Women+s Retreat: Planning Update Nov 2025

During our meeting on 11/30/25, we added new names to our planning email list! Welcome to everyone who has joined the team as we move forward with organizing our Women+ Together retreat. If you want to help us plan the retreat, please email Adrienne Kaplan ([email protected]).


​Location Decided: Camp Stevens
The group is planning to hold the retreat at Camp Stevens, near Julian.

• Distance: The camp is approximately 60 miles from the church.
• Transportation: Since Camp Stevens is 60 miles away, folks with electric vehicles (EVs) should plan their charging accordingly. We plan to carpool.

Dates Finalized
Camp Stevens has told us that the weekend of November 20-22 is free, so we have requested those dates. We will sign the contract for that weekend in early January. 

Cabin Details & Capacity
We estimate that no more than 50 women will want to attend, so we plan to book two cabins: Lax-Sadler and Woltersdorf.

Lax-Sadler requires a minimum booking of 14 people and has a maximum capacity of 28 people. It has one 3-person room with wheelchair-accessible space and shower.

Woltersdorf has requires a minimum booking of 12 people and has a maximum capacity of 24 people. It has a shared, handicap-accessible restrooms in the hallway.

• Total Capacity: This plan requires us to recruit at least 26 women (14 + 12 minimum) and can accommodate up to 52 women (28 + 24 maximum).
• Note: If more than 52 women want to attend, we will try to book different or additional cabins.
• What to Bring: Please note that bed linens and towels are NOT provided in Woltersdorf or Lax-Sadler.

Cost & Financial Planning

• Approximate Cost: The estimated cost is $220 per woman.
• Retreat Duration: The retreat will run from Friday evening till Sunday morning and includes five meals.

Financial Plan: Camp Stevens requires a 30% deposit within 30 days of signing the contract. The final payment is due upon arrival.

• We will ask women who want to attend for a non-refundable deposit to secure their spot (this will be applied to their final bill).
• We have not finalized the amount for the non-refundable deposit.
• We will ask the church to loan us the difference between the retreat deposit and the sum of the individual deposits. We anticipate repaying this loan at the start of the retreat.
• We will also ask the church if they can subsidize part of the overall retreat cost.

Next Meetings & Publicity
The group has decided to name itself “Women+ Together.” We hope to combine efforts with the other "Women Together" group at the church and will invite them to help us plan the retreat.

• Starting January 2026: We will meet at 11:30 AM on the fourth Sunday of each month.
• December Meeting: If a meeting is needed in December, we will schedule a Zoom meeting hosted by Marla (Date TBD).

Once we secure a date, we will publicize the retreat:

• Marla volunteered to write an article for First Words.
• We will place announcements in the Window.

We will ask the ministers to announce the retreat from the pulpit.
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