About Us
About Dayspring Silent Retreat Center
Retreat at Dayspring is a time to be silent and open to an encounter with God in the interior and exterior silence. We believe that our world provides too little time and space for reflection, prayer and contemplation. The silence of retreat is a gift we give ourselves and others who are with us. As Elizabeth O’Connor wrote in Call to Commitment, “Dayspring is a place where each person’s aloneness with God is respected and protected.”
We make a clear distinction between silent retreats and other gatherings such as conferences, lectures and planning sessions. The primary purpose of silent retreat is to foster an atmosphere in which retreatants may be led to a personal encounter with God.
About Our History
In 1953 The Church of the Saviour, an ecumenical church in Washington, DC, purchased the property that is now Dayspring as a place for retreat. Members of the small but committed congregation spent many weekends building the Lodge of the Carpenter, which was dedicated in 1956. A few years later the Inn was completed and overnight retreats began. So Dayspring has been a place of silent retreat for over 50 years; its walls and grounds are soaked in prayer.
The retreat center is now a mission of Dayspring Church, an ecumenical Church in the tradition of the Church of the Saviour located on the Dayspring property. We remain closely connected with all of the other scattered Church of the Saviour churches and are one of several vibrant ministries of Dayspring Church.
Our Wider Community
Dayspring Silent Retreat Center is a mission of Dayspring Church, an ecumenical Christian community with shared leadership and a variety of ministries here on the Dayspring land which include Wellspring Conference Center, a vibrant Earth Ministry, and Overlook Retreat House, which hosts individuals and very small groups for overnight retreats.
The Dayspring community actively opposes the proposed M-83 highway, which would seriously compromise Dayspring as a resource for silent retreats, would destroy some of the most beautiful park land in Montgomery County and would adversely impact many neighborhoods. You can learn about this road and ways to stop it and promote greener alternatives at tamecoalition.org. The Tame Coalition was started by a member of Dayspring Church.
The Church of the Saviour supports a website called Inward/Outward which contains links to many of the ministries that have grown out of the Church of the Saviour community.
The sister churches which now comprise The Church of the Saviour are: Bread of Life Church, Dayspring Church, Eighth Day Faith Community, Festival Church, Friends of Jesus Church, Jubilee Church, New Community Church and Seekers Church. More information about these churches and other faith communities within the Church of the Saviour diaspora can also be found at the Inward/Outward web site.