Off-Script Kids
November 3 – 5, 2023, Winter Park, FL
A reflective theological and practical retreat for Christian parents whose children are wandering from Christian faith or practice or both.
Notice!
We are currently sold out! While this is for us happy news, it may not be good for you.
We understand.
Please click here to be notified if there is a cancellation and to be considered for a future retreat.
(Note: On IOS the above buttons get you close to the desired info. Scroll a bit – you’ll find it. A fix is currently eluding our limited expertise.)
When parenting becomes improv . . .
Many Christian parents grieve that their children have chosen a life trajectory that differs from that envisioned by their parents. Though these parents had a mental script written for their kids, their kids have gone “off-script” and parenting has become no longer a comfortably scripted thing, but a terrifying bit of improv. Not only do such parents feel inadequate and confused, they experience shame. It’s a hard place to be.
. . . parents need perspective . . .
Parents need time and space to process a reality they never imagined inhabiting. Such time and space are hard to come by, and the subject of children who wander from the faith is rarely addressed, the pain of it rarely acknowledged. Parents struggle with thoughts of what they have done wrong or how God has let them down. They can feel very, very alone.
. . . and they need respite and community.
Such parents need time away to process their unexpected reality, and they need to know they are not alone. A retreat setting, at the beautiful San Pedro Retreat Center, provides an ideal setting for both.
“I appreciate your tone, your honesty, and your thoughtfulness.”
“It was a breath of fresh air to gain perspective and encouragement from Scripture.”
“It was encouraging to have others present who are experiencing some of the same struggles as we are.”
“This gives me such hope! It was so helpful to sit with people who struggle as we do. We aren’t alone! Normal, healthy, Christian people have kids who aren’t.”
The Presenters
To have off-script kids is to raise theological, practical, and emotional questions for Christian parents. To address these concerns, we have gathered presenters from backgrounds in the church and in mental health fields.
Natalie Decker, M.S., LMHC
Clinical Director, Rise Up Mental Health & Wellness Services LLC, Longwood, Florida
We Are Tuesday
A singer / songwriter duo from Nashville, Tennessee. (They are getting this gig only partly because they are Randy’s son and DIL! Their gifts are deep and their hearts marvelously intersect the themes of the retreat.)
Randall Greenwald
Pastor, Covenant Presbyterian Church, Oviedo, Florida / Author, Greatheart’s Table
Weekend Schedule
Friday Evening
6:00-6:15 / Welcome and Orientation
6:15-7:00 / Session 1 / Greenwald
A Prayer for Sleepless Parents
Assessing Our Reality
7:15-8:00 / Session 2a / Greenwald
God’s Covenant Promises
Resetting Our Hope
(What God has NOT promised)
8:15-9:00 / Session 2b / Greenwald
God’s Covenant Promises
Resetting Our Hope
(What God HAS promised)
Saturday Morning
8:00-8:30 / Breakfast
8:45-9:40 / Session 3 / Greenwald
Expectations, Mistakes, and Guilt
Reframing Our Culpability
9:55-10:50 / Session 4 / Decker
Disarming Our Shame
11:05-12:00 / Session 5 / Greenwald
The Improvisational Parent
Rethinking Our Responsibility
12:00-12:45 / Lunch
Saturday Afternoon & Evening
1:00-1:55 / Session 6 / Decker
Loving from a Place of Wisdom
2:00-6:30 / Free
For reflection and processing and resting.
Dinner on your own.
6:30-7:25 / Session 7 / TRI
Therapy for Struggling Parents
7:45-8:45 / Concert / We Are Tuesday
Sunday Morning
8:00-9:00 / Worship / We Are Tuesday
8:00-9:00 / Session 8 / Greenwald
An Invitation to Dance
Accepting that You Are Beloved
9:15-10:00 / Breakfast / Debriefing
11:00 / Checkout
Pricing & Registration
There are surprising benefits that come from community and space. Our interest in this retreat is to give participants both. The space comes from spreading the content over a period of time in order to let it marinate, in a place of rest and beauty. Community comes from sitting across the table from others facing similar issues and realizing that one is not alone. Hence, the retrat format for this presentation of Off-Script Kids.
We want to assure participants that this will be a safe space. You will gather with others who share a situation similar to your own. Your privacy will be respected and your circumstances understood.
We are trying to keep the payment options simple, receiving payment with check or via Venmo or Zelle. Details will be sent to those who register.
Full refunds are available through October 13, 2023.
Individual
- Two nights lodging in room with one double bed in beautiful central Florida.
- Breakfast and lunch on Saturday; Brunch on Sunday.
- Full access to the grounds and amenities of the San Pedro Spiritual Development Center.
- All content and Saturday night concert by We Are Tuesday.
Couple
- Two nights lodging in room with one double bed in beautiful central Florida.
- Breakfast and lunch on Saturday; Brunch on Sunday.
- Full access to the grounds and amenities of the San Pedro Spiritual Development Center.
- All content and Saturday night concert by We Are Tuesday.
Local
- For those who are local, this option is offered for individuals or couples lodging elsewhere.
- Breakfast and lunch on Saturday; Brunch on Sunday.
- Full access to the grounds and amenities of the San Pedro Spiritual Development Center.
- All content and Saturday night concert by We Are Tuesday.
Questions?
We would love to have you join us for this meaningful event. Should you have questions, fire away! We are happy that you are interested.