A Guided Personal Spiritual Retreat at The Cove

by Kim · Published November 22, 2022 · Updated December 8, 2022

We attended a three-day retreat at Billy Graham’s Retreat Center, The Cove.

While we were in Asheville this past July we attended a dinner and concert at The Cove Training and Retreat Center. (You can read more about that here.) I had never heard of The Cove prior to that. After looking at the list of events they offer, Dale and I decided to attend a Guided Spiritual Retreat November 14-17.

However, in order to be in Asheville during that time I had to do some schedule finagling. We left Maine at the end of October, spent four days in Williamsburg, Virginia, pet sat in Durham for a week, stayed in an Airbnb in Asheville for three days, then checked in to the Cove. It was a neat “coincidence” that the owner of the Airbnb has worked at the Cove for the last 29 years!

There is a display under the chapel that describes Billy Graham’s ministry from start to finish.

The more I know about the ministry of Billy Graham, the more I admire him (and Ruth). The Cove is a reflection of his heart for sharing the Gospel. Every opportunity is given to attendees to hear and respond to the good news. Another neat thing is that the programs do not cost anything. If you stay at the Cove, you pay for your room and board, but the event is free. And, if you are a pastor, everything is free, I believe. Find out more here. The food is delish and the rooms cozy. It’s affordable too.

The lobby was a lovely place to sit. We saw people visiting, meeting and praying in this area.

We had about 20 people from several states in our retreat group. We would spend time in a large group and in groups of three for discussion and prayer. The bulk of the time was spent on our own, and there were so many places to spend time alone, both indoors and outside. The last evening, after dinner, a few of us walked through the woods in the dark from the Training Center to the Chapel. It was a fun time.

This is part of our group for the Guided Spiritual Retreat. It was very enjoyable spending time with them.

Dale and I had been praying that God would give us guidance about the coming year. Do we continue traveling? Or settle down? We didn’t receive an answer. I believe Dale and I both felt that the Lord was telling us to focus on him, keep our hearts soft and receptive, and stay obedient. We will know, what we need to know, when we need to know it!

Enjoy these photos!