Tag: BellvilleRetreats

A Mother—and Daughter’s—Restoration Journey

Written by Tiffany Pardue on May 7, 2026. Posted in Serenity Blog, Serenity Retreat, Serenity Retreat Center, Transformation Prayer. No Comments on A Mother—and Daughter’s—Restoration Journey

by Claire Benington

“Before they call I will answer; while they are still speaking I will hear.” Isaiah 65:24

In the dark days of marriage, abuse, divorce, and motherhood through it all, I can now see that even when I felt completely alone, God was moving — putting people, resources, and invitations in my path. This is an excerpt from my life’s story, one in which Serenity Retreat has provided hope and a safe place to heal for me and for my most cherished gift — my daughter.

A Dear Friend, Stephen Ministry, and Serenity Retreat

In the last months of 2024, God sent me a new friend, Ava Foster, a lifelong Episcopalian, who became a lifeline. She listened, believed me and in me, and served as my Stephen Minister — a trained lay caregiver who walked beside me through my pain and acrimonious divorce. She sat with me, prayed with me, and gently reminded me that God’s heart was for my freedom, not my bondage. Through Ava, God gently and persistently called me to come into the light. It was she who opened the door to Serenity Retreat and to Transformation Prayer Ministry (TPM).

“For at one time you were in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light.” Ephesians 5:8

Serenity Retreat Bellville is a place set apart — quiet, beautiful, and saturated with prayer and the grace and glory of God and His son, Jesus Christ. It is a place where God speaks and transforms through TPM. TPM is Serenity’s gentle, Spirit-led process that helps uncover the lies we come to believe and hold about ourselves, others, and God, and invites Jesus to speak His truth into those very places.

As I began TPM, God’s light started to shine into places I had kept in shadow for years. Bit by bit, the fog lifted, truth was revealed, and clarity grew. What I had been living through was not “normal conflict”; it was calculated and deeply harmful—and God’s heart was not in it.

Even after my first experience with TPM, which was at The Preserve, Serenity’s Houston location, I knew something profound had shifted. I heard God’s truth and felt the power of His love and light in a way I had not in years, so I went back a second time.

I shared with Barbara Rolen, Program Director of Serenity Retreat, how I felt transformed by hearing God’s truth and feeling His love. I thirsted to learn more. She told stories of people of all ages—including teens—who had experienced the healing work of TPM. In that moment, I then knew Serenity Retreat was not just for me. It was also for my daughter, Wren.

A Mother–Daughter Retreat

“Mothers pass down faith, strength, and love.” (2 Timothy 1:5)

As a deeply spiritual mother, one of my deepest wounds was seeing someone diminish God and His glory in my child’s eyes.

I wanted her to experience something completely different: a place where God’s presence felt gentle and safe, where questions were welcome, where tears were honored, and where truth and faith did not come with fear of punishment or manipulation.

So I invited Wren to come with me to Serenity Retreat Bellville. Like many teenage girls, she gave me a bit of an eye roll and wasn’t thrilled about being away from friends and missing dance, but after thinking it over, she agreed.

At Serenity Retreat, I stepped back, focused on my own healing and relationship with God, and gave her space to have her personal experience. Just being there — in the natural beauty of the property, the thoughtful spaces, and the presence of warm, Godly people, there seemed to be an instant sense of peace about her. A peace and perhaps serenity, that I had not seen in years.

In the stillness of that private place, during TPM, she had space to be her authentic, vulnerable, whole self. She could bring her fears, hurt, confusion, and questions — everything she carried on her heart — to the Lord. She didn’t have to perform or be “the kid in the middle.” She was allowed, and in fact encouraged, to be simply Wren, deeply loved by God through and through.

True to her nature, afterwards, she didn’t share in detail with me, but I could easily see that God was whispering His truth into her heart. I imagined His words:

You are not the problem…

You are not too much…

You are enough and perfect as you are…

I, your Father, am not like the version of Me you’ve been shown — I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your soul. (Matthew 11:29)

As a Christian mother, there is nothing more sacred than watching your child encounter the true Jesus — the One who protects, heals, and restores — who never condemns and controls.

This is where — in this still, divine, appropriately-named place — God whispered His truth into both of our souls. As His daughter, and especially as a mother, I am deeply grateful for the sanctuary we have found in Serenity Retreat.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

To every woman and mother who needs encouraged today — He is faithful. If you need space and a place to connect with Him — consider Serenity. May God bless you and your precious children.

Happy Mother’s Day!

A Mother’s Day Blessing

To every woman who has ever mothered a child, a friend, a dream, or a hurting heart, including her own,
To the mothers who are joyful and the mothers who are exhausted,
To grandmothers, spiritual mothers, stepmothers, foster and adoptive mothers,
To the women who long to be mothers, and the women who have lost children,
To the women quietly holding families together in the shadows of confusion, conflict, or hidden abuse.

May you hear this: God see you. God hears you. God values and loves you.

*all names have been changed for privacy

Sitting in the Presence of Legacy

Written by Angela Miller on November 1, 2025. Posted in 25 Anniversary - Ring The Bell, Serenity Blog, Serenity Retreat Center. No Comments on Sitting in the Presence of Legacy

By Angela Miller, Program Manager at Serenity Retreat

As I sat in the audience that morning, I found myself quietly in awe. Serenity Retreat was celebrating 25 years of God’s faithfulness, and story after story testified to His transforming power. When Mary Whitehurst, CEO of The Source, took the stage, something in her words spoke to me. It wasn’t just what she said, or how she said it, but what she chose to do.

Before Mary spoke, our Interim CEO Cynthia Wenz introduced her with such tenderness. Cynthia shared how she once sat in Mary’s role as The Source CEO and testified how God had redefined her identity, not through title or position, but through intimacy with Him.

Then Cynthia looked toward Mary with genuine admiration and said,

“Ladies and gentlemen, I couldn’t be more honored to stand beside the torchbearer, the carrier of a ministry that healed me. So I give you, Mary Whitehurst.”

When Healing Becomes Leadership

Mary began to share her story with honesty and grace. She told us about the season when her marriage was unraveling, and her heart was weary.

“My husband and I were separated,” she said quietly. “I needed a place to heal. I needed to hear God’s voice again.”

In her search, she found Serenity Retreat in Bellville, Texas not by recommendation or by coincidence, but through a simple Google search that led her straight to a divine appointment.

“I came just needing rest,” she said. “But through Transformation Prayer Ministry, the Lord revealed parts of my heart that were broken far beyond my marriage. I left completely changed.”

Later, her husband joined her for his own retreat, and together they experienced reconciliation and restoration. Praise the Lord for what He does and how He has helped Serenity Retreat steward the land, of Bellville, to offer these places of rest to individuals!

As I listened, I could feel the entire room exhale, that deep kind of sigh that comes when you realize you’re hearing not just a story, but a testimony. And this wasn’t even the main story she was going to share. There was more!

Grace Built Into the Budget

What moved me most was what came next. Mary didn’t stop at her personal transformation; she turned it into an act of stewardship.

“We have twelve directors across our Houston and Austin clinics,” she said. “Each of them now comes to Serenity Retreat every year for time with the Lord. It’s become a sacred rhythm a time to rest, reflect, and remember God’s grace.”

She went on to share that her team’s retreats are now built into the annual budget. Wow!

That statement caught my breath.

As someone who has served in ministry spaces and higher education, I know how rare and how holy it is when leadership intentionally makes room for soul care! To see a leader not only recognize the need for spiritual renewal but build it into the annual budget and rhythm of care for staff is truly, servant-hearted leadership.

“It’s transformational for our team,” she said. “If you’re wondering whether it’s worth the investment, I’d ask, why not? Why wouldn’t you invest in the spiritual health and well-being of your people and yourself?”

In that moment there was a deep agreement in my own soul, and a hope that more leaders will rise to invest in the soul care of their staff. A prayer for a generation of leaders like Mary who are not only leading with vision, but with wisdom, compassion and action.

The Torch That Keeps Burning

As I reflect on that morning, “passing the torch” took on a deeper meaning for me.

Cynthia passed the torch of leadership, honoring Mary with grace and humility.
Mary carries her torch of leadership, illuminating others with the same light that once healed her. The leaders at The Source carry their own torches every day, inviting still more to experience and share the hope of Christ through their life-affirming reproductive healthcare.
And all of us sitting there, we were invited to take up our own flame of faithfulness, to consider how, where, and to Whom we guide others.

This is what legacy looks like: lives transformed by Christ, leadership marked by rest and renewal, and a commitment to help others hear God’s voice for themselves.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think…” — Ephesians 3:20

My Heartfelt Thanks

So, thank you, Mary Whitehurst, for being an example to the next generation of leaders.

Thank you for showing that building time for renewal and spiritual rest into the rhythm of the year is an act of grace toward those you lead. It’s a gift, a covering, that reminds them, “Your soul matters too.”

In a world where ministry can often mean pouring out until you’re empty, your leadership models something rare and beautiful: that caring for others includes caring for those who serve beside you.

You’ve reminded us that care can be part of the plan, and that grace flows strongest when it’s lived out intentionally. May the torch you carry continue to light the way for many more to come.