FRANCE DETAILS + COSTS

WHAT KIND OF TRIP IS THIS?

If someone asked, “What is the heart of this trip?” we would describe it like this:

Our heart for you personally

Our hope for every person who comes is that this week becomes a deeply formative spiritual experience. Through rhythms of prayer, worship, shared meals, and unhurried time with God, we want each participant to encounter the presence of the Holy Spirit in a way that brings renewal, healing, and deeper identity as a beloved child of God.

While this trip includes elements of retreat and reflection, it is not only about personal renewal. Throughout the week we also join in the mission of God alongside a local church community in Caen—praying for and encouraging their leaders, building relationships with their people, and serving alongside them in their rhythms of prayer, worship, and weekend ministry.

Creative expression—through music, art, writing, photography, and other forms—becomes one of the tools we use to listen to God, worship together, and build meaningful connections with one another and the church we are serving.

Our heart as a church

As Frontier Church, our vision is not simply to host an inspiring trip, but to cultivate a long-term missional friendship with a local church in France. Each year we return not merely as visitors, but as partners—learning from the faith, courage, and ministry of our friends in Caen while also offering encouragement, prayer, and practical support to the work they are doing across France and Europe.

We come to receive and to give. To listen and to serve. To strengthen one another in the shared mission of Jesus.

Our heart for others

Part of the vision of this trip is to create a space where creatives—both followers of Jesus and those still exploring faith—can experience the beauty of God through creativity, community, and spiritual openness. Creativity has a unique way of opening the heart, and we believe it can become a bridge through which people encounter the love and presence of Christ.

WHEN: June 23-June 29, 2026

WHERE: BETHANIE, NORMANDY, FRANCE

• 319 La Hanoudière, Heutevent, 14140 Livarot Pays D’Auge, Calvados, France

COST: does NOT include travel (These costs are estimates with exact costs being given by April)

• $699/adults (13+)

• $199/child (5+)

• $99/childcare fee for those under 5 (we plan to have childcare during sessions available;)

• Additional Days at Bethanie:

  • $75/day per adult

  • $40 per child 5+

  • No charge for children under 5

INCLUDES: Lodging, food (2 meals/day), and retreat, creative arts sessions & materials, teaching, as well as trip admin, a small gift for the missions base, and childcare during training sessions. This cost does not include lunches, other meals when traveling, or travel costs of airfare or rental car.

TRAVEL: We ask everyone to book their own travel (we can connect everyone for those that want to travel together & share car rentals, etc). Typically, flying into Paris CDG and renting a car is cheapest/simplest. It’s approximately a 2.5 hour drive from Paris.

• Please arrive at Bethanie by evening of Tues, June 23.

• The “program” will run Wed, June 24 through Sunday, June 28… check out will be Monday morning, June 29.

THE HEAVENLY KINGDOM EXCHANGE

One of the most remarkable things we have seen over the years is what we call a “Kingdom exchange.”

Every time we come to France, we arrive hoping to bless and strengthen the local church—but again and again we discover that we receive just as much as we give. The courage, faith, and perseverance of our friends in France inspires and strengthens us, while our presence, prayer, and encouragement brings fresh momentum and joy to their work.

It becomes a beautiful exchange of grace:
we come to bless, and we leave deeply blessed.

What to Expect

Each day follows a simple and intentional rhythm designed to help us slow down, listen to God, and enter more deeply into both worship and mission.

• Daily rhythms of prayer and worship
We begin our days orienting our hearts toward the presence and voice of God, stepping away from the noise and pace of modern life.

• Teaching and spiritual formation sessions
Daily teaching from Jon and Anna White, directors of Atelier, exploring themes of identity, worship, and creative expression in the life of discipleship.

• Creative workshops as spiritual practice
Led by artists and practitioners, these workshops invite us to engage creativity as a way of listening to God, responding in worship, and opening space for healing and reflection.

• Prayer and worship gatherings
Hosted by Ryan and Karen Hall of the Franklin Prayer House in the beautiful prayer room at Béthanie, with generous space to linger in worship and intercession.

• Ministry connection with Bless Vineyard Church
Time spent with the local church community in Caen—building relationships, sharing meals, and encouraging the work they are faithfully cultivating in France.

• Reflection and unhurried space with God
Participants will have time to process the teaching through journaling, prayer, art, and walks through the peaceful Normandy countryside surrounding Béthanie.

• Shared meals and table fellowship
Our days are grounded in community as we gather around the table in the Apple Barn to enjoy delicious home-cooked meals and meaningful conversation.

A Week of Formation and Mission

This week is designed as an immersive journey into both God’s heart for us and His heart for the world. As we deepen our identity as sons and daughters of God, we also step into the joy of participating in His mission—encouraging the local church in France while allowing our own lives to be renewed through prayer, worship, creativity, and community.

THE EXPERIENCE

WHAT IF I’M NOT AN ARTIST?

Whether you call yourself an artist or have seen art as part of your retreat or spiritual formation experience in the past – we are all creative, being made in the image of a creator God and we invite you to come to France and get caught up in how much your Father loves you, how much he intends for you, and how incredibly fruitful your life is when you embrace the depths of his love.

You will be surprised at the healing & refreshing that will take place in your life when you intentionally put yourself in a space like this, with a community like this. There is more for you- come & discover it!

KIDS

There will be a special “VBS Style” kids program available and child care during main sessions (pending we reach the minimum number of kids needed). Lodging at Bethanie allows families to stay “on-site” and be accessible and still able to engage in activities, worship, or ministry while children sleep or nap. It is truly a family-friendly environment!

WHAT IS ATELIER CREATE?

“Atelier”: ‘a workshop or studio, especially one used by an artist or designer.’

Atelier is a collective of worshippers & artisans connected globally through friendship and a shared heart to pursue and release the presence of God through the arts.

The journey of the artist is a journey of discovering who we are created to be. When we know our identity as sons and daughters of a loving Father and our art reflects this, we invite people into an experience of love and wholeness; and ultimately an encounter with the living God. We believe that art created through surrender to Jesus has the power to release the kingdom of heaven on earth.

We want to see the Church become the ultimate workshop or studio as it embraces and releases artists to make all things new. Check out their website or instagram.

WHY FRANCE?

As a bit of background, after years of stirring and prophetic words from the Holy Spirit regarding a missional heart for France where we processed possibly moving to Europe, we instead clearly felt the leading to move to LA and plant a church, which launched in fall 2016. We thought our work in France would be put on hold, but we met Jon & Anna White just after planting Frontier as they were in Pasadena for a year at Fuller studying Theology & Arts. We quickly connected on their work & connection to France with Bless Vineyard.

After our first visit to their countryside retreat center called “Bethanie” in 2018, we sensed a strong sense of God aliging our hearts to build relationship with them there in the Normandy region of northern France. While we do not feel this is our exclusive relationship/ministry partnership for Frontier in France or the nations by any means, we do feel it the place & relationship we are meant to really put roots into…

We believe France will be a key foundational nation for Frontier to invest in for years to come. This relationship in France is still in the wonderful beginning season of a journey to ask Holy Spirit what does this look like for us? We sense we are forging new “norms” for the ways a local church partners in the work of the gospel in other nations, particularly Western Europe… France is a complex nation- being western, “Catholic”, post-Christian, agnostic, and a hot-bed of refugee activity, immigration, and political uprising- it is a melting pot of the nations of the world and is fast changing to no longer reflect the nation of old! We hope you’ll consider joining us! -Christian & Sue, Frontier Church Senior Leaders

THE 4 VALUES OF THE BLESS NETWORK AT THE BETHANIE CENTER FOR TRANSFORMATION

NORMANDY, FRANCE