Time for JOY is a weekend retreat designed for young women living stress-filled lives, be they single, married, divorced, working in the home or outside the home. The purpose of the retreat is to provide experiences which affirm and encourage young women in their spiritual journey. Through the introduction of simple soul-tending skills the person is reconnected with her spirituality.

For some young women, honoring their body’s need for rest is an important component of their spiritual journey. The retreat provides space for that also by allowing the retreatants to choose to participate in active learning sessions or to opt for undisturbed sleep, quiet places to sit, and silent walks.

The next Time for JOY retreat will be held April 27-29, 2007 at Camp Mitchell.

Women nurturing women

Admittedly, in this time and place of American culture just about everyone, regardless of age or gender, copes with large amounts of stress. Why then focus just on aiding and supporting young women?

Strengthening the spiritual lives of women and providing them with learning opportunities is a large part of the mission of the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Arkansas. As in the larger church, the ECW continues to seek ways in which to be relevant to younger generations in a chaotic world.

The focus of the Time for JOY retreat is to enable young women to find their path to the Holy and to enrich their lives. Through older woman to younger woman companionship at the retreat and at home in the congregation, sharing the pains and the joys of life reveals the Holy in the ordinary.

The Congregation and the Diocese Working in Tandem

The Time for JOY retreat is designed to be a gift to a young woman from her home parish, church, or mission. The church finds the young woman in their midst, encourages her to attend, and financially provides her way. The church does all in their power to help the woman’s family to be secure in her going away for a weekend by offering baby-sitting, meals and other needed support.

The key to success of the ministry is the continuing support of the local church community in the woman’s life. Time for JOY may be a separate ministry within a congregation or may fit with an existing ministry of the congregation. Either way, the intention is that the young woman’s spiritual experience does not stop after the retreat is over but continues inside the local church family. Ideally a mentoring relationship forms between a retreatant and the woman or women who sent her to the retreat. But, there is no exact formula for continuing Time for JOY in the congregation.

Each young woman is eligible to attend the weekend offering only one time.

The retreat is sponsored and staffed by the Episcopal Church Women of the Diocese of Arkansas (ECW). The staff of volunteers provide the workshops, the music, the speaker, and many spiritual windows to help these young women connect with their own spiritual paths.

Ways to be Involved

Time for Joy is looking for:

• Young adult women, age 19-40, interested in attending a Time for JOY retreat.
• Church Coordinators and Sponsors who will work in their local churches with the young women and their families. The Sponsor finds the young women, encourages their attendance, encourages their parish families in this ministry before AND after the retreat, and helps find funding in the church so that the retreat is a gift to the women.
• Individuals who desire to serve as Team Members of a Time for JOY weekend retreat. Interested persons may respond to Shellie Bailey at:
  1209 Eugene Street, Harrison, Arkansas 72607
  Shellieb2@cox-internet.com or 1-800-943-0454
  Please include your name, interest, address, telephone number, home church and e-mail address.
• Financial contributions to provide supplies for the weekend retreat, and to provide financial assistance when needed to congregations sponsoring a retreatant. Please make checks payable to ECW, note Time for JOY, and mail to: Marcy Pierce, 22 St. Andrews Cove, Stuttgart, AR 72160.
• Contribute your previously read books. A take what you like table is set up at the retreat which offers a variety of books for the spiritual journey–spiritual, mysticism, soul-tending, creativity, the feminine face of God, etc.

An Invitation to Prayer

You are invited to participate in Time for JOY without leaving home. You are invited to pray for the team members and retreatants before, during and after each weekend retreat.

A Prayer for the Team

Almighty God we pray that you will bless Time for JOY and the team dedicated to this ministry. So fill our (their) hearts with your love that we (they) might be a beacon to young women searching for a spiritual path. Provide us (them) with the skills and knowledge needed to guide and gently nurture the hearts and souls of the young women participating, so they may experience a Time for JOY. All this we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

A Prayer for Young Women

Gracious God, prepare the hearts of the young women of our diocese so they may yearn for a retreat which gives them time to relax and be nurtured along a spiritual path, drawing them closer to You and Your love. Gently speak their name so they might hear your call. Through Jesus Christ Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

A Prayer for after the Retreat

O Lord, who brought the Time for JOY retreatants to a place of joy and love, guide and protect them as they return to the daily routine of their lives. Be with them as they continue their spiritual journey of life in Christ. Amen.

Our Wish List

Hospitality for the weekend is intentional and generous and includes immediate comfort needs, just for fun items, items that transform the ordinary into the holy, items to stimulate creativity, items that celebrate the feminine, and items that serve long-term faith journey needs. Some suggested items are listed below, but you are invited to use your imagination and creativity to come up with your own hand-made or store-bought gift items.

• Gum, Mints, Candy, Chocolate
• Small bottles of Lotion, Shampoo, Conditioner
• Emery Boards and nail polish, Perfume
• Bath Salts and Pretty Soaps, Candles, Votives,
• Potpourri, Pretty Notepads and Pretty Pens
• Jewelry and Beadwork, Journals
• Prayer Books, Inspirational Books
• Wall Crosses, Free-standing crosses
• Rosaries and Prayer Bead, Windsocks

Don’t have time to shop or create? We are glad to accept financial contributions for gift items.

You may choose to send 24 items, one for each retreatant, or to send just what you can. If you can only send 1 of something, that is fine. We will mix and match to equally distribute among the candidates. It isn’t mandatory but you are invited to include a gift tag on your gift which identifies the name and location of the group giving the gift.

To avoid excessive duplication, please let us know what items you plan to contribute by contacting Cheryl Markham at cmarkham4545@sbcglobal.net or 501-221-2389.

Steering Committee Members

Shellie Bailey (e-mail, shellieb2@cox.net)

Jordan Holloway (e-mail, jordan8778@hotmail.com)

Cheryl Markham (e-mail, cmarkham4545@sbcglobal.net)

Jeannie McCabe (e-mail, j.m.mccabe@cox.net )

Sara Milford (e-mail, sara@everydaysimple.org )

Terry Ramer (e-mail, tdramer@cox.net)

Recommended Reading

Click here: Time for JOY recommended reading list.