Objectives of a Work Retreat with Good Works
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The Development of Relationships
Relational engagement is not just a by-product of the service; it is the reason we do what we do. It is the formation of relationships that is transformational. We must constantly be asking ourselves if the “connection” is happening. Connecting people is the heart beat of the mission of Good Works. We must foster, nurture and enable these relationships to take place in each of the contexts into which we are serving.
Part of this relational development is among the group members themselves. We want the Work Retreat to be an opportunity for you to deepen your relationships with one another. In addition, we want you to develop relationships with GW staff, interns and our local volunteers. And we especially want to see you connect with those in the community we are serving.
Service
We also want a Work Retreat to be a time when the group accomplishes something that makes a tangible difference in the lives of those we serve and for the ministry of Good Works. These tasks are an important part of the Work Retreat experience, because the task is the catalyst to transformation and the development of relationships.
Transformation
It is our hope that a Work Retreat experience can be transformational for everyone involved...those being served and those serving.
Planning the Work Retreat
We view the planning of your Work Retreat as a joint effort. While we have a structure we are working with, we also want to be attentive to the unique needs of your group
One-Day Work Retreats can be planned for March-May and September-November each year. These are usually set up for a Saturday, but can be arranged for Wednesdays and Thursdays as well. Arrival time is 8:15 and departure is 4:00 with a break for lunch at 12:00. (We do not plan for half day Work Retreats.)
Your Commitment
Good Works has always developed ministries of loving our neighbors with the commitment of welcoming people from the community to volunteer to serve with staff, interns and the people we are seeking to help. In other words, without you, we don't do what we do. The structures we create are designed to invite people into the community. We are making a commitment to you on the basis that you are making a commitment to Good Works. And it is out of these commitments that we experience the opportunity of helping others.
For a One-Day Work Retreat, any size group from 2-15 people is welcome. For individuals to volunteer there is a separate process. See Good Works Volunteer Opportunities to learn more. If your group is larger than this, talk with us first before proceeding.
The OU Work Retreat Application
The application for a One-Day Work Retreat provides you with some basic information about this initial step and provides us with a basic sense of your group. Once we have your application and deposit, the day you requested will be confirmed and set aside for your group.
OU Work Retreat Team Profile
The Team Profile form provides us with the detailed information about your group that will help us to plan for your Work Retreat. You'll need to provide the following:
- Who is coming: anything you provide is helpful. Age group, special interests or skills are all helpful in planning for who your group will serve.
- Arrival and departure times: This gives us an idea of when we can expect you. Please let us know if we need to make special arrangements for your arrival.
- The goals for your Work Retreat: We want to work with you to meet your goals for this experience.
- The key leaders of your group.
Administrative Fee
...for an Ohio University Work Retreat
May the following serve as a guideline:
The administrative fee for an OU Work Retreat is a $100 deposit, which is due with the application. The receipt of the application and deposit secures the dates of your Work Retreat.
Why an administrative fee?
The administrative fee helps to make Work Retreats possible. The expenses associated with a Work Retreat are significant, including the costs of providing staff oversight, transportation expenses and materials. Most importantly, your support enables the work of our staff, interns and volunteers, including your group, to make a commitment and an impact into the lives of the people in our community. If you find that this amount is too much, please discuss this with us so we can work with you to come up with a more workable option. Your presence with us and the relationships that will form is what is most important to us.
Other Ways To Give
We are grateful for the many ways volunteers give to the greater Good Works community. Here some suggested ways to help:
Orientation
At the center of the Work Retreat experience is the desire to develop relationships that honor God and one another. How we do what we do is more important than what we do and who we are comes before what we do. What follows is an intentional effort to do this.
A One-Day Work Retreat begins with your arrival at 8:15. Once on the Good Works property (located at 7857 Luhrig Road, Athens, OH 45701) you will go to the red building called Hannah House. This is where we will begin our day together getting to know one another.
At 8:30, we will provide a brief orientation to Good Works, providing a little background on the mission of Good Works and how this is fulfilled through our various initiatives. We will give you a glimpse of how your participation in a Work Retreat is also a participation in the mission of Good Works.
Following this, we will discuss the specific areas of service in which you will be involved. This is a great to ask questions about what you will be doing. We will then makes assignments as to who will be serving in what area.
Meals with Good Works
We believe that sharing a meal together is a context for experiencing community, especially when our meals go across cultural, economic and social boundaries. These meals are an opportunity for us to come together to be nourished physically and spiritually. And together we give thanks. Your group is assisting us in making this experience possible.
What we are asking from you...
Each day for lunch, we seek to bring the community together for a shared meal. It is a pause in the day to experience who we are as community. The meal is a reminder that we have been brought into a community.
We ask that you would prepare a lunch for everyone to participate in. This includes the members of your group, GW staff, interns and volunteers. This will also include the people we are serving: who are struggling with poverty. Our Transformation Station volunteers and those we serve in Neighbors Helping Neighbors could also be participating in the meal. It is difficult to estimate how many people this will be on any given Saturday, but you can consider 5-10 people in addition to your group as a starting place. As we get closer to your Work Retreat day, we can provide a more specific number.
The Meal
The meal itself can be as simple or as elaborate as you want. Having a lunch of sandwiches and chips is enough to create the community experience we are seeking. Groups have also had someone come who spent the morning preparing a special lunch for everyone to enjoy. We welcome those who are so gifted. Either expression is a gift to the community.
Good Works can also contribute to this meal. You may use the food in our food pantry to assist with the meal preparation. We often have an abundance of condiments that can also be used.
Gratitude
The intentional practice of gratitude is part of the meal experience with Good Works. Before we begin filling our plates with the food that has been provided and prepared by you, we offer thanks. This is done by sharing our name and something we are grateful for at this particular moment. Gratitude changes our perspective or our current situation, creating the opportunity to see things from a different perspective.
Stewardship
We are intentional to limit waste by both composting and recycling when possible.
You can contribute by doing the following:
Thank you!
Thank you for providing this meal! We recognize that we are asking a lot from our groups to provide this meal. We thank you in advance for the extra effort you make to move this from just eating lunch to creating a community experience over a meal.
Service During the Work Retreat
Our acts of service - our good deeds - arise out of a life lived with gratitude..
We offer ourselves to others out of gratitude for what we have received.
We overflow!
Our acts of service truly are offerings of gratitude. There is something transforming that takes place in us when we in humility offer to help another in a way that honors their dignity. We give and we received in a way that honors the relational connection between us and those around us.
Areas of Service
Throughout your Work Retreat with us, you will be involved with several GW initiatives seeking to love our neighbors. In each of these, we view the service experience as a catalyst to the development of a relationship.
You will be serving our elderly and disabled neighbors with needs they have on their property. We seek to address many needs, some as simple as mowing and yard work, and other skilled tasks such as building a ramp or replacing rotting floors.
Good Works Development and Maintenance Projects
With the help of many volunteers, Good Works has grown in its capacity to respond to the needs of people in our community who are struggling with poverty through community based initiatives. These volunteers have also helped us to keep these properties in good order, keeping them safe for the community. Your group will be involved in these throughout the Work Retreat.
If a Saturday Work Retreat will not work for your group, you might consider being a Sponsoring Group for our community meal called Friday Night Life. This involves providing and preparing a meal for 50-60 people. Let us know if this is something you are interested in.
GW Staff and Interns with Your Group
Your group will be serving alongside our staff and interns. We have several objectives in our leadership role with your group:
Facilitate the Formation of Relationships
During a Work Retreat, there are many contexts in which you will be present with the people - our neighbors - whom we are loving and serving. We will help you develop a relationship with our friends during your time with us.
Supervise the Overall Experience
Our staff and interns will oversee the project assigned to your group. We ask that you be attentive the GW leadership provided. The staff or intern are responsible to make sure you have safe, working equipment available. We also want to make sure that the necessary materials are on site to the best of our ability, though it is not unusual to make additional trips for unexpected material needs.
Be attentive to safety issues
It is our priority to keep everyone safe. We do all that we can to create a safe environment for the members of your group. If we see unsafe behavior or situation, we will do our best to address this quickly and with respect. You can help us keep people safe by using your eyes and ears as well.
Other Volunteers Serving
Good Works has many individual a group volunteer opportunities. All of these have the mission of Good Works — to connect people from all walks of life with people struggling with poverty so that the kingdom of God can be experienced — as a central focal point. On average, we have about 1000 volunteers participating in these volunteer opportunities each year. It is our desire that at some point during your Work Retreat you will connect with these other volunteers.
Our interns have made a commitment to the community for the sake of growing in their discipleship journey with the Lord. There are several internships with which you may intersect:
Summer Internship - an intensive 9-week experience leading our summer Work Retreat groups, living in the Hannah House.
Hannah House Internship - a part-time internship for those still in school of varying lengths while living in the Hannah House.
Week of Service - this is a week-long volunteer opportunity for anyone 16 and older who wants to experience the community of Good Works while living in the Hannah House.
Other Groups
Occasionally we have more than one group present at a time. This could be a family who is staying in the Hannah House with you. Sometimes another volunteer group will be present.
These individual volunteers make a commitment to volunteer with us for a certain period of time, coming out once a week or once a month.
Our Transformation Station volunteers create the opportunity for the members of your group to move from "doing for" to "doing with". Rather than serving the poor, you come alongside and serve with someone who is struggling with poverty but who is trying to access a resource to help themselves. Transformation Station creates the opportunity for people to enter into a volunteer capacity and building relationships with others, while at the same time accessing items that have been donated to Good Works: vehicles, appliances, bicycles and food. Your group members are simply volunteering alongside them and sharing a meal with them during lunch times.