Purpose of the Retreats:
- To Recharge Our Faith: our walk with Christ and how it impacts the world, our relationships, and our physical and financial health as we face our 7th and 8th decades of life.
- To Refresh Our Family: our key relationships with our spouses (and for our widows and widowers who join us – learning from them and loving them as they journey through mourning and grief).
- To Reach Our Friends: our love for our classmates inspires us to share the gospel with them before our 50th reunion in 2024.
Inspiration
Watch Blaine Hyten’s recent “Celebration of Life Ceremony: https://client.tribucast.com/tcid/3500396. Blaine’s ceremony is what inspired the idea of the retreats and this challenge written by Charlie Lewellyn.
When & Where
Held from 13 – 16 May, 2021 at White Sulphur Springs, Pennsylvania (see details of the retreat below)
2 – 6 September, 2021 at Spring Canyon Ranch, Buena Vista, Colorado NOTE: This event has been cancelled.
Both of these sites are at Officer’s Christian Fellowship Retreat and Conference Centers
Who is invited: The 140 classmates, spouses, and widows of USMA 1974 POTC who receive the Daily Prayer Email.
Below is a schedule of events that occurred over the May retreat.
13 to 16 May, 2021
OCF Retreat Center – White Sulphur Springs, PA
Attendees of the WSS Retreat
Cost: $283 (while sharing a room with another classmate) or $515/couple.
Registration and Payment
Payment will be made in full upon arrival at the retreat.
If you have previously responded to Colen Willis, please also register at the link below.
Please register for the retreat no later then April 30th on the White Sulphur Springs website at THIS LINK. Regrettably, we can only handle 80 people. The retreat at Spring Canyon, Colorado in September 2 – 5 will be open for registration in the near future.
Travel: The White Sulphur Springs retreat center, located near Bedford, PA is about 2 hours southeast from Pittsburgh and nearby I-76, the PA turnpike. By car, it takes about 6 hours to drive from the NY-NJ-PA-MD-Wash-DC area and from the west it takes 3 hours from the Pittsburgh airport if flying. We recommend driving in your personal car for reasons that would relate to COVID-19 protocol. Stay alert to the current situation at the OCF retreat center by visiting their web site at https://www.whitesulphursprings.org/
Schedule: This schedule is subject to minor changes. Speaker information will be provided as it becomes available.
If you are arriving early, the first meal is not until dinner – so, make arrangements ahead of travel day if you plan to arrive before, or during the middle of the day.
Thursday, May 13
12:00 – 5:00 Arrival & Register
5:30 – 6:30 Dinner
7:00 – 9:00 Session 1 (See Note 1 below) Read more details about each of the Sessions in the General Overview area below.
15 Mins Worship (music – singing – accompanied by instrument(s)) (See Note 2 below)
10 Mins Retreat Welcome, Admin, Overview of Retreat Topics
5 Mins Prayer Ministry History & Objectives
20 Mins 3 or 4 Classmates Share Testimonials (TBD) (See Note 3 below)
70 Mins Recharge Faith: “Christianity Basics We All Share” – an overview of our Christian faith and how it can inform us to live skillfully in this next decade. (Dale Fletcher)
Friday, May 14
7:00 – 7:45 Worship & Prayer. (Men and women gather together)
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:15 – 11:45 Session 2
Worship
Refresh Family: “Building Unity with Our Spouses” What it looks like living life together in harmony while enjoying our differences. (Chris and Anne Hogan)
11:45 –12:45 Lunch
1:00 – 5:00 Open. Shooting Range Available. Opportunity to talk with speakers.
2:00 – 3:30 An Optional Two-Part 90 Minute Session: “Lamenting and Grieving Well in the Midst of Loss”
Part 1: Lamenting is a vital practice that we, the people of God, use to navigate pain, sorrow and suffering. Its practice aids the Christ follower in suffering well; Additionally one hopes that God will act on behalf of the mourner. Dr. Ted Davis will share the blessing that occurs in the midst of expressing godly sorrow. (Ted Davis)
Part 2: We are grateful to have several of our widows and widowers join us and share with us their personal journey following the promotion of their best friend. (Steve Wells)
5:30 – 6:30 Dinner
7:00 – 9:00 Session 3
Worship
Recharge Faith: “Living the Christian Life with Heavenly Purpose” – How can we live the next decade of our lives with Christian unity? (Chris and Anne Hogan)
Saturday, May 15
7:00 – 7:45 Worship & Prayer (Men and women gather separately)
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:15 – 11:45 Session 4
Worship
Recharge Faith: “Caring for the Temple” – Caring for our bodies in our 70s and 80s, aging well, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, managing our diseases. (Jesse and Kiersten Parsons)
Recharge Faith: “Managing Our Treasure & Finances Well” – How we can effectively steward the wealth we have during retirement. (Mathew Freeman)
11:45 – 12:45 Lunch
1:00 – 5:00 Open. Opportunity to talk with speakers.
Optional Session A – Ask the PT. Question & Answer session for general outpatient rehab and therapy queries.( Jesse Parsons, PT.)
Optional Session B – Planning for Retirement Living. Understanding the life plan community model & other senior living options. (Kiersten Parsons, Senior Living Services Professional.)
1:00 – 2:00 Ice Cream Social
2:30 – 4:30 Horseback Riding Available
5:30 – 6:30 Dinner
7:00 – 9:00 Session 5
Worship
Reach Friends: “Reaching Our Lost Classmates” – We will share a strategy to love on and share the gospel with our 630 other classmates. (Dale Fletcher & Charlie Llewellyn)
Sunday, May 16
6:45 – 7:45 Worship & Prayer. Church. Communion (See Note 4 below) (Men and Women together)
8:00 – 9:00 Breakfast
9:00 – 11:30 Session 6
Worship
Reach Friends: “Effective Evangelism” How to effectively create and build relationships with our classmates to have the honor of sharing Jesus with them. Discuss why a man in his 70s would turn to Christ. (Bobby Little)
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch
1:30 Goodbyes & Depart
General Overview:
The overview that follows will help you understand where we are going with each of our three priorities.
Session 1: “Christianity Basics We All Share” – This session is a very high-level overview of the Christian faith we all follow summarized best in both the Apostle’s Creed and the Nicene Creed. The emphasis as we pursue this topic is not on a deep dive into any particular part of scripture, but a summary of what unites us in Jesus Christ and more pertinent to our time now, how to live a purposeful life in the last few decades of our lives. We seek an effective speaker for this session if not one of our own.
Session 2: “Building Unity with Our Spouses” – You will hear the phrase “If we can interpret one another more accurately we will be able to respond more appropriately.” That is the phrase our speaker has coined over his 20 years of coaching couples and executive teams. We will use a profile that gives us a snapshot in time of how we prefer to relate in this season of life so we can show up more meaningfully for one another. “How can two walk together unless they be in agreement.” “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.” The focus will be living skillfully, wisely, and in agreement as we approach the finish line. This profile will help us discuss the topics of Session 3.
As a relationship coach, Chris Hogan helps equip men and women to be effective in relationships that matter most. Through his work at Noble Call Institute, he mediates for people and organizations to resolve their most pressing issues and reconcile relationships. In his work as a marriage coach, he helps men course correct and reconnect with their wives. An alumna of the University of Illinois at Springfield, Chris has worked with groups as a certified Franklin-Covey Facilitator.
Session 3: “Unpack Living the Christian Life with Heavenly Purpose” – The results of a relationship profile addressed in Session 2 will enable us to better unpack and talk with our spouses about what a life of purpose in our 70s and 80s looks like for us as a Christian couple. (Chris and Anne Hogan will also lead this session.)
Topics will include the three elements of every Life Journey:
- A Destination – what does our script look like for the next season of our lives? In our marriage, our family, our ministry, and our give back to the community? We’ll also address how the Class of ’74 Prayer Ministry might fall into our priorities.
- The Route – developing some mental maps for how we want to get to our destination. Discussing alternative routes and recovery options when things change.
- The means of transport – we are the means of transporting us through this next season. How do we upgrade and modify ourselves to be prepared for this part of the journey?
1st Hour of Session 4: “Caring for the Temple”
Bullet-Proof Your Back. The pathophysiology of chronic lower back pain and the path to recovery. Jesse Parsons, PT, holds degrees in physical therapy and exercise science from Shenandoah University and Liberty University. He specializes in orthopedics and sports physical therapy. Jesse currently works at an outpatient clinic in New Market, MD as the lead physical therapist.
The Inside Tract. A look at the gut microbiome and the impact for improved health through nutritional intake. Kiersten Parsons, M.S., RDN, holds a master’s degree in dietetics from the University of Rhode Island, completed her clinical studies at Virginia State University, and holds an undergraduate degree in Nutrition and Food Science from the University of Maryland. She currently works at a Life Plan Community in NW Washington, DC as an Administrator for the Independent Living community.
2nd Hour of Session 4: “Managing Our Treasure & Finances Well” – Mathew Freeman, a licensed securities and financial planner, will suggest how we can effectively steward our wealth. Topics include: How to give money away to meaningful charities or to our children and grandchildren. Making smart life facility choices. Types of mortgages. Wise investments. Estate planning. Wills. Beneficiaries.
Mathew helped families navigate their financial landscape for two decades. As a Client Advisor with J.P.Morgan’s Private Bank, Mathew advises clients on their trust and estate planning, philanthropic endeavors, investments, borrowing, and banking. Born and raised in Sydney, Australia Mathew brings a global perspective to solving financial challenges and delivering on client goals. He received his MBA from the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business, and Bachelor of Economics from the University of Sydney. Mathew lives in the leafy suburb of Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. with his wife and two children. He attends Capitol Hill Baptist Church where he served on staff from 2009 through 2011 before returning to his career in finance. Mathew currently serves as the Deacon of Budget and sits on the boards of Campus Outreach, and Gospel Projects. In his spare time Mathew races triathlon, is an avid Formula 1 fan, and is still searching for a place to surf in the district.
Session 5: “Reaching Out to Our 640 Classmates” – We have created a 5-prong strategy that we believe God is directing us to employ in touching the remaining members of our class. 1 – Identify 2-3 servant leaders in each lettered company who will purpose to get the truth out in front of their company mates. 2 – Share our Class of ’74 Prayer Ministry website with other classmates. 3 – Seek the Lord as to whether you and some of our classmates who live in your ‘AO’ would like to replicate what the guys are doing in Colorado Springs. 4 – Seek the Lord as to who you know would benefit from hearing the truth that Jesus saves. 5 – Invite others to receive the Daily Prayer Email.
Session 6: “Effective Evangelism” – Where we are all called to be witnesses, not all of us are called or gifted to be evangelists. Bobby Little will inform and inspire us to be intentional in sharing the gospel with our classmates. He will help us explore what might cause a classmate in their 70s to turn to Jesus as Savior. Bobby Little serves as the Executive Director of Christian Embassy, a ministry of Cru. He is a certified executive coach through George Mason University. During his military career, he led troops at every level – platoon, company, battalion and brigade including a deployment to Kuwait. He served at every staff level including the office of the Chief of Staff of the Army and the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Bobby is an elder at Immanuel Bible Church in Springfield, VA. He and his wife, Sheila, are enjoying 45 year of marriage. They have five adult children and seven grandchildren.
FAQs and Administrative Notes:
- There is Wi-Fi service, but it is limited due to the rural location. There is cell phone coverage.
- We have a health office in our Heritage House facility that is equipped with first aid services and trained staff. There is a hospital 20 minutes from our property.
- Please click here to view our sample menus under the meals section of the linked page. The Retreat Center can provide meal alternatives for a fee for guests with allergies if notified in advance. Be sure to inform the Center well in advance if you have any special dietary requirements.
- We’ll follow the Retreat Center COVID19 protocol that is applicable for May 2021 – if there are changes that will significantly alter our plans we will notify all attendees.
- Please serve the Retreat Center staff by bussing your own dishes at each meal.
- Read about the White Sulphur Springs’ Pet Policy and availability of kennels at this link.
- If you have questions or feel led to contribute to the retreat, please contact Charlie Llewellyn – cpllewellyn1@gmail.com.
NOTE 1 – At the end of this schedule there is a detailed description for each session.
NOTE 2 – Worship time will be the same throughout the retreat – we will sing some songs or hymns before sessions begin.
NOTE 3 – If you desire to give your testimony, please contact Bill France – france74usma@yahoo.com – before the retreat.
NOTE 4 – We respect any condition that might prevent you from taking part in this communion, but the Table will be open to all believers in Jesus Christ who affirm their faith in His crucifixion and resurrection and our future salvation.
Class of 1974 Prayer Ministry 