The Oaks

Rick Tanski

We took some time to attend the inaugural self-guided retreat at The Oaks Center outside of Ramona, California in September 2020. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from a retreat, a self-guided one, and especially during this...time. If you have a few minutes, read on. If not, get there when you can; you won't be disappointed. The Oaks Center, a beautiful and newly renovated retreat center, infuses a sense of intentionality and purpose into a space lovingly crafted to allow both personal reflection and group interaction (with all the safety protocols of the moment, of course). While it was hard to imagine what a self-guided retreat would look like in general, surprises and special touches met us all along the way. Bearing the inviting design fingerprints of the loving and sophisticated Maria Goff, our room and the common areas evoked a casual and welcoming luxury. The spaces around the location to tuck in or explore brought an added, unexpected depth to our experience. For those of us who participated in the facilitated sessions -choosing to do so or not is the self-guided part- we sat in a huge shady circle under sprawling oak trees. The pool, various athletic courts, trails, tree swings, shady benches, and other amenities were all ours to make use of as we wished. Our retreat agenda itself was deliberately crafted to help us intentionally and purposefully focus, to engage deeply, and to ponder and reflect. The influence of Bob Goff, Miles Adcox, and others is evident throughout the sessions, but the skillful and compassionate facilitation of our guide, Stefanie, encouraged a participant-centered engagement in a wholly personal and intimate level -however deep we wanted that to be. Be warned, though, the opportunity to participate and engage in everything or nothing or somewhere in between produces a tension that each of us has to work out according to wherever we are on our journeys. The Oaks Center was supposed to open in May 2020, but like many of the plans we have, that had to be pushed back. I'm certain given the choice of opening then or now, they would have preferred then. However, the delay served to make the whole experience better. There were little odds and ends awaiting a bit more tweaking, but it was as if the whole of the property and all those who had labored to open it exhaled collectively when we arrived. Their excitement and anticipation were palpable the entire time, and I have no reason to expect anything different in the future.

Steve Holden

My wife and I did a #SelfGuideRetreat together at The Oaks. It was an amazing weekend of #calm #fun #sharing #growing #learning. What a blessing.

Erik Einsetler

Had lots of fun! I went here for winter camp in November 2018 and it was a lot of fun! Staff were nice and open to any question you have. There was lots to do during free time. My favorite one was shooting arrows at the hay bales. The food was awesome and I liked the times where we would go to club and see Jerry talk about bible stories (mostly the Zakheus story). Every now and then, we would do an activity like race scooters or passing a bucket of chocolate syrup without dropping it (yes, it was real chocolate). The only downside was that the pool and water slide weren’t open. Overall a fun filled 3 day weekend!

Emmelin Valerdi

The place and staff are amazizng. I truly love this camp, and while I'm a skeptic, young life just helps deepen your understanding of christianity and fosters a sense of community. It had many array of activities to join into. I'm deeply saddened to see it go.