“come with me,
by yourselves,
to a quiet place,
& get some rest.”
new room pastors retreat
february 25–27, 2026
black mountain, nc
ridgecrest convention center
why retreat?
Through a catalytic combination of rest, teaching, and fellowship with one another, this retreat will resource our great need for wisdom and courage, for healing and equipping, and all for the sake of our shared work of sowing for awakening in our age.
Nope to tons of speakers with lots of sessions and even more breakouts.
YES to a few sessions with the same uncelebrity speaker and several sensei-retreat guides discerning the Spirit’s work among us.
Nope to high energy loud worship.
YES to stripped down acoustic contemplative song, scripture, and prayer.
Nope to how to’s, must do’s and pro-tips.
YES to one-on-ones, long walks, and friend making.
Best part: Jesus will be among us—in green pastures, beside still waters, restoring our souls—re-fitting us with his easy yoke, retooling our ways to do the work of God in ways that enlarges the work of God in us.
We need this. This is the way. Let’s walk it together.
guides
rich villodas
Rich Villodas is the Brooklyn-born lead pastor of New Life Fellowship, a large, multiracial church with more than seventy-five countries represented in Queens, NYC. His award-winning book, The Deeply Formed Life, was released in 2020, followed by Good and Beautiful and Kind and then The Narrow Path, released in 2024. Rich is one of the primary voices on the Resilient Pastor Podcast where he discusses church leadership, challenges pastors face & leading faithfully in a changing world. He and his wife, Rosie, have two beautiful children and reside in Long Island, New York.
j. d. walt
Renowned Bible teacher and prolific author, John David (J. D.) Walt is the founder and sower-in-chief of Seedbed and author of the Wake-Up Call daily e-mail and podcast. Seedbed exists to gather, connect, and resource the people of God to sow for a great awakening. J. D. serves as pastor of the Gillett Methodist Church in Gillett, Arkansas.
DEE STOKES
speaker, pastor
DAVID DESILVA
Author, Professor
DAN WILT
Author, worship leader
Mark Benjamin
COO, SEEDBED
Lo Alaman
worship leader
Josh Lavender
worship leader
schedule
wednesday
11:00am Check In
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Session 1: J. D. Walt
3:00pm Free Time
5:30pm Dinner
7:00pm Session 2: Rich Villodas
9:00pm Free Time
thursday
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Optional Lab/Convo
• J. D. Walt – Wake-Up Call
• David DeSilva – Loving One Another
• Dee Stokes – Seasons of Waiting
• Dan Wilt – Daily Examen
10:30am Session 3: Rich Villodas
12:00pm Lunch
1:00pm Free Time
5:30pm Dinner
7:00pm Session 4: Rich Villodas
friday
8:00am Breakfast
9:00am Optional Lab/Convo
• J. D. Walt – Wake-Up Call
• David DeSilva – Loving One Another
• Dee Stokes – Seasons of Waiting
• Dan Wilt – Daily Examen
10:30am Session 5: TBD
12:00pm Dismissal
register
$149
Individual Registration
$75
SPOUSE Registration
Please Note:
The $149 registration fee covers event programming, snacks, and a few surprises.
It does not include on-site lodging or meals, which must be booked separately through Ridgecrest using a link sent via email after registration.
Lodging options range from $360–$400 for two nights, and all packages include meals from Wednesday lunch through Friday lunch.