A New Chapter for SonScape
by Giles Armstrong | President
We celebrate busyness as a virtue, yet desperately seek rest.
We wear exhaustion like a badge of honor, as though being constantly occupied proves that our lives matter. We fill our calendars, answer every notification, hurry from one obligation to another, and then wonder why we are too tired to enjoy the life we are working so hard to build.
Somewhere along the way, productivity became confused with purpose and activity with significance. We have become uncomfortable with stillness because stillness forces us to confront a question that busyness allows us to avoid:
What if being busy is not the same as being fruitful?
A full schedule can hide an empty soul and a life crowded with activity can still be tragically short on meaning. Perhaps rest is not the reward for a life well lived; perhaps it is part of what makes a life worth living.
This is at the heart of why SonScape exists.
Over the years, something unexpected has happened at SonScape Retreats. Often, when a couple attends, one spouse is serving in paid ministry while the other is not. Yet we regularly hear that the retreat was deeply meaningful—not simply because they were supporting their spouse, but because they personally needed the retreat too.
They tell us how refreshed they felt, how meaningful the conversations were, and how valuable it was to step away from the demands of everyday life and reconnect with God. Some have even said, “I wish I could have had an opportunity like this even if my spouse wasn’t serving in ministry.”
Those conversations caused us to pause and listen.
We have come to recognize that the need for spiritual renewal, rest, and meaningful community is not limited to those serving in traditional ministry roles. Christian business owners, executives, entrepreneurs, teachers, healthcare providers, and other professionals are faithfully living out their calling while carrying significant responsibilities and pressures.
They lead companies, care for patients, teach, employ people, make difficult decisions, provide for families, and serve their communities. Through it all, they are seeking to follow Christ and live out their faith.
But who creates space for these leaders to be renewed?
Beginning in 2027, SonScape will offer two retreats lead by Giles and Angel, specifically designed for Christian leaders serving outside of paid ministry (March 17-21 and September 22-26). This is not a move away from our original calling. Our commitment to pastors, missionaries, ministry leaders, and their spouses remains at the heart of SonScape. The majority of our retreats will continue to focus on those serving in paid ministry. We believe we can broaden our reach without compromising our ministry to those in ministry.
We are not replacing one ministry with another. We are creating additional opportunities for more people to experience the rest, renewal, meaningful connection, and spiritual refreshment that SonScape was created to provide.
These new retreats will give marketplace leaders space to slow down, step away from the noise and demands of everyday life, reconnect with God, and build authentic relationships with others who understand the pressures of leadership. They will have time to reflect on their faith, calling, families, and the people they influence every day.
We believe the impact can reach far beyond the retreat itself. When a leader is renewed, the people they lead are impacted.
We want SonScape to be a place where leaders can come tired and leave strengthened—refreshed in their faith, renewed in their calling, and ready to pour into the people and places God has entrusted to them.
Thank you to those who make this ministry possible and, to those who are not yet connected, we want to invite you to be part of what God is continuing to do through SonScape. Investing in the renewal of a leader is an investment in everyone that leader influences. If you know of a leader that would benefit from a SonScape retreat, please have them reach out at 888.766.7227 or share our website with them. This is not a departure from the SonScape mission. It is an opportunity to see that mission reach even further.
International Retreats Update
Rob and Shini Abraham | International Retreat Leaders
Our Spanish retreat leaders in Colombia (Félix and Yury Mendez) were in a prayer meeting on the fourth floor of their ministry building when the 7.4 magnitude earthquake hit Colombia in August. In the midst of the chaos and devastation, they all managed to evacuate safely, but neighbors experienced personal losses and devastation. While they remain displaced till their own ministry building is repaired, their team remains deeply involved in serving the needs of their community – offering soul-care, counsel and comfort to many, alongside of the relief efforts that continue.
With the retreat venue having suffered damage and following uncertainties, the Mendezes worked with each retreat guest and the venue owners to successfully reschedule their August retreat for October. And in the midst of all this, they ministered to the owners and guests who had also experienced loss and trauma.
We see more than ever that our retreats are a lifeline to those who serve on the frontlines overseas. Pray for our international retreats team as they continue serving with Spanish retreats in Colombia, Guatemala, and Mexico. With political instability, natural disasters, and persecution impacting so many globally, the work includes increasing challenges. Pray for our team as we discern the way forward in serving those in Central Asia and the Middle East where the needs continue to increase with little or no access to the kind of care that is offered by SonScape.
“I came to the retreat feeling busy and stressed. But I leave seen and heard, refreshed and renewed. God in His great love and care reached me in ways I wouldn’t have ever heard or known without this week!”
– recent international guest
The SonScape Experience
by SonScape Alumni
Ben Saffrin
Pastors and ministry leaders spend their lives serving those around them and rarely take the time to care for their own souls. My spiritual health is my own responsibility and the team at SonScape helped us see that it is not only okay to take care of yourself, it is biblical. The team here gave us practical and biblical wisdom on how to live this out. Along with the group sessions, we were given plenty of time to process, to relax, and explore the beautiful area! My wife and I look forward to returning again in the future!
Ana Saffrin
This was such a great time of refreshment and rest for our marriage. It was time well spent processing what is going on in this season of our lives and ministry. I loved the personal insight we got into each of us and the tangible advice to hang on to as we go back home. God definitely spoke through the retreat leaders to get to the deep parts of our hearts, and he used the hosts to help us feel loved and at rest. The setting and environment was so peaceful, pleasant, and so beautiful! If we wanted to stay in and rest, we were able to do it surrounded by quiet beauty. And if we wanted to go explore, everything was so nice and close to go see. I know we will look back at this time with such gratitude and fondness. What a great way to start our 14th year of marriage. Thank you, SonScape Retreats!
Focus on the Family Gathering at SonScape
It was a privilege to host the counselors from Focus on the Family at our facility, with 27 members of their team coming together for a meaningful time of connection, encouragement, and team building. Our President, Giles Armstrong, was also honored to share the vision of SonScape and the heart behind what we do.
Beyond the activities and shared experiences, what made the gathering especially meaningful was the opportunity for this dedicated team to step away from the demands of their work and simply enjoy one another.
We are grateful that SonScape could be a small part of creating a lasting team-building memory for people who spend their lives investing in and caring for others. It was a special time of laughter, fellowship, shared vision, and strengthening relationships—an experience we hope they will carry with them for years to come.
PTL . . . no more deck staining!
We are so pleased with the progress and quality of workmanship for our deck replacement project! A couple of local guys that grew up in the area and now have their own deck business have been installing maintenance-free decking at SonScape. The deck of the retreat center is completed as well as three of the four guest suite decks. Only one more guest suite deck and front walkways yet to be completed!
