Why don’t you allow those who are not married to come to Respite Retreat?

We feel called to a specific mission in this ministry—to help husbands and wives figure out how they are going to get through their grief together. Husbands and wives tend to grieve very differently, and the loss of a child puts a unique kind of pressure on a marriage. So in some ways, this is more of a marriage retreat specifically for couples who have faced a death of a child than it is a grief retreat.

We know this is very disappointing and perhaps even offensive to single parents who have lost children and long for the companionship and healing a weekend like Respite Retreat at the River could provide. We agree with you that someone should offer something like this. But we have our hands full with what we believe we’re specifically called to and equipped for. We think it would be terrific for a single parent who has experienced God working in his or her life following the death of a child to host such a retreat that addresses some of the unique challenges of going through this loss without a spouse. Perhaps you are, or will one day be, that person.