Retreats | Camp Friedenswald

Retreats at Camp Friedenswald are all about reconnecting – with yourself, friends new and old, nature, and with God – by disconnecting from the demands of day-to-day life.

Men's Retreat

Theme: Becoming Malleable Men: Practicing Faith and Being Formed Presenter: Michael Martin, founder and Executive Director of RAWtools

Men’s Retreat is back! Join us for a weekend in the peaceful woods exploring what it means to become malleable men in our world. This retreat is a collaborative effort of Mennonite Men and Camp Friedenswald. Retreat begins with registration Friday at 5:30 pm (dinner at 6:30 pm) and concludes on Sunday following brunch.

Mike Martin (pictured right) is the founder and Executive Director of RAWtools. A former youth and young adult pastor at Beth-El Mennonite Church, Mike is licensed for specialized ministry for the work of RAWtools by Mountain States Mennonite Conference of Mennonite Church USA. He has a BA in Biblical studies. Mike learned to blacksmith in order to turn guns into garden tools and is passionate about connecting people to nonviolent skills like restorative justice and conflict mediation. He is trained for restorative justice facilitation, dialogue circles, and encourages everyone to explore how they can connect to similar efforts in their community. Mike believes turning swords into plowshares requires a comprehensive approach to gun violence, one that addresses the triggers in our streets, and the triggers in our hearts.

Registration opens December 1, 2025.

Cost: Shared room $185, Private room $235 (limited space available)

Creativity Retreat

Theme: Creativity in the Peaceful Woods: One Retreat *Four Tracks* Presenter: Jeff Gundy, Sadie Gustafson-Zook, John Blosser, Mariah Martin

These days call for creativity…and time in the woods. Come join us for our Spring CREATIVITY RETREAT: One Retreat. Four Tracks. You pick your track! The CREATIVITY RETREAT will begin on Friday evening with supper served at 6:00pm for all participants.

Cost: $250 / $300 for private room (space limited); Scholarships available.

Track 1: Memoir Writing with Jeff Gundy (limit 15 people)

Jeff Gundy most recent book of creative nonfiction/memoir, Wind Farm: Landscape with Stories and Towers, is set on the Illinois prairie where he grew up and deals with high school, farming, Mennonites, and the earlier inhabitants of the land, as well as wind turbines. His earlier work in this vein includes A Community of Memory: My Days with George and Clara and Scattering Point: The World in a Mennonite Eye, as well as many memoir-ish poems. He is Professor Emeritus of English and Poet in Residence at Bluffton University.

Track 2: Songwriting with Sadie Gustafson-Zook (limit 15 people)

Sadie Gustafson-Zook is a Minneapolis-based songwriter with an “enviable knack of being able to take a very specific moment in her life and somehow imbue it with universality and a common thread” (Songwriting Magazine). Often found writing about the never-ending search for community and belonging, Sadie’s writing tackles internal and taboo subjects while holding the listener with warmth and levity.

Track 3: Watercolor with John Blosser (limit 15 people)

$20 supplies fee

John Blosser has greatly enjoyed teaching and interacting with folks over many years as students experience the joys and challenges of creative drawing and painting, the main areas of his expertise. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited in numerous shows both in the US and Canada, including a couple of national juried shows over the past few years. He is Professor Emeritus of Art at Goshen College.

Track 4: Knitting and Crochet with Mariah Martin

Mariah Martin (she, her) is a pastor at Faith Mennonite Church in Goshen, Indiana and is the host of the Called to be Bad Podcast, a podcast where guests reveal a “bad” (i.e. strange, non-traditional, or taboo topic) they are passionate about. She and her husband Nick Bouwman live with two indoor rabbits, Peppa and Eugene, and beloved backyard chickens. She loves good coffee, reading weird books, and making crochet stuffed animals.

Helpful Documents:

Creativity Retreat Schedule (Draft)

Women's Retreat 2026

Registration begins on Friday at 6pm (no dinner served) and the program runs through Sunday at 1pm.

Join us for spirit-filled worship, relaxation among friends, trails to wander, and water to rest by. This annual retreat, planned by women from across Central District Conference of MC USA, seeks to provide a place of connection and gathering for women. It is open to ALL women, not only those affiliated with Central District Conference. The retreat starts Friday evening following dinner and concludes following brunch on Sunday morning.

We are committed to ensuring that everyone who wants to participate in a Camp Friedenswald program can do so, regardless of financial ability. We offer scholarships to anyone who has the need for it. If you feel you would benefit from this opportunity, please indicate your need on the appropriate form when you register online. If you have further questions, please call 269-476-9744 or email program@friedenswald.org.

Cost: Standard Rate $175, Private Room Rate $225, Commuter/Saturday Only $100