
Weekend Forgiveness Retreat
Weekend Forgiveness Retreat
Identifying the Barriers to Forgiveness
August 15–17, 2025
📍 Hybrid Format: Friday on Zoom | Saturday & Sunday In-Person in Merchantville, NJ
💲 Retreat Fee: $120 (includes light refreshments, all materials; lodging and meals not included)
✨ A Sacred Invitation
Forgiveness isn’t always easy. But it opens us to grace, peace, and freedom.
Join us for a powerful weekend of rest, reflection, and renewal as we explore the theme:
“Identifying the Barriers to Forgiveness.”
Through Christ-centered teachings, prayerful practices, creative expression, and community sharing, this retreat will guide you gently toward the healing your soul is seeking.
🗓️ Retreat Schedule
Friday, August 15 (7:00–9:00 p.m. ET via Zoom)
- Welcome & Opening Prayer
- Why forgiveness opens us to greater grace
- Identifying spiritual and emotional barriers
- Journaling & guided reflection
- Closing Christian meditation
Saturday, August 16 (9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. In-Person)
Held at: Chestnut Station Apartments, 20 W Chestnut Ave, Merchantville, NJ (Retreat is in the Learning Center)
- Scripture meditation
- Symbolic water ritual and color reflection practice
- Journaling, breathwork, and art-based healing
- Group sharing
- Creative and reflective activities to release old burdens
Sunday, August 17 (9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. In-Person)
- Christian meditation
- Overview and insights from the weekend
- Community sharing
- Closing: reflection, setting intentions, groups sharing and sending forth.
👥 Retreat Facilitators
Led by Monica Armstrong and Teresa Yerkes, this retreat offers a rich, spiritually grounded experience designed to gently guide participants through the process of forgiveness with compassion, insight, and creative practice. Together, they bring deep spiritual insight, compassionate presence, and creative tools to help you walk your personal journey with God.
🏨 Travel, Lodging, and Meals
- In-person sessions will take place at:
Chestnut Station Apartments (Retreat is in the Learning Center)
20 W Chestnut Ave, Merchantville, NJ - Lodging and meals are the responsibility of each participant.
We’ll provide a list of recommended hotels and restaurants nearby. Refrigerator is available if you want to bring meals. - Nearest airport: Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)
Approx. 30 minutes away by car.
💲 Registration Details
Retreat Fee: $120
Includes:
- Zoom session + all in-person sessions
- Instruction and facilitation
- All art and meditation materials
Space is limited — early registration is encouraged.
Registration Form and Payment Information
Please select your payment method.
📩 Questions?
Feel free to reach out via our Contact Page, email tyerkes@christianmeditationcenter.org or phone/text 856-404-5704 if you have any questions about lodging, transportation, or retreat details.
🌿 Hosted by the Christian Meditation Center
“Resting in God. Growing in Love.”
About Your Retreat Directors
Monica Armstrong, a devoted Christian and visual artist, founded the Spirit Matters studio in 1997, blending her faith and creativity to inspire others through art. Her mission is to create art that embodies spiritual wisdom. Her workshops, retreats, and seminars provide a hands-on, creative prayer experience that intertwines art and spirituality.
Inspired by her study of the Christian tradition during the Masters of Holistic Spirituality Program at Chestnut Hill College, she developed “Prayer Paths,” a Journey Through the History of Christian Spirituality featuring twenty handmade Sacred Vessels.
She studied at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and earned a BS in Art Education from Moore College of Art. Monica received her training as a Spiritual Director from the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation. As a member of the CMC for several years, she offers gentle guidance in her CMC weekly meditation sessions.
Teresa Yerkes, founder of the Christian Meditation Center, has been a devoted Christian since 1983 and has practiced Christian meditation since 2000. She is the author of five books. Teresa teaches and leads Christian meditation training and sessions. She is a public speaker who facilitates book clubs and leads retreats. As a Certified Lay Speaker and Lay Counselor, she brings over forty years of personal discovery and highly specialized spiritual direction training from the Shalem Institute to her work. In 2023, she organized a coalition comprised of like-minded people who also have a passion for teaching Christian meditation.
Teresa’s career was primarily in business administration. She is married to her husband, Bill, and is a mother to three children and a grandmother to six grandchildren. She loves their two yellow labs, Lucy and Peaches, and their cat, Gracie. Her favorite pastime is spending time with family and friends. She also enjoys reading and taking walks with her husband and their dogs.