FAQ

Can I come for part of the weekend / arrive late / leave early & can I stay off site and day visit?

No. For this weekend to count, and to ensure the 30 spaces go to those who are keen to give the time and space, emergencies notwithstanding, we ask attendees to commit to the whole weekend on site. Please see the next answer for more reason why we ask for everyone to commit wholeheartedly to the event.

Why are you asking men to commit to the whole weekend?

John Edldredge and his team have run this retreat for many years all over the world. Thousands of men have attended and there are numerous testimonies of how it impacts men at a key point in their life. What they have discovered is that those who wholeheartedly commit to coming away from everything in their world for the duration of the retreat, turn off their phone, stay on site, disconnect from work, avoid social media, ignore email and stay focused, get a massive benefit from the weekend.

We also have an adversary who is dead set against men recovering their hearts and becoming fully whole, and if your two feet are in two camps at the same time (your everyday life and all of its concerns, and the other in the retreat weekend) not only will the time investment not have the impact but there is increased chance of things kicking off that will distract you and take you out from the weekend’s focus.

Can I bring my tent / campervan rather than book in for accommodation?

No, sadly we have no facilities to accomodate camping, caravans or camper vans on site. We ask everyone who wishes to come to book into the onsite accomodation at the House of Bread. 

You are asking for me to turn off my mobile for the whole weekend? What about family emergencies?

Yes we are. We will give out an emergency number to all booked-in attendees to give to loved ones in case of an emergency so that if you are genuinely needed in an emergency situation, they can get through to the organisers, and connect with you. This retreat is a call to your inner most heart and to get down to that level then the world’s distractions, which mainly come through our phones these days, need to be put aside if you really want to hear God’s voice speaking to you.

But I will need to be on call for work – is that OK?

We strongly recommend you disconnect from everything. If you are at all able, please ensure your work know you are properly ‘on holiday’, especially on the Friday.

What is the timetable for the 3 days?

We will give you a printed timetable upon arrival that clearly maps out what is happening and when. The weekend is fairly structured, time wise. Normally the Wild at Heart Retreat is a Thursday 6pm through Sunday early afternoon gathering.

We have rescheduled the whole event to run from late morning Friday through late afternoon Sunday. We’ve worked hard to get the balance right between sessions, times of prayer, socialising and meal times. We would ask everyone to stick to the time table so we don’t over run, and don’t miss out on the excellent teaching in the video sessions. 

What time should I arrive, and what time does it end?

Please arrive between 11.30am to 12.30pm Friday 24th April.

Please do not arrive before 11.30am on the Friday as we will still be preparing House of Bread to welcome you. 

We will finish no later than 5pm Sunday to give everyone time to drive home. 

Where do I go when I arrive?

Please come to the Office, adjacent to the Alpha Suite, to register upon arrival, pick up your timetable, the WaH notebook and get your room keys. Settle your kit into your room and then come and congregate in the basement kitchen area in The Mill for lunch at 1pm. We will do opening anouncements over lunch.

Can I stay the night before or the night after at House of Bread and travel the Thursday/Monday?

Sadly not, but you could of course find local accomodation Thursday night or Sunday night so the travel on Fri AM and Sun PM is a shorter distance for you. For those who are travelling in from further away, giving yourself extra space the night before or morning after will help you pace the weekend, but we recognise most can’t do this because of work and family commitments. 

Do I need to buy any course materials?

No, it is all video-led and we do give out a Wild at Heart branded notebook or you to use to make notes and write down what you hear from God over the weekend. Bring a few pens! Please don’t use your phones or other tech devices to take notes on, as part of our encouragement to you to turn off all distraction from devices.

Can I read up on any of this before I come? 

John Eldredge is a prolific author of books. This retreat weekend is based on one of his earliest books by the same name Wild At Heart. That would be a great read in advance, or even after, the retreat weekend.

Will I be able to watch the videos on demand after the weekend is over?

Wild At Heart only release the session videos to organisers who sign up to their programme – because the videos have Hollywood film copyright material in them, and they have had to license it in order to legally include it, so the videos cannot be distributed via You Tube or equivalent. 

Can I bring my bicycle? I understand there are times off?

Where possible we encourage men to spend time together in the designated times off – whether you have come with a few friends you know, or with people you get to know over the weekend. House of Bread can not take any responsibility for any bikes or equipment etc that you bring and have no desingated storage for such items. It might be you enjoy an early morning ride to pray before you get into your day. You are welcome to do this so long as you are back in time for the first planned session on each day, but ideally througout the day please remain with people from the group, except for the times of silent prayer – see below.

What are the times of silent prayer?

Called ‘Covenents of Silence’ the video sessions introduce and explain them. Some of the sessions are immediately followed by times of silence and prayer. Each man goes off from the meeting room to another space in The House of Bread or, weather permitting, outside in the large gardens, to silently pray into the issues and topics raised in the video session. The idea is that as soon as the video ends there is no conversation at all and men walk off. This is all explained in the video sessions, so by the time they occur everyone uderstands what to do. On average they are 45 minutes long. 

Do I need to bring food with me?

No the event is fully catered, Fri Lunch through to Sunday Lunch

I have special food requirements, what do I do?

Please inform us when you book in for the weekend, so that our caterers, who we have booked for the weekend, can ensure your requirements are catered for.

I need to store refridgerated medicine when on site. Are there fridges in the rooms?

The rooms do not have fridges in, but we do have designated places where you may store medicines or other important items that need to be kept cool. Please let us know when you arrive and check in.

I have another question not listed?

Please do get in touch via our contact page and let us know.