About Us
Have you been feeling the daily grind slowly bringing you down? The normal every day stresses of finance, family, work, relationships, and just adulting in general wear on us over time. No matter if your life is perfect or perfectly not, the problem with life is that it is just so DAILY!
Take care of yourself. Take time to unplug from life's stresses. Mentally, emotionally, and most of all spirtually, we need to retreat away from the masses, just like Jesus did, to recharge our batteries!
This Christian retreat experience (like youth camp, but for the whole family) held in a retreat setting for the sole purpose of providing an opportunity to focus on Jesus outside your normal routine. Whether you are an infant or a young adult or a wiser young adult, a full day’s schedule is planned for all ages that is full of fun, fellowship, and Jesus.
About Us
To understandus we must look at our roots, starting with the founder’s vision is of most importance. E. Stanley Jones was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1884. He was a missionary to India from 1907 until he died in India January of 1973. His core motto was “Jesus is Lord” fueled his mission to present Jesus Christ as Christ for all, belonging to all cultures and races and the answer to ALL human needs. His audience was interested in this Christ. His first book, Christ of the Indian Road, published in 1925 – made this point clear. For Jones it was not the superiority of Christianity, but the all-sufficiency of Christ that was the foundation of Christian ministries.
During his life, he authored 28 books giving all of the proceeds to scholarship funds. He was Time Magazine’s 1938 “World’s Greatest Missionary Evangelist”, award recipient of the Gandhi Peace Prize in 1961, twice nominated for the Nobel Peace prize, confidant and informal advisor to Franklin D. Roosevelt, received honorary degrees from Duke and Syracuse Universities, and a family man.
His impact was far reaching. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was honored by Boston University at a convocation prior to his leaving for Sweden to receive the 1964 Nobel Peace prize. At the reception following, Dr. King was introduced to Jones’ family members. Dr. King immediately became very serious and said, “Your father was a very important person to me, for it was his book on Mahatma Gandhi that triggered my use of Gandhi’s method of non-violence as a weapon for our own people’s freedom in the United States.”
In 1940, Jones was in the US during World War II. He could not stand idle though not allowed to travel back to India. During this time, he established retreats whose setting was designed for spiritual focus and disciplined reflection. Jones designed the structure and centered it on Christ, devoted to Scripture, prayer, worship, and honest dialogue.
These gatherings were not conferences. They were intentional environments. Days set aside for reflection, teaching, dialogue, prayer, and community. A rhythm that allowed people to encounter Christ beyond routine religion and rediscover faith in a deeply personal way.
Almost 100 years later TWELVE3 carries that same foundation forward.
We have grown into a new expression of that original vision, grounded in the same principles of retreat, reconciliation, and spiritual formation, while speaking directly to the realities of this generation. Our gatherings are designed to help individuals, families, and young adults unplug from the constant pace of life and reorient around Christ.
At TWELVE3, you will find:
- Christ centered teaching rooted in Scripture
• Structured time for reflection and prayer
• Meaningful small group discussion
• Multigenerational community
• Space to rest, reset, and be renewed
We believe retreat is not escape. It is alignment. Jesus withdrew to quiet places to pray, to refocus, and to prepare for what was ahead. We follow that pattern, creating intentional time away so that what happens in retreat strengthens what happens in everyday life.
The mission remains what it has always been: reconciliation between God and humanity, renewal of the heart, and formation of lives that reflect the way of Jesus.
Same foundation. Renewed expression. A retreat experience for today, built on a legacy that spans generations.
