Re-Connect: rooted - connected - alive

The retreat weekend at Loccum Monastery, which was attended by 20 women, was all about connection.

They were welcomed by Indra Grasekamp on behalf of the Evangelical Lutheran Missionary Organisation in Lower Saxony (ELM) and the Evangelical Women*. She introduced her team and opened the days with warm words.

The round of introductions made it clear just how colourful the group was: the women introduced themselves to each other with objects that told a personal story. "My rucksack has always been with me and symbolises many things in my life," said one of them. "For me, it's the songs that belong to me," said another. Pocket knives, angels, crochet hooks, shells, books, stones and much more were gathered in the centre of the room - small symbols of the diversity that characterised the group.

The thematic introduction was organised by ELM speaker Waldemar Rausch. With impulses from his project "Waldklang - One & All", he introduced the participants to Joanna Macy's "Spiral of work that reconnects": Gratitude - honouring the pain - seeing with new eyes - moving on transformed. From the very first exchange on these terms, it became clear how much vitality there was in the group. The women talked to each other openly and respectfully, shared personal experiences and later also brought difficult things before God together.

Another element of the weekend was the Ruminatio. Under the guidance of Conny Müller, Psalm 8 was read in different voices. The women took up individual verses for themselves, let them resonate in their own hearts and thus discovered the words of the psalm in a completely new way.

On Saturday, creativity and closeness to nature took centre stage: after an inspiring time in the monastery forest, the women used chalk, clay and natural materials to create works that expressed what had moved and resonated within them.

In addition to content-related impulses, the weekend was characterised by the community. The evening explorations of the church space invited participants to experience the monastery church and cloister with all their senses. Small tasks, quiet moments and the sound of the saxophone opened up new perspectives.

The event concluded with a lively church service, which the group prepared together. The experiences of the days were expressed in candlelight, the celebration of communion and in song. The bond that had grown was palpable.

Strengthened, rooted and full of new impressions, the participants said goodbye to Loccum - and are already looking forward to seeing each other again at the next retreat weekend.