Quiet days give a chance to step outside the normal routine of life, making space for the encounter with God. For some they form part of the rhythm of their life of faith, for others they are a stepping stone on the way to making their first retreat. Many people find it’s most helpful to think of quiet days as “one-off” events, on that day, drawing the nourishment on offer in that moment.

If the intention is to draw nourishment, then a very wide range of things can be rich experiences for a quiet day. They can include spending time with a single passage of scripture, or the readings in the lectionary for that day, or with God in art, nature or story.

In the Reformed tradition, decisions are made by councils of the church, with an understanding that God is active in the meeting. An all-day church or elders’meeting might be an unfamiliar concept, but it can be rich experience to take more time, as something between an “away day” to listen more deeply.