Fourth annual Christian Ashram retreat set for Jan. 24-26 at West Virginia Wesleyan College

West Virginia Wesleyan College’s Office of Spiritual and Religious Life will host the fourth annual WVWC Christian Ashram from January 24-26, 2025, at the Greek Alumni Room in the Virginia Thomas Law Center for the Performing Arts.

West Virginia Wesleyan College is the only college or university in the United States to host a Christian Ashram for its students, faculty, staff and alumni.

A Christian Ashram is a retreat focused on one’s relationship with God. These retreats are designed to help attendees grow in faith through worship, teaching and witness; receive spiritual renewal through prayer, healing and sharing; experience life in an ecumenical, Christ-centered fellowship; and enjoy a relaxed atmosphere while experiencing “the Kingdom of God in miniature.”

Ashrams are nondenominational, but the Christian Ashram was started by a Methodist missionary named E. Stanley Jones, who served in India and became close friends with Mahatma Gandhi. Jones modeled the Christian Ashram after the Hindu Ashram.

Registration begins at 5:15 p.m. in the Greek Alumni Room featuring a free coffee bar on Friday, January 24, and the Christian Ashram concludes Sunday, January 26 at noon in the Greek Alumni Room. Dr. Justin Bowers, pastor of New Community Church, will perform during worship on Saturday. The Christian Ashram is free to all current students at WVWC. All others will need to pay for their meals if they choose to eat on campus.

For more information, contact Jonathan Acord, Dean of the Chapel, at acord.j@wvwc.edu or Dr. Becky Swisher at swisher_r@wvwc.edu.