Caring for Each Other: Pastoral Care Among Unprogrammed Friends

 March 27 – 28, 2026

Quaker Hill Conference Center, Richmond, Indiana

Friday, March 27:

5:00         Arrivals, check-in

5:30         Dinner at Quaker Hill 

6:30         Gather; Welcome and Introductions

7:10         Group norms

7:15         Defining pastoral care. Participatory activities

8:15-9:00 Small group worship-sharing

Saturday, March 29: Ends at 4:00 p.m.

7:30         Breakfast

9:00         Worship 

9:20         Large group activity: Fishbowl

10:20       Individual activity: Journal about your history with/thoughts about                          pastor care

11:20       Small group worship sharing

Noon:       Lunch

1:00         Large group activities

2:30         Break

2:40         Small group worship sharing

3:20         Large group sharing. Q&A. 

Closing worship

4:30         Adjourn

Registration begins 2/14/2026.
Registration deadline: 3/13/2026
All need to pay by credit card at the time of registration.

Please work out your payment source before registering. We do not have a plan for accepting payments later.

Check-in begins at 5:00 pm. If you want supper, advance registration for supper is necessary.

Retreat Web Page URL

Please register and pay by 3/13/2026.

This is an in-person retreat (no zoom).

Each participant (including children) should be registered separately. You can indicate if you would like to room with someone.

• A little red star * to the right of a field description means that it is required. If  you  try to move on to a new section you will be stopped until you fill out the required info.
  

IF everything goes well you will receive a "Thank You" page with a big green check mark when you are done!

If you don't get this "Thank You" page, you probably have not been registered!

Peggy Spohr (Retreat Registrar)
peggy.spohr@sbcglobal.net

Paul Ricketts (Assistant Retreat Registrar)

Health Safety Policy

• Masks are welcome but optional at this time, and if you are sick, be kind - stay behind.

Costs this year

OVYM is subsidizing much of the retreat costs. The actual fees per person for OVYM are in parentheses. Cost is based on single or double occupancy and meal choices as follows:
Shared room with Saturday breakfast and lunch only: $60 (OVYM pays $130)
Shared room with Friday dinner & Saturday meals: $70
Single room with Saturday meals only: $75
Single room with Friday dinner & Saturday meals: $85 (OVYM pays $136)
Commuter with Friday dinner & Saturday meals: $35 (OVYM pays $50)
Commuter with Saturday meals only: $25

There is no charge for children under 12, but you must register them.

If you need additional financial assistance, please talk to your monthly meeting or quarterly meeting.

No refunds

I support Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting Friends’ commitment to maintaining a community of respect and safety. At Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting activities, I agree to treat all present with sensitivity to personal differences regarding physical and sexual boundaries. In my interactions with others, I agree to refrain from the following:

•         uninvited touching of others;

•         isolating of others from a group, indoors or outdoors;

•         stalking of others;

•         directing uninvited attention, comments, or prolonged staring at others’ bodies or aspects of physical appearance;

•         sexually explicit or suggestive comments to or about others with whom I am not already in an intimate relationship;

•         unauthorized participation in activities organized explicitly for Friends of specific age groups to which I do not belong.

Furthermore, I will accept support and advice from members of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting Religious Nurture and Education Committee, the Clerk of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting, and/or the Assistant Clerk of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting in complying with this agreement.

(Approved by OVYM Executive Committee 2025-04-05; affirmed in Minute 57, 2025 Annual Sessions)

To facilitate a welcoming environment for everyone, our OVYM Response Team (RT) will be on-site throughout the event. The Response Team will be identified at the retreat, and there is also a form on our website for Reporting Sexual Misconduct. If you feel uncomfortable, please feel free to talk with someone on the Response Team or submit a form.

A link to a reporting form will be in your registration confirmation e-mail and can also be found on the OVYM website.

Quaker Hill Conference Center staff work to help everyone have a good food experience. The kitchen can’t prepare strict gluten-free but it can order packaged gluten-free. They will do their best to accommodate needs (with three weeks advance notice), and will let us know if they are unable to do so.

There are two meal plan choices: 3 meals include Friday supper, Saturday breakfast, and Saturday lunch. 2 meals include Saturday breakfast and lunch.

Housing will be available in both Woodard Lodge and Evans House. You might not get your first choice, depending on group needs. 

Evans House includes the dining room and main meeting room. Bedrooms with a shared bathroom are on the second floor, accessible only by stairs.

Woodard Lodge rooms are on the main floor. One can walk or drive across the campus to the dining room and retreat sessions. Each room has its own bathroom.

If you have more info that would help us organize and help your situation, please use the Comment Box at the end of this form.

                             

Select your room and meal choice below. You are welcome to pay more with a charitable contribution if you want to help cover OVYM's costs. There will be no refunds.

Any donation below supports the year-round work of Ohio Valley Yearly Meeting and can be considered a charitable donation for tax purposes. It will help with the many reductions in cost that we provide others, including lowering costs for this retreat. 

The following Final Amount field should automatically sum the two fields above (registration fee and charitable contribution). It is read only. You can't enter data here. But, Be sure to enter it into your Credit Card Info amount below.

Please let us know if you have concerns or anticipated needs that you would like us to address ahead of time or during the sessions

Please be careful to enter your credit card info exactly as on your card, otherwise your payment might be denied.

 

Use the Comments or Concerns boxes below to communicate any additional concerns for the retreat registrar or the Religious Nurture and Education Committee.  (Please specify). 

 

Questions?

 You may email Peggy Spohr, Retreat Registrar, at peggy.spohr@sbcglobal.net and put “OVYM” in subject line, or if necessary call 513-502-1109 and leave a message. (E-mail preferred.)

Paul Ricketts, Assistant Retreat Registrar, will also be available for questions during the retreat.

Think about the following before you come: 

• Please monitor your health and the health of others in your household. If you have any symptoms of a cold, flu, or COVID, please stay home! Unfortunately we are unable to provide refunds.