History

The inaugural Laymen’s Retreat took place in 1948 at the Michigan Education Association Camp on St. Mary’s Lake near Battle Creek, sponsored by the Michigan Council of Churches. Approximately 25 participants, mostly from the Lansing and Pontiac areas, attended the first event. The retreat was held at St. Mary’s for several years before relocating to other venues, including Haven Hill Lodge in White Lake, Michigan, and Waldon Woods Resort in Hartland, Michigan. In the early 1970s, the retreat moved to Olivet College, where it remained until 1990 and 1991, when it was hosted at Michigan State University. It returned to Olivet College in 1992, drawn by the distinctive campus environment and the quiet, small-town setting of Olivet, located about 30 miles south of Lansing, Michigan.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, our retreat format adapted as follows: In 2020, we conducted a single evening Zoom session to maintain connection. In 2021 and 2022, we hosted one-day and two-day daytime retreats, respectively, at St. Mary’s Campus in Orchard Lake, Michigan, without overnight stays. In 2023, we resumed a traditional retreat format at Colombiere in Clarkston, Michigan. In 2024, we relocated to our current venue, the Weber Center in Adrian, Michigan.