Women’s Retreat Encourages Participants to Embrace Bold Faith
Organizers of the Altogether Bold retreat, with guest speaker Rev. Nicole Caldwell-Gross
More than 100 women gathered Jan. 30-Feb. 1 for the fourth annual "Altogether" women's retreat. Built around the theme “Altogether Bold,” the three-day event at Glen Lake Camp centered on stories of biblical women who exemplified bold faith: Rizpah's unwavering protection, Rahab's courageous leap of faith, Mary's proclamation in the Magnificat and the supportive friendship between Mary and Elizabeth.
The retreat’s theme emerged during a discussion of Mary's Magnificat and the recognition that it represented the kind of bold proclamation women need today.
"Mary's proclamation is bold," said Rev. Melissa McDuffee, one of the clergywomen who has been planning these retreats since their inception. "And what is the healing salve for women in this time is to be reminded that they have that boldness in them."
Rev. Nicole Caldwell-Gross, the senior pastor of Noblesville First UMC in Indiana, who served as the retreat’s keynote speaker, added the story of Rizpah to the collection of bold women featured during the weekend.
“Nicole has preached that story—it’s near and dear to her,” said McDuffee. In a personal gesture, McDuffee, who designed the retreat’s logo, painted a portrait of Rizpah to gift to Nicole at the retreat's conclusion, honoring the speaker's passion for this biblical story.
The retreat included worship services, teaching sessions, small group discussions and intentional time for reflection. Organizers incorporated both silent devotional periods for introverts and group processing opportunities for extroverts.
One of the most powerful elements was an invitation for women to write their own Magnificat during Saturday’s silent reflection time. Participants could share their writings on a cork board, creating a collective testimony of bold faith.
"It was really powerful to see how different women wrote those Magnificats," Melissa said.
Saturday evening featured a service of prayer and healing that incorporated ashes made from papers on which women had written the barriers that keep them from being bold. Participants dropped the papers into a bowl at the foot of a cross Friday night, and the papers were burned, transformed to ashes for the powerful Saturday service.
During the healing service, women could receive the sign of the cross in ashes on the back of their hands as a reminder that Christ transforms obstacles into opportunities for boldness.
"What you wrote down has been put to death in Christ, and Christ will transform what you have offered" McDuffee explained.
Rev. Faiana Prescott Funaki, another of the weekend’s organizers, found meaning in the way Caldwell-Gross closed the weekend.
“She brought everything together,” explained Funaki. “And what I find striking about that is that she not only talked about the boldness of women within their character, but bringing their boldness into our own stories and into our own lives. And not just to be bold to pray, but to be bold to stand up for justice, for our neighbors.” It is that call to live boldly—even in the face of uncertainty—that has stuck with Funaki.
The planning team includes McDuffee, Funaki, Rev. Erin Sloan Jackson, Rev. Joy Dister-Dominguez and Rev. Katie Newkirk. The retreat has grown steadily since its first year, moving back to Glen Lake Camp this year because its chapel can accommodate approximately 300 women.
"We want to give it that space to continue growing," McDuffee said.
While Funaki was new to the planning team this year, she was not new to the retreat. “The Altogether Women's Retreat is a beautiful retreat. I love the way that it started and the intention to bring women together and to empower them and share gifts,” she reflected. “This retreat is something that has not only been good for my soul, but also a great way for all of us to come together to share that same feeling in a sacred place, in a sacred time.”
The organizers emphasized that despite the logistical challenges of attending a retreat—including commitments of time and resources—the spiritual benefits far outweigh the obstacles.
“There were a lot of women who shared that they experienced things they never thought they had in them,” said Funaki. She recounted women who left with newly discerned purpose, with reconnection to their souls and with new, unexpected equipping.
“There was one individual who said, ‘I never thought that I had it in me to pray for people,’” said Funaki. “That weekend, she prayed over others. And the words that that came out of her mouth – it was like, ‘Really? You sound like you've been doing this for a long time.’”
We can always say, ‘Oh, another gathering for women,’” said Funaki. “But there's real purpose in us all being together.”
"God always, I believe, moves in retreats," McDuffee said. "No matter how God moves in you through it, God will show up and honor you for showing up."
