WOMEN’S WEEKEND 2026
A Crowded Table: Agency, Integrity, Identity, Authenticity
With Rev. gretchen sausville
2026 Dates: (3/13 - 3/15) • Ages: 18 +
Rates: $325 (standard cabin) • $365 (cabin with bathroom) • $415 (Guest House)
“The psyches and souls of women also have their own cycles and seasons of doing and solitude, running and staying, being involved and being removed, questing and resting, creating and incubating, being of the world and returning to the soul-place.”
-Clarissa Pinkola Estés
Westminster Woods ensures that all are welcomed, respected, and celebrated at our Weekend Programs. Please email summerprograms@westminsterwoods.org or call 707-874-2426 ext 612 with any questions.
About our 2026 weekend speaker
Rev. Gretchen N. Sausville
Westminster Woods is blessed to welcome Rev. gretchen Sausville as the 2026 Women’s Weekend Speaker! Rev. gretchen N. Sausville is the Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Denver, a role she began April 1, 2023 and served as the pastor of Arvada Presbyterian Church from 2017-2022. She previously served for 10 years as the Associate Pastor and Acting Head of Staff at Westminster Presbyterian Church in West Hartford, CT where she became actively involved in interfaith work with the Jewish Federation of Hartford and IRIS (Integrated Refugee & Immigrant Services). Her extended family has members from the 3 Abrahamic faiths, and she was raised in an interfaith community and attended an ecumenical congregation in NJ.
A graduate of Princeton Theological Seminary and the University of Northern Colorado, gretchen is passionate about preaching and creative worship, helping all generations of people think about faith outside the box, and developing interfaith conversations and partnerships. In 2019, she received her Certificate in Community Organizing from Johnson C. Smith Theological Seminary. She is a northeast native, and loves to travel having lived in CT, CO, CA, and Scotland. She leads interfaith pilgrimages to Palestine, Israel, and Jordan and completed her first Camino in 2017. She is a potter, actor, pet parent, traveler, and yoga instructor and lives by the words of Micah 6:8.
Women’s Weekend 2026: A Crowded Table: Agency, Integrity, Identity, Authenticity
This retreat, A Crowded Table, is inspired by the song Crowded Table by the High Women, a powerful anthem of welcome and belonging often shared in communion. Together, we will explore scripture stories that are rarely told yet deeply transformative; stories that invite us as women to claim our place at the table with courage and faith.
Across the weekend, we will journey through four sessions:
Agency – The daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27) who dared to ask for their inheritance.
Integrity – Queen Vashti (Esther 1) who chose dignity over compliance.
Identity – Mary Magdalene, the first witness to the Resurrection, reclaiming her true story.
Authenticity – Lydia (Acts 16), a leader and businesswoman who embodied hospitality and faith.
Each session will blend storytelling, reflection, and song, leading us toward a shared communion on Sunday. Our table will be abundant and inclusive, with each participant bringing forward names, stories, and symbols of women they wish to honor. Communion will be served person-to-person, reminding us of the sacred power we hold in community.
Throughout the retreat, participants will engage in small groups, creative activities, and prayer experiences. Music will guide our journey, with songs learned each evening and sung together in the culminating service.
This retreat is a celebration of women’s stories, biblical, historical, and personal, woven together into a sacred feast of agency, integrity, identity, and authenticity.
““I always love the community of women I meet at Women’s Weekend. I always feel held in Love as the person that I am, and I believe I was able to return that Love this weekend to others as well. It is such a special time and place of holding one another and our stories… It was so special that the thin place of camp was given space to speak for the Spirit this weekend.”
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Activities
At this rejuvenating retreat, women will experience:
In-depth spiritual presentations led by this year's Women’s Weekend speaker, Cassie Carroll.
Morning Inspire: a musical worship service led by our year-round Inspire team.
Wine and cheese social every evening on our Woods Inn Patio.
A traditional Sunday Morning Worship Service including Communion.
Unlimited access to our prayer chapel.
A chance to listen & be heard in small group conversation.
An afternoon that is yours. Westminster Woods will provide multiple elective sessions which include:
Open elements on our one-of-a-kind challenge course.
A guided walk at Armstrong Redwoods led by our professional Teacher Naturalists.
A yoga class on The Big Green Field
Professional massages
Join us and experience why Westminster Woods is a “Sanctuary for Transformative Experiences” for so many women. Come - you are invited!
Childcare at Womens Weekend
Want to come to Women's Weekend, but need to bring your kids? Our experienced Program Team will be offering childcare during the morning, afternoon, and evening, so you can fully experience the weekends workshops. After registering, email ruth@westminsterwoods.org and let us know if you'll need childcare, how many kids will be coming, and what their ages are. Childcare is included in the price of registration.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Participants can stay in our Guest Houses, Cabins with private bathrooms attached , and Standard Cabins . Check out our lodging information to learn more!
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Yes! After registering, you may email ministries@westminsterwoods.org with the amount you’re requesting and the reason for your request.
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Yes! We have reserved cabins for ADA accommodations. If you require ADA facilities, please contact our Ministries Logistics Coordinator at ministries@westminsterwoods.org.
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Our kitchen accommodates vegetarian diets only. If your diet requires special accommodations, please bring your own food supplements.
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Yes! Westminster Woods always welcomes individuals from all faith backgrounds, including those who are non-religious. This weekend's theology is Christ-centered acknowledging that no one will be turned away from our community. Everyone is recognized, accepted, and celebrated for their individuality. Check out our inclusivity statement on our Mission and Values page for more information.