New Retreat ‘Time Out’ Launched to Support Busy Mums
A new retreat designed especially for busy mums has recently launched at All Saints Worcester, offering space, stillness and spiritual refreshment amid the demands of family life. The retreat, called Time Out, was born out of prayer, listening and a deep desire to support women who are often juggling many responsibilities.
The idea came from Catherine Wightman, who has been involved with Mainly Music at All Saints for several years. While helping with refreshments, Catherine began to notice the everyday realities being shared—often in passing—by mums navigating work, parenting, and family life.
I've been helping out at Mainly Music for a few years now. I absolutely love it; it's a vibrant community full of love, laughter and joyful little people, with a few tears and kisses better needed now and again. I help with the refreshments, and as I stand there, pouring tea, I sometimes overhear snippets of conversations. It struck me how complicated the lives of busy mums are, juggling work, older children and family life generally. Life seems even more rushed now than it did when I was a working mum. Of course, dads and grandparents play a huge part and we often see them at Mainly as well. But at ASW there is Men Together and the Hubs for the dads, and there is Revive for us older women and those who work flexibly. I felt God was putting these women on my heart.
Out of this sense of calling, Catherine and the Revive leadership team began to explore what might be offered.
As Revive leaders, Di, Helen, Sue and I talked and prayed about what we might do to show our love to these women in our community. We met up with James, who was very supportive. And Time Out was born!
A pilot session was held a few weeks ago at St Helen’s, which was transformed into a calm and welcoming retreat space.
We held a pilot session a few weeks ago. We set up St Helen's as a peaceful retreat space; fairy lights, cushions, prayer prompts and activities, and most importantly, no interruptions, so the 15 women who came along could just spend time with God. We did also start with a nice breakfast on pretty tablecloths! It was a lovely morning and we had some really wonderfully positive feedback.
The aim of Time Out is simple but intentional: to give busy mums permission to pause, to be cared for, and to reconnect with God without pressure or distraction.
Revive hopes to be offering this regularly as a way to show our love and appreciation of busy mums in our ASW community, and how much we value what they do.
Plans are now underway to offer Time Out regularly, as part of All Saints Worcester’s ongoing commitment to nurturing faith, wellbeing and belonging across all stages of life.