From early days of the Church people have drawn apart to spend time with God. Conscious of the great benefits which have been found through this experience men and women have formed groups within their own denominations to make this experience more widely known and available. These groups within Britain came together to form the Retreat Association, to foster and develop the rich and diverse expression of Christian spirituality.
We believe the Holy Spirit is at work in our society, creating in many people a desire to discover inner peace and harmony. That same Holy Spirit is making us more open to a wealth of deep insight which has developed within our separate Christian traditions and is giving us a desire to learn from one another. There is also a growing respect for the insights of other world religions.
We are being challenged to see that spirituality is concerned, not only with our own personal salvation, but also with the whole of life, with justice, social order, the use of the natural resources of our earth and the enabling of all people to grow into the fullness of their potential. This is also a period when the Christian denominations of our land are drawing together and are reaching a vital new stage in their search for unity.
We come together as an Association so that we may be able to respond better to the movement of the Spirit in all these developments and be part of them.
Working together with the Association as autonomous groups, we use our interdependence to:
Our organisation is of value only insofar as it is able to serve individual seekers, interested groups, and the Christian denominations to which we belong.
Representing, as we do, many different Christian traditions, we are united in seeking to emphasise the vital importance of the growth to wholeness through the regular rhythm of involvement and withdrawal, reflection and discernment, service and adoration, after the example of our Lord Jesus Christ. We seek to reflect this balance in the way in which we conduct our own affairs.
Our purpose is to offer a deeper understanding of prayer and its place in the unfolding of life's journey. We walk alongside each other, our fellow Christians and all sincere women and men as we journey on our way towards the Kingdom in this world and the reality to come.
We call upon the Holy Spirit to challenge and renew us continually, leading us into deeper unity and directing and empowering our work which we seek to do in the Name and to the Glory of the Triune God.
Reaffirmed July 2001