All Church Retreat
Life Together – Fall 2026
NSCBC will be hosting a retreat for all ages on Friday, October 23 through Sunday, October 25 at Camp Brookwoods in Alton, New Hampshire.
Staff and members of our church family will lead us through aspects of what “life together” looks like when rooted in Christ. There will be intergenerational corporate worship and teaching as well as plenty of crafts, games, hikes, s’mores, and fellowship.
See below for detailed information regarding location/directions, schedule, and packing list.
Location and Directions
The retreat will be held at Camp Brookwoods:
34 Camp Brookwoods Road, Alton, NH 03809
Camp Brookwoods is about a 1.5-2 hour drive away (depending on traffic). When turning off of route 28, the turn comes up quickly, so stay alert and follow your GPS directions.
A note: Camp Brookwoods and Deer Run are two camps that share a property. There are two main buildings: Deer Run Lodge (log cabin style building) and Brookwoods Lodge (large white building). We have use of Deer Run Lodge and will be eating at Brookwoods Lodge.
Click here for the Brookwoods Campus Map.
The Camp Brookwoods Office can be reached at (603) 875-3600.
If you get lost, call someone on the planning team:
- Lissa Whitley: 978-338-6167
- Kristin Gelinas: 978-578-5252
Our Speakers
Teal serves as the Director of Community Formation for The Veritas Forum. After earning her BA in English at the University of Mary Washington, Teal earned her MA in Religion from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Teal spent a rewarding five years in campus ministry at Harvard University before joining the Veritas team. She has loved living in a quintessentially New England seaside town with her husband, Jeff, where she can be found hanging out with young adults or cats, reading in front of a fireplace, or drinking iced coffee year-round.
Jeff is a pastor who serves as a priest in the Anglican Church. After studying engineering at Purdue, Jeff made the only logical decision to pursue musical theatre in New York City. Following six years of acting, singing, and dancing(?), he joined the staff of a church. This launched a ministry journey that included a stop at Gordon-Conwell where he and his wife, Teal, attended NSCBC! His life has been dramatically changed through spiritual formation practices, many of which continue to serve as the foundation for intimacy with the Triune God. On his time off, Jeff can be found sitting by the water with a delicious cup of coffee, enjoying nature, riding the rollercoaster of Purdue sports, or discussing life and praying by a fire.
Schedule
The retreat will be held from Friday evening, October 23, until after lunch on Sunday, October 25.
- Check-in will be between 5:30 and 7:30pm at Deer Run Lodge. Look for signs!
- If you are unable to arrive within that window, please let us know by emailing deacons@nscbc.org.
- Please note: Dinner is not included on Friday night, so please plan to either eat before leaving or stop for dinner on your way.
We will have several fun activities typical to a camp experience (Polar Plunge, hiking, rock wall, ultimate frisbee, outdoor games, etc.). We also have a craft area if you want to bring something you’re working on to enjoy with others. There will be free time and space for board games, so if you have a favorite, feel free to bring it along!
Sample Schedule
Below is a sample schedule from our 2025 Retreat. Stay tuned as we will be updating this schedule for 2026.
| Friday | |
|---|---|
| 5:30-7:30pm | Check-in window |
| 7:30pm | Welcome Bonfire (& s’mores) |
| Saturday | |
| 7:30am | Prayer Walk |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 10:00am | Large Group Session 1 |
| 11:15am | Free time / Kickball |
| 12:30pm | Lunch |
| 1:30-4:30pm | Free time Various activities including hiking, Polar Plunge, boating, rock wall, fiber arts, and board games. |
| 4:30pm | Large Group Session 2 |
| 5:30pm | Dinner |
| 7:00pm | Bonfire |
| 8:30pm | Bunco, board games, and card games |
| Sunday | |
| 7:00am | Self-guided prayer time |
| 8:00am | Breakfast |
| 10:00am | Sunday Worship |
| 12:30pm | Lunch |
| 2pm | Departure |
Packing List
- Clothing: Warm, weather-appropriate clothing (hat, gloves, layers, jacket).
- Weather permitting, there are some water activity options like kayaking/swimming so bring a swimsuit if you’d like.
- Also weather permitting, hiking and other outdoor activities are available, so bring appropriate clothing/shoes.
- Bedding:
- Bunk Rooms: You must bring your own bedding or sleeping bag!
- Family Cabins: You must bring your own bedding or sleeping bag! Family cabins have one queen bed and two twin beds (so bring appropriate bedding). If your child needs a pack and play, please bring your own.
- Hotel-style Rooms: Linens are provided, no need to bring your own (unless you have a favorite stuffed animal or blankie)!
- Toiletries, towel, and shower shoes (each cabin has an attached bathroom)
- Bible (or app), pen, and notebook
- Closed-toe shoes (for hiking and camp activities)
- Water bottle
- Flashlight/headlamp (it will be dark when you first arrive)
- Feel free to bring board games, arts and craft materials, yard games, frisbee, football, etc!
Ride Arrangements
If you indicated that you would need a ride on your registration, you will receive specific information about who you will be riding with.
For everyone else, we would appreciate if you carpool if at all possible, since there is limited parking. So if that is a possibility for you, please consider carpooling with others who are attending (and getting some extra time with others in our body as a bonus)!
Questions?
If you have a question about the upcoming retreat, just fill out this form. A member of our Retreat Planning Team will get back to you.
