Ministry Personnel Retreat

Chinook Winds Region

A four-day retreat for United Church ministry personnel of deep rest, renewal, community, prayer, and self-care.

 

February 2 - 5, 2026

Sanctum Retreat Centre, Caroline AB

In-Person Only

Retreat Overview

  • Beginning 3pm, Monday, February 2

    Closing with lunch at 12pm, Thursday, February 5

  • Private accommodation, all meals and snacks provided

Registration Information

Though the fig tree does not blossom and no fruit is on the vines;
though the produce of the olive fails and the fields yield no food… yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will exult in the God of my salvation. (Habakkuk 3:17-18)

The prophet Habakkuk lived in a time of great turmoil and injustice. His short three-chapter book condemns both the corruption of his own people and the brutality of their enemies. Yet at the end of the book, as Habakkuk faces into famine and destruction, he sings of joy. 

What enables this kind of hope? Is this a delusion, a spiritual bypass, a vindictive taunt of Israel’s enemies? Or is Habakkuk actually filled with a radical hope that is not dependent on good outcomes? And if this is radical hope, how do we get some of that?

Our time together at Naramata will explore how we face into the storm of the world we live in; how we are connected (and why this is wonderful and awful at the same time); our work of giving attention; how we allow prayer to heal and equip us; and the sacramental practice of letting go.

You can expect to leave this retreat feeling refreshed. Better yet, you can expect to identify the practices that will work in your own life, to settle more deeply into your own call to ministry, to connect with others for mutual support, and to rest in a radical revision of hope.

Retreat Leadership

Rev. therese descamp - Retreat Facilitator

Therese has been walking personally and professionally into the places where words fail us for most of her life. She has spent 40 years designing and leading retreats, 38 years in 12-step recovery, and 33 years as an ordained minister.

Therese holds a BS in psychology from Portland State University, an MDiv from Pacific School of Religion, Berkeley, and a PhD in Biblical Studies with a concentration in cognitive linguistics from the Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley. She has taught graduate school courses in two inter-religious seminaries in spirituality, biblical studies, feminist studies and cognitive linguistics. She was ordained in the United Church of Christ, admitted to the United Church of Canada, and has worked with groups in these churches as well as the Anglican Church, the Episcopal Church, and the Presbyterian Church. Therese has co-taught retreats with a Zen Buddhist priest; co-ministered with a Jewish rabbi; and first learned meditation from a Sufi teacher.  

Therese’s current work includes an evolving form of community spiritual companionship outside the walls of church, but rooted deeply in church, community and Christ. She leads a monthly contemplative group and a prayer group, works as a spiritual director, and serves on the board of The Contemplative Society.

robyn froese -music leadership

Robyn is a professional musician, songwriter, teacher, artist, theologian and dreamer who creates and lives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. Her work reflects her passion for community, social justice, and the power of beauty to bring people together. Robyn holds a Bachelor of Worship Arts from TWU and is completing a Master of Theological Studies at Vancouver School of Theology. When not performing or running songwriting workshops, Robyn serves as a Worship Associate with Becoming Church, a United Church plant in New Westminster, while also supporting University Hill United congregation with administrative work.