Water walking
Jan 30 - Feb 1, 2026
In order to wholly step out in faith,
sometimes you have to go water walking...
Water Walking is a spiritual life retreat taking place Friday, Saturday and Sunday, January 30 - February 01, 2026. The gathering will be a time of delightful fellowship, thought-provoking presentations, powerful worship, and a holy invitation to engage with local mission activities.
This event is a great way to turn what would otherwise be a quiet wintry weekend at home into a spiritual vacation with the Lord, without having to even leave town!
Our guest speaker: Rich Hughen
former lay leader of the New England Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church
Ever thoughtful and entertaining, we are blessed to welcome Rich Hughen as our speaker throughout the retreat. He will guide us through conversations designed to challenge us to leave the safety of our everyday shores.
Too often we grow comfortable with our life, with our faith, and with our ministry. Long ago Jesus invited Peter to go water walking. His invitation remains for us as well. Sometimes we need to take that leap of faith. Our conversations and reflections this weekend will give you that extra push you might have been missing.
All members and friends of Living Faith UMC are welcome
Spiritual retreats are just as much a time for connecting internally as growing closer with those in your midst. You will be asked to process ideas and questions designed to nudge you to take a leap of faith. Leaps are easier when you can jump with friends you trust.
This weekend is the perfect opportunity for Living Faith to gather as a whole community and take one big leap together into a new year with new holy opportunities to serve the Lord. Everyone who has a connection to Living Faith UMC is welcome to attend.
Friday: 5:30 - 8:30pm
Saturday: 9am - 3pm
Sunday: 10am - 1pm
Friday evening's portion of the retreat will feature opening worship, settling in, meeting one another, enjoying a delicious meal prepared by church cooks, and beginning processing Water Walking through large and small groups.
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On Saturday, the journey continues. Breakfast will be served at 9am, before a time of morning worship and gathering for more meaningful conversations throughout the rest of the morning and early afternoon.​
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We bring the weekend to a close on Sunday morning with our weekly worship service at 10am. Rich Hughen will be the guest preacher for the morning, tying in all the threads from the retreat into a powerful message sure to encourage you in your spiritual walk. Following worship we will take a small first leap with many opportunities to engage with local missions.
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Afternoon ministry activities:
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Volunteering at the Daily Bread Food Pantry
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Organizing and Serving at the NU2U Clothing Closet
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Building UMCOR Kits for disaster relief
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Visiting homebound church members
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Creating welcome bags for visitors
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Working in a local service project
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Registration: $25
Deadline: January 01,2026
You can register for Water Walking two ways:
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The first is online, there are two links before. The first will lead you to an online fillable form. Please complete that form and then proceed to click the second button. Follow that link to pay electronically with a credit or debit card.
The second way to register is by obtaining a fillable form at the church and paying with cash or check. Be sure to include retreat in the memo line and attach the registration form along with your payment. All mail should be sent to Living Faith UMC, 53 Grove Street, Putnam, CT 06260. The deadline for registrations is January 01,2026
we look forward to water walking with you
If you have any questions related to the retreat, please reach out to Kathi Peterson, the retreat organizer. Her email address is annaneva1@msn.com and her phone number is 860-455-3552. Thank you for taking the time to check this retreat out.