leaders to be making kingdom impact through programming they provide for their guests.

If you are part of a church or ministry, we would encourage you to have leaders in your ministry that are in charge of ministry areas to reach out to us as a location for your next adult, youth, or family event! Steve Markovich, our Reservation Coordinator would be happy to schedule a tour for either our Flint Valley or Frontier Cove location and help answer any questions regarding hosting your next retreat at New Life Ranch! We’d be more than happy to provide you with a break from the routine of everyday life to grow in your relationship with Christ!