Retreat Dates
Retreat 1: April 21-23 2024
Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership:
Invitation to Transforming Community
Retreat 2: August 11-13, 2024
A Leader's Journey into Solitude and Silence
Retreat 3: November 17-19, 2024
Prayer: Deepening Our Intimacy with God
Retreat 4: February 16-18, 2025
Engaging the Scriptures for Spiritual Transformation
Retreat 5: May 18-20, 2025 (ends at 4pm)
Flesh and Blood Spirituality: Honoring the Body as a Spiritual Practice
Retreat 6: August 10-12, 2025
Transformation through Self-Examination, Self-Knowledge
and Confession
Retreat 7: December 7-9, 2025
The Art and Practice of Spiritual Discernment
Retreat 8: February 15-17, 2026
For the Sake of Others: Where Formation and Mission Meet
Retreat 9: May 17-19, 2026
A Rule of Life: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation
Interested in bringing a spiritual friend, spouse or colleague to a retreat as a guest? These spots fill up quickly so we are holding them for members of TC20 until your August retreat*.
*Retreat 2 will be open to the public beginning on May 15th.
Community Member Information
You will not need to reference this section until the second retreat. More detailed information will given at that time. Papers are not required unless you are seeking certification or academic credit.
____________________________________
Email reflections to tc20papers@transformingcenter.org no later than the Friday prior to the next retreat.
- Format is important. Not everyone has the same software, so please save your file with the extension .doc (Word file).
- Save/name the file: TC20, LAST NAME, RP (reflection paper)/retreat # you are writing about, and the date you are emailing the paper - EX: TC20JonesRP1May12
- On the first page of your paper include only, 1) retreat name, 2) your name, 3) date submitted, and 4) list of required books that you read during the quarter.
- The subject of your email should be the same as your document name – TC20JonesRP1May12 then attach your reflection paper to send.
Papers will be read by a reader assigned to you and emailed to you with a personal response intended to encourage you in what you are processing with God. The person who reads your paper will companion you for the two years and will keep things fully confidential.
To extend your retreat either for more solitude or to simply make your travel easier is a wonderful idea!
Contact the USML Front Desk to make your individual reservation at (847) 970-4908 (based on availability).
The Transforming Center does not handle any arrangements for this personal time at USML.
The cost for the Transforming Community experience is $9,423.00 (27 monthly installments of $349). Everything is included in the program cost except the registration fee, books, and travel.
We offer the following payment options:
- Recurring payments via credit card or online banking system. If you paid the registration fee online with a credit card and answered “yes” that you want to use this card to begin your monthly payments, we will begin those payments on the date you indicated. You will receive an emailed receipt when your first payment goes through.
- Company/church check mailed to Transforming Center to arrive monthly (if a church would like to pay the entire program in 1, 2 or 3 installments, that is acceptable).
- Personal check sent monthly at the same time.
- Crowdfunding: the goal is that you would raise the full cost of the 2-year experience before the start of the community. If you are unable to raise the full amount, you agree to pay the difference.
All checks should be mailed to Transforming Center, 400 W. Roosevelt Rd.-Suite 100, Wheaton, IL 60187.
If you have questions about your financial arrangements, please contact Haley Page, your community registrar at hpage@transformingcenter.org or 630-588-8133 ext. 311.
What is included in the fees?
- Nine quarterly retreats, with a private room and bath for two nights at each retreat
- Refreshments and meals, beginning with dinner on Sunday evening through breakfast on Tuesday (and lunch for an extended retreat)
- Six teaching sessions at each retreat with guest presenters throughout
- Fixed-hour prayer and worship experiences in community (morning, mid-day, evening and night)
- Group Spiritual Direction with six or fewer members who will remain together throughout the two-year experience
- Retreat materials (excluding books)
- Reflections on the psychological dynamics of the spiritual formation process
- Quarterly assignments that provide reading assignments, written reflections and guidance for practicing spiritual disciplines personally and in community, with specific application to your own life in leadership
- Guidance for meeting with a spiritual friend/spiritual director in between retreats
- Final project that guides you in the process of articulating your personal Rule of Life
- Certificate in Spiritual Transformation. Certificates from the Transforming Center will be awarded at the end of the program to participants who complete all retreats, required readings and written assignments.
GUIDELINES FOR MISSED ATTENDANCE
- If you are going to miss a retreat please email TC20@transformingcenter.org or call Tina Harris at 630-588-8133, ex: 307, so we can plan for your absence.
- Please email the members of your small group to let them know you will not be at the upcoming retreat. Please share email addresses with your small group for this purpose only. *Small groups are convened for the first time at Retreat 2.
- Monthly payments will continue even if you are unable to come to a retreat.
- If you plan to earn credit from an academic institution or a Certificate in Spiritual Transformation, please read the information below.
ACADEMIC PROGRAMS (when applicable) AND CERTIFICATE IN SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION
For those who have missed a retreat, in order to receive credit for the Certificate in Spiritual Transformation and/or CEUs from the Transforming Center, you may make up the missed retreat via the written assignment below. Please complete your make-up assignment by the next attended retreat. All make-up assignments must be submitted by the 8th retreat, in order to give yourself fully to the final assignment at the end of the two-year experience.
GUIDELINES FOR RETREAT “MAKE UP” ASSIGNMENT
- Finish all required readings
- Listen to any recorded teaching sessions that are made available after the retreat
- Set aside time to spend in solitude with the assignment given
- Write a 7-10 page paper that describes: 1—your interactions with the teachings from the missed retreat, 2—your reflections on the required readings, and 3—your own experimentation and exploration of that retreat’s spiritual discipline. Feel free to include places of resonance along with questions you have about the material presented in either the teaching sessions or the reading material.
Remember the goal of this assignment: to demonstrate your completion of the assigned readings and your practice of the disciplines taught and experienced at the retreat.
Should you need to withdraw from the community we ask that you allow us to be with you in that discernment. Depending on your situation, there might be ways that we could support you in staying with us in community.
If you need to step away from the community any time after the 2nd retreat, you will be responsible for paying a one-time early withdrawal fee of $500 plus 20% of your remaining invoice balance. On rare occasions, dependent on the circumstances surrounding your early withdrawal, we may choose to waive the early withdrawal fee. If your remaining invoice balance is zero or you receive a scholarship or the like, you may still be responsible for the one-time early withdrawal fee of $500
Recent Communication
Real change takes place incrementally over time with others in the context of spiritual disciplines that open us to God’s transforming presence. The Transforming Community is an invitation for you to enter into an experience of spiritual transformation in community with other leaders and to learn how to lead from that place. As you prepare for this first retreat, keep in mind that a spiritual retreat is an opportunity to take ourselves out of the action for a while so we can give God our full and undivided attention. One of the ways we practice that is by unplugging from our technologies while we are together on retreat. As Christian leaders, we need this kind of time more than we need anything else.
In her book Wilderness Time, Emily Griffin observes: “When we go on retreat we clear space for God’s action in our calendar… Making a retreat requires a certain kind of trust. We need to trust the Spirit. In contrast to vacations or holidays in which activities – planned sight-seeing, sports, entertainment, or events – are within our control, retreat leads us into a less predictable situation. We don’t know what God has in store for us, but we are willing to risk what we will find out.”
Please come prepared to trust God with your concerns about what you are leaving behind. Retreat is an invitation to let go of your normal patterns of being and doing in order to risk being open to what God has for you during this time.
Welcome to the Transforming Community experience! This email will provide logistical details as you plan and pack for your first retreat.
Please fill out this attendance form by Thursday, March 15th to be sure that we have all the details we need to prepare for your arrival.
There is quite a bit of information below so bear with us. Since this is such a new experience for most of you, we want everyone to feel as prepared as possible for our time together.
We look forward to what God has in store for each of us as we journey together for the next two and a half years. If there is anything that has not been covered, don't hesitate to reply to this email!
Blessings,
The TC20 Team
------------------------------------
You will be staying in a private room at USML (University of St. Mary of the Lake). You can check in between 3:30pm and 5pm CST on Sunday, April 21, 2024.
The main entrance of University of St Mary of the Lake is closed at this time. When using an address to find the conference center, please use 300 Principal Ave, Mundelein, IL. Upon entering the USML campus at the University Drive entrance, follow signs to the Purple parking lot which will be on your left. NOTE: your GPS will probably bypass the Purple parking lot so watch carefully; the lot will not be a long distance from the entrance. Here is a map for easy reference. After parking in the purple parking lot, walk down the ramp from the lot to the Conference Center Lodging Building.
Check-in is from 3:30-5:00pm. You can check in at the registration window, then around the corner in the living room, find the Transforming Center check-in table. Please do not come to our Wheaton Office!
The TC check-in table will not be ready prior to 3:30pm. USML will make every effort to accommodate you if you arrive early, but we are not able to guarantee early check-in. The first session begins at 5pm.
- Your Bible
- A journal so that you have plenty of writing space to process your times with God and take notes in the teaching session
- Any spiritual reading God is using in your life right now
- Anything that adds to your comfort: slippers, your own pillow if you’d like, a meaningful religious symbol or artifact, a favorite snack, etc.
- Casual, comfortable clothing and walking shoes
- Shampoo/conditioner & hair dryer – if needed
- Portable alarm clock
- Refillable water bottle/travel mug
- Invitation to a Journey by M. Robert Mulholland and Thirsty for God: A Brief History of Christian Spirituality by Bradley Holt, which Ruth has asked you to read in preparation for this first retreat
- Work or study materials. The purpose of the retreat is to attend to your relationship with God in simplicity and quiet
- Your computer. When we enter into retreat as a way of creating space for God’s activity in our lives, it is best to “unplug” – literally – by turning off cell phones and by not having a computer available. (No laptops or electronic pads and tablets allowed in teaching sessions.) Ruth will talk about this more fully when we are together. We will also ask you to turn off your cell phones for a good portion of the retreat. It would be helpful if you could alert family members and work associates ahead of time that you will be unavailable during much of the retreat. We know this is a challenging request; however, we have learned from experience that you will be able to more fully make space for God when you trust God to take care of these relationships and responsibilities while you're away.
If there is an emergency during the retreat, those at home may call 630-644-7681 to reach the onsite TC contact and they will find you. Please give this number to your family members and associates before you leave. If there are changes to your plans on the day of the retreat, please call the same number so the team will know your situation and be able to assist if possible.
transformingcenter.org/tc20. Bookmark this page so you have ready access to it.
If you have not already provided us with a passport-like photo (selfie is fine), please email that as soon as possible. The leadership and serving community is praying for you!
We are praying and preparing for your arrival and can't wait to meet each of you. April will be here before you know it so I wanted to share some helpful travel information with you.
For those who are arriving via plane, O'Hare (ORD) is the most convenient airport—about 30 miles from University of St. Mary of the Lake in Mundelein, Illinois where the retreats are hosted. Milwaukee Mitchell (MKE) is your next best option (less city traffic), followed by Midway airport (MDW), both around 55 miles from the USML Conference Center.
There is no need to rent a car because we will remain on campus for the duration of the retreat. Most find it helpful to get an Uber or Lyft as their transportation from the train station or one of the airports.
For those who are driving, the address is 1000 E. Maple, Mundelein, IL. Please park in the Purple parking lot.
Plan to arrive on Sunday, April 21st, between 3:30pm and 4pm to give yourself time to check-in and settle into your room before the first session at 5pm. The retreat will end on Tuesday, April 23rd, at 1pm.
About a month before the first retreat, we will send additional information on what to bring and how to prepare your hearts for this journey. Please let us know if you have any questions.
Looking forward to journeying with you-
Blessings,
Tina L. Harris
Cultivator of Community & Connection
630-588-8133 x 307
As you prepare for our journey together, I wanted to share a couple podcast episodes from the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast that would be a great resource for you:
Season 4 Episode 6-Spiritual Rhythms in the Life of the Leader
You can find all the emails we have sent out and other information throughout your community experience on the TC20 Community Webpage.
You are responsible to make 27 monthly payments of $349. The first payment will be due within 10 days after your registration fee was paid and subsequent payments are due each month thereafter. We offer the following payment options:
- Recurring credit card or ACH (preferred) payments. If you paid the registration fee online and answered “yes” that you want to continue using the same payment method, we will begin monthly payments within 10 days after you registration fee was paid with that same card. You will receive an emailed receipt when your first payment goes through. If you wish to change your credit card on file, please let me know by responding to this email.
- Pay by check mailed to Transforming Center, 400 W Roosevelt Rd. STE 100, Wheaton, IL 60187, on a monthly basis. Quarterly or annual payments are also accepted if payments are made in advance. Please communicate with me if you choose this option so we know when to expect your check.
- Scholarship awarded from the Transforming Center. A limited amount of people have already been awarded scholarships of $3100 which will make their monthly payments $235/month. This will be reflected in your invoice.
- Fundraise using our suggested method to raise the full or partial cost of the two-year experience by February 15th. If you do not raise the full amount by this date, please be prepared set up monthly payments by the end of February. You should have already communicated with us about your intent to fundraise and began raising funds. After February 15th this will not be an option unless you have discussed with me.
Community Webpage
We also wanted to let you know you can find all the logistical information (emails and important documents) you will need throughout your community on a special TC20 Community Page.
I am so excited you have decided to join us in Transforming Community #20 beginning in April 2024. I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself as you will be hearing a lot more from me in the coming months and throughout the community.
My name is Tina Harris and I am the Cultivator of Community and Connection at the Transforming Center. I will be journeying with you in community both on retreat and throughout the quarter to help with anything you may need along with the way.
You should have received an email with information regarding the 2 books we ask you to read in preparation, Invitation to a Journey and Thirsty for God. We hope these books are feeding your soul!
Haley Page will continue to communicate with you in regards to anything payment related throughout this 2-year journey. So as questions arise about your invoices, payment methods, etc. you can continue to reach out to her.
As you prepare for our journey together, I wanted to share a couple podcast episodes from the Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership podcast that would be a great resource for you:
Season 4 Episode 6-Spiritual Rhythms in the Life of the Leader
We are praying for you and your journey!
Blessings,
Tina L Harris
Cultivator of Community & Connection
630-588-8133 x 307
If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to reply to this email or reach out to Haley Page, Transforming Community Assimilator and Registrar, by emailing her at hpage@transformingcenter.org.
Peace to you,
The TC20 Team
You are responsible to make 27 monthly payments of $349. The first payment will start within 10 days after you pay your registration fee. More information about different payment options will be sent in the coming weeks.
*This email contains product affiliate links. We receive a commission if you make a purchase after clicking on one of these links.