5-Day Spiritual Formation Academy

I just returned from my fourth experience of a 5-Day Academy. This retreat is an opportunity for those seeking to deepen their relationship with God. We met at a retreat center near Bloomington, IN, in the Brown County area. There are no cell towers. You can totally disconnect from the world for healing and spiritual formation. The academy is sponsored by The Upper Room.

There are two faculty who speak each day. The faculty for this academy were Sister Kathleen Flood and Rev. Glandion Carney. Sister Kathleen was our morning speaker and Glandion was our afternoon speaker. Both have served as faculty for several academies.

The rhythm 0f the day is one that encourages spiritual formation, time for forming your relationship with God. The day begins with morning prayer for the community. Then breakfast and the morning session begins at 9:00 am. The first speaker presents information and thoughts that the attendee will ponder for the next hour in quiet. The community returns for an open discussion and sharing around what thoughts bubbled up in the quiet reflection time.

The afternoon is outlined similarly followed by worship and an evening meal. There are a number of evening options throughtout the week. One night is a healing service. We are all wounded in a number of ways and concerned for others who are wounded. This service offers time for prayer and annointing for healing.

It is an extraordinary experience.

One additional component is the covenant groups that meet for sharing and support. This gives people a chance to experience Christian conferencing. The community and groups become close because of the intimate sharing and the confidencial nature of the group.

To learn more about the 5-Day Academy go to http://www.upperroom.com/