Story & Soul
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 RETREAT

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Story & Soul Weekend 2025 - date TBD

If you’d like to discuss the possibility of your church or group participating, please contact us at hello@storyandsoulweekend.com.


PAST SPEAKERS & THEMES

What a delight it has been to learn from women like Mary Willson Hannah (2024 and 2021), Colleen Searcy (2023 and 2018), Caroline Saunders (2022), Elyse Jones (2020), Lisa Hellier (2020), Elizabeth Woodson (2019), Catherine Parks (2017), Donna Gaines (2017, 2016), and Ariyana Rimson (2016) at Story & Soul Weekend! Each of these teachers has lead us through the Word in meaningful, memorable ways, and they have partnered with us to expand upon themes like The Story of the Child (2023), The Story of the Covering (2022), The Story of the Name (2021), The Story of Home (2020), The Story of Song (2019), The Story of Water (2018), The Story of Hunger (2017), and The Story of Light (2016).

 WHAT A WEEKEND LOOKS LIKE

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 Every element of Story & Soul Weekend is designed to support our vision of Scripture, Stillness, and Sisterhood. You can expect it to be structured with rich teaching and space for restfulness and connection with others. Generally, it goes something like this:

FRIDAY

Every year at Story & Soul Weekend, we present a creative retelling of the Big Story of the Bible. One of our team members, Caroline Saunders, will present this story during our first worship session and then we'll enjoy some delicious snacks and friend time before heading to bed.

SATURDAY

On Saturday, we'll enjoy a leisurely breakfast (time to actually finish that cup of coffee!) before heading to our first of two worship sessions (one in the morning and one in the late afternoon) in which our speaker will "zoom in" on The Big Story by taking a closer look at specific passages in the Bible. Between the sessions, participants will join in on two breakout sessions of their selection, enjoy a delicious lunch, and have a chance to rest through a stretching class or a nap. That evening, we'll join together for a special dinner that's become a beloved tradition. Staying up and chatting is usually the next thing on everyone’s agenda, but we never blame anyone for going to bed early! We encourage participants to do what offers them rest.

SUNDAY

On Sunday after breakfast, we'll join together in the chapel for a time of worship and a special devotional designed to set participants back into "real life" with a commissioning to glorify God and enjoy him forever. We'll have breakfast together and send everyone off with enough time to make it back to their various churches for the late services. (Most women have been able to easily get back for their church’s second services.) We think this is a crucial part of the weekend because it connects the “set apart” worship time experienced of the weekend to the “real life” worship time offered by local churches.

 

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

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  • We serve women and women's ministries in West Tennessee and North Mississippi, and we try to offer our local sisters first dibs. But hey if you love what we're doing and live out of town, we'd love for you to travel to us and attend the weekend! Story & Soul Weekend is designed especially for:

    • Individuals, small groups, discipleship groups, mothers and daughters, and friends who attend Story & Soul will come away refreshed by the solid scriptural focus, the slow, restful itinerary, and the space to connect with God and one another. Read a few testimonials here!

    • Ministries who partner with us are able to provide their women with a meaningful, quality, vision-rich retreat without overextending their leaders. (Interested in your women's ministry participating in the 2024 retreat? Fill out this form or email us at hello@storyandsoulweekend.com.)

  • We love serving women and would be thrilled to offer Scripture, Stillness, and Sisterhood to the women from your church. Please fill out this form or email us at hello@storyandsoulweekend.com

  • We would love to have you! We know attending an event solo can be intimidating and our hope is that you will form rich friendships with other women while you’re at Story & Soul. While we primarily serve large groups, we occasionally have spots open up! To join our waitlist, please email us at hello@storyandsouldweekend.com.

  • Lodging, all meals, coffee, worship sessions, breakout sessions, and a long sleeve t-shirt are all included in the cost. During a normal year, there are two kinds of accommodations we offer at Story & Soul Weekend: inns and cottages. To stay in the inns, the cost is about $275 per person. If you choose to stay in the cottages, the cost is usually $195 person.

    If you desire to attend but need financial assistance, fill out our scholarship interest form here. If you love our vision and desire to donate to meet the needs of those who may be financially prohibited rom attending, you can donate here.

  • Rooms in the Harvest and Hospitality Inns are spacious, beautifully decorated, and designed to be shared between four women. Each room has its own bathroom with two basin sinks, large vanity, and separate rooms for the toilet and shower. Most of the rooms in the inn have two queen beds. Click here to see a video tour and photos of the inns.

    The cottages are cozy with bunk style beds designed to be shared between eight or more women. Each cottage has central heat & air, private cubbies for each guest & extra long twin mattresses. The entry way & bathroom are in the middle of the cottage, separating the bunks into five beds on each side. Click here to see a video tour and photos of the cottages.

  • A $100 nonrefundable deposit is required when you sign up for the weekend. You can also pay the full amount upon registration. The remaining balance will automatically be charged November 1. After this, the remaining balance is nonrefundable. Email us at storyandsoulweekend@gmail.com or talk to your women's ministry leader for more registration and payment details.

    If you desire to attend but need financial assistance, fill out our scholarship interest form here. If you love our vision and desire to donate to meet the needs of those who may be financially prohibited rom attending, you can donate here.

  • When you register, you'll be able to write down the names of those you'd like to room with. There are four women per inn room and at least eight women per cottage (a great option for a church small group!). One of the core values of Story & Soul Weekend is sisterhood, and we pray that the time in your room will be meaningful, restful, and fun. Reach out to women you'd like to get to know better and make plans to room together.

  • December is certainly a difficult month both for our schedules and for our bank accounts! However, through prayerful consideration, we realized that this is when women most need an opportunity to be still, to connect with God and one another. Participants will likely find that their Advent season is richer and simpler because of the intentional restfulness and connection that occurs at Story & Soul Weekend.

  • We will email all participants (likely at the end of October!) with breakout descriptions and details on how to register for each breakout session. Some of our creative breakout sessions may have a small fee depending on the session leader's plans, but we will contact participants closer to the date to sign up for these breakouts, and you can pay any additional fees (no more than $10) at that time.  

  • We believe that preparing your mind and heart prior to Story & Soul will help you to connect with God and with others in a richer, more meaningful way. A week or two before the event, we will send a heart preparation packet with devotionals and a packing list to all participants.

  • Subscribe to our emails here! You can also follow us on social media: Instagram + Facebook.