Becoming Wholehearted:
Women’s Retreat

In light of significant and exciting new projects that we are working towards, we will not be hosting our 18 Inch Journey Retreats this fall. We are looking towards the fall of 2025 as the best window to host our next retreats, as our upcoming discipleship schools will run from January through July. We value your support and understanding and look forward to sharing more with you in the coming months!

Vision

Life is hard. As women, it can be easy to feel alone in the hustle of life: work, family, relationships, church, and then the pain and struggles life brings. We don’t instinctively know how to find God in the tension of life—it is a process of honesty and connection that needs to be taught, shared, and practiced with others.

This retreat is a deep dive into becoming a powerful woman and learning how to steward your inner world with the Holy Spirit. It is designed for women who have experienced enough tension in life to know they need help and don’t have all the answers. You will be asked to show up with honesty, vulnerability, and a willingness to learn something new. Hosted by the Cageless Birds, this retreat offers the gift of pulling away from your everyday normal to find the courage to look at the tension of your life with God and find Him there. You will be learning and practicing tools in real time, guided by women who are experienced in this work.

We have experienced firsthand how powerfully the Father can meet our hearts in a matter of days. Each day is intentionally designed and fully scheduled to pursue Jesus' heart together. You will receive deeply from both His presence and from the support of the women around you.

What To Expect

This retreat is set apart for:

Teaching sessions with Melissa Helser, Justina Stevens, Jessie Miller, and Phyllis Unkefer
Learning to hear and journal the Voice of the Lord for yourself
Learning and practicing emotional health tools to steward your inner world and support your relationship with God and others
Times of worship and encounter in the presence of the Lord
Connection around the table with other women and eating home-cooked meals
Being celebrated, helped, and encouraged by our staff
Connecting with women pursuing a similar journey to wholeness
Being seen and known by other women on their own journey of wholeness

A Place For the Heart

Facilities, Lodging, and Meals

This Women’s Retreat is hosted on our beautiful 52 acres of land called A Place for the Heart. The cost of this retreat includes all food and lodging. Our campus, located in the foothills of North Carolina, was designed for coming away from the noise of the world and hearing the voice of the Father. This is where we host the 18 Inch Journey and live and work year round. Our campus includes a farmhouse for cooking and fellowship, studios for our leather, pottery, and music, a coffee roasterie, garden, art barn, cabins nestled under the trees, dance & fitness studio, and more. Our grounds were made to be a resting place where communion with the Trinity, creative inspiration, and belonging around the table are everyday rhythms.

You will stay in quality cabins tucked in the woods. The women's cabins have a ground floor and a loft with a bathroom located inside the cabin. Each cabin sleeps nine to ten. All linens and towels will be provided in your cabin.

As a community and ministry, we have a high value for relational connection and gathering around the table. With a seasonally curated menu, all meals will be excellently prepared and served by our kitchen and hospitality team. All meals will be provided from Tuesday evening through Saturday morning.

Location: A Place for the Heart, 4228 Beckerdite Rd., Sophia, NC 27350

Transportation

Attendees are responsible for their own transportation to and from the retreat.

Shuttle Service:

We will provide one complimentary shuttle service run for pick-up and drop-off in Greensboro, NC at Piedmont Triad International Airport (PTI). If you are accepted to this retreat, we will be in touch about transportation. If you’d like to use our shuttle service, there will be space to indicate this at that time.

Airport Information:

Piedmont Triad International Airport - 40 minute drive
Raleigh Durham International Airport - 1 hour 45 minute drive
Charlotte Douglas International Airport - 1 hour 45 minute drive

FAQ’s & Photos

Application Information

We are looking at Fall 2024 for Retreats this year. We have not finalized when applications will open, but we will update this webpage as soon as we have. To be notified when this announcement is made, feel free to sign up for our mailing list at the bottom of the home page!

Why an application?

It is our desire to get to know our retreat applicants. The application process empowers us to hear more of your story and understand why you want to come to this retreat. We are looking for applicants who are willing to learn something new and are ready to do the work it requires to steward their inner world with the Holy Spirit.

Can I apply if I’ve attended the Retreat in the past?

If you have attended a Becoming Wholehearted retreat in the past, you are only eligible to apply for our waitlist. We are prioritizing first time attendees for this retreat.

Cancellation Policy

You may cancel your registration to receive a full refund up to 3 weeks prior to the date of the event. In the event that you cancel your registration less than 3 weeks prior to the date of the event, you will forfeit 50% of the entire registration fee. Regardless of when you cancel your registration, your registration is not transferable to another event, date, or person.

Are there resources for me if I cannot attend?

If you would like to explore more of our resources and learn some of the tools we teach in our schools and retreats, you can explore our Online Workshops, listen to the Jonathan and Melissa Helser Podcast, or purchase one of our Cultivate devotionals on our online shop. Click here to see all of our upcoming events.