A huge welcome to our 2025 “Garden of the Heart” retreat of worship and creativity. Our vision for Atelier is to “pursue the presence of God through the arts” and “disciple a generation one by one” in the process. During our time together we will seek to touch this vision by committing to a shared rhythm of prayer, worship & creativity. Everything we do gives us an opportunity to worship: be it in the prayer room, in communal times of sung worship, in eating together, washing up, time alone or by exploring our artistic craft and engaging in workshops.

The theme for this year is “Garden Of The Heart.” Our God is an artisan God, a gardening God. He made you beautifully and masterfully. He made you to see his garden grow in the brokenness of our world. But first we must allow him to tend the garden of our own hearts. Proverbs 4:23 says “Watch over your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life.” We love this imagery of our hearts being like a garden. Wild. Beautiful. Barren. Abundant. Every area an area for potential growth, change, transformation and glory.

And so a question... What kind of garden is growing in your heart? Is it abloom with wildflowers and wildlife? Or have you left it unattended? Perhaps weeds have come in and pushed back the potential for growth and change? Perhaps your heart feels like a bubbling river is about to burst forth or maybe it feels more like a barren wasteland and a lonely place? Perhaps it is simply a place of function and utility rather than beauty and play. If you’re anything like me it feels like all of those places and more. Wherever you find yourself, we simply ask you to come with a heart that is open, hands that are willing to try and a desire to gaze upon the beauty of our Gardening God - Father, Son & Holy Spirit. In doing so we are confident that something special, sacred, beautiful will take place in you and through you during and beyond these 10 days together. Van Gogh once said “There is nothing more truly artistic than to love people.”

As we journey together this week, perhaps that is the most artisan and creative act we can do together - to love one another. From that place we are confident we will create beautiful things for God but more importantly find his beauty forming and bringing forth a new garden within us. We are full of expectation for all the Lord will do in our time together and we hope you are also. We’re so glad you are here,

Jon + Anna, Ryan + Karen (The Atelier Create Team)

Towards the end of our week, we want to invite you to fast one thing on this day. Some of you will be familiar with fasting, for others, this maybe the first time you’ve done it. If it’s your first time, start small. We’ll talk more about this during the week.

On our last day we will move from fasting to feasting and celebration. As artists we get to tell the story of the new Garden that is ever growing. We get to ‘Remember The Future’ and show that to the world we live in. We will spend our final day together celebrating God’s goodness, beauty and all that has taken place during our time together.