A Short Invitation to the Church

Come and serve.

One August week beside families living with disability.

Joni and Friends Family Retreat
Spruce Lake Retreat, Canadensis

Volunteers and guests, several in wheelchairs, smiling together with a dog outside at a Joni and Friends Family Retreat.
Family Retreat. Photo: Joni and Friends.
“Bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame… so that my house will be full.”Luke 14:21, 23
Life in Christ Church logo

It began with a broken body

Joni and Friends is an evangelical ministry that exists to move the church toward people with disabilities, with the gospel at the center.

Joni Eareckson Tada smiling in her wheelchair in her art studio, holding paintbrushes.

1967

At seventeen, a dive left Joni Eareckson Tada a quadriplegic. She was depressed and could not imagine God using her life.

1976

Her book, Joni, sold more than five million copies in more than thirty-eight languages.

1979

The film introduced more than 250,000 people to Christ. That year friends answered mail at a dining table and opened the ministry.

To glorify God, communicate the gospel, and mobilize the church to serve people living with disability.

Family Retreats began in 1991 so whole families could rest, belong, and hear of Christ. A buddy stays with each person who has a disability. That is what gives parents a real break.

The week we can give is August

Where

Spruce Lake Retreat

5389 Route 447
Canadensis, Pennsylvania

August 2027

The exact dates are not set yet. When Joni and Friends Pennsylvania posts the August week, we will register for that week only.

Volunteers arrive one day early for training.

Two young women in Joni and Friends shirts and lanyards resting their heads together and smiling.
Pennsylvania Family Retreat. Photo: Joni and Friends.

You will be a buddy

Meals, worship, the pool, a walk. No experience is required.

Come ready

Full days, with a break. Background checks are required at age 18 and older.

The recent fee

$550 covered lodging, meals, a shirt, and the program. 2027 pricing comes with the dates.

Christ went toward the people we pass

Luke 14:13

“Invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed.”

Jesus tells the host to change the guest list, not to feel sorry from across the room.

Mark 2:3–5

Four friends carried a paralyzed man to Jesus and opened the roof. He saw their faith.

For one week, we are those friends. We are not the Savior. We carry people toward him.

1 Corinthians 12:22

“The parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.”

People with disabilities are not lesser in worth. They are image-bearers. A full sanctuary can still be an incomplete body.

A Willing Heart

Come only if your heart is in it.

We want people who want to serve these families. If August is not on your heart, pray for those who go. A willing yes is the only yes we need.

The Encouragement

God uses friends, not heroes.

You will be trained. You will not do this alone. You will not come home the same.

  1. 1Pray

    Come if your heart is for these families. A pressed yes helps no one.

  2. 2Come as a team

    A household or a church group serves more steadily.

  3. 3Tell them

    pennsylvania@joniandfriends.org
    (717) 522-1467