The Fri 30 Oct –Sat 31 October 2026 Spiritual Retreat for First Timers was so well received that Dr Jimmy Tan decided to accommodate 20 retreatants rather than the usual 16. In fact, it had a waiting list of 14. It was later decided that we would open the space for an additional run of the retreat the next weekend of 6-7 November, and 16 signed up for it. These retreats began at 9am on Friday and ended at 5pm on Saturday.
The registration shows that the retreatants came from a wide range of churches and denominations, indicating a surging interest in silent retreats among evangelical churches. This interest has been well attested to over the last decade. Even Catholic retreat centres receive such signs of evangelical hunger for silence, solitude and prayer.
There were a few elements in the beginners’ retreat. The goal was to familiarise first-timers with the spiritual exercises that were means to a deeper communion with God. Dr Jimmy Tan used Psalm 23 as the text for meditation. The topics covered in the talks were “Silence”, “Spiritual Reading (Lectio Divina)”, “The Examen”, “Spiritual Journaling”. Each talk explained a spiritual exercise and a meditation on a portion of Psalm 23. The retreatants then leave to practice what they heard on their own.
Another vital element is the one-to-one meeting with the spiritual director. In that one-hour meeting, they could share what they experienced in prayer and what surfaced as they pondered the Psalm. Over the two full days of retreat, each retreatant would meet the spiritual director once a day.
A further element is the divine office. These are short prayer times before breakfast, lunch, dinner and before retiring for the night. Reading of scriptures, a hymn, and some responsorial Psalms and prayers. The aim here was to help retreatants experience and cultivate a spiritual habit of turning to God several times a day when they return to ordinary life.
The feedback from the retreatants was very encouraging. They have learned and experienced something new. Some have had meaningful encounters with God. Others have found a place of deeper communion with God. Many gained new insights into prayer and experienced God’s love.
As for Dr Jimmy Tan, Sherry, the administrator, and the five spiritual directors, we were deeply grateful to God for meeting with the retreatants in prayer, and for the joy and satisfaction of witnessing the transforming power of the Spirit. At the end of each retreat, the team felt tired, but it was a joyful tiredness.