All-Church Retreat 2026

We are having an All Church Retreat - and we need YOU there!

The 2026 All-Church Retreat will be in Carlsbad, CA Friday, June 12 - Sunday, June 14.

This year’s retreat will feature a husband and wife musical duet of guest leaders: Peter Rogahn and Tiantian Liang. Peter is organist at Christ Church (Episcopal) in Nashville, TN and Tiantian is a professor at Northern Arizona University, where she teaches piano performance. These music educators will lead us in a weekend of song and activity, in which we’ll celebrate the gift of being a diverse church that can make music together.

Of course, it won’t be all music. There’s available camping, beach activities, meals with friends in beautiful Carlsbad and all together, small-group and large-group games, and worship. All Church Retreat is a chance to have sustained time with fellow members and experience a greater connection to your church family.

Scroll down to learn about lodging options, pricing, and explore our FAQ's.

Lodging.

Just like last year, there are multiple options available for lodging. The retreat will be based in Carlsbad, CA.

Option 1: Book a room in our pre-reserved hotel Block. This year, we have a block of hotel rooms at the Hilton Garden Inn. If you would like to book a room, please select hotel on your registration form, and we will reach out to you with the link to reserve from our block of rooms.

No matter where you end up lodging, all of our main gatherings (Friday night, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning) will be held in the meeting room of this hotel.

Option 2: Camping with Community Church! This year, we will be camping across the road from the hotel at Carlsbad State Beach South! You can reserve your spot directly with SMCC when you register for the retreat. SMCC has reserved a limited number of campsites, but you will be expected to bring your own camping accommodations (whether it be tents, camper, or a blowup mattress situated in your car!).

Option 3: Choose your own adventure. If neither of the above options feel like a good fit for you, you may find your own lodging. There are many hotels and Airbnb's in the Carlsbad area! However, we do hope that you will still participate in all of the activities with us at the hotel.

Cost.

Cost for the retreat if you register by Saturday, February 14 will be $50 per adult, $25 for children (ages 3-12) with a maximum family rate of $150. From February 15, the fee will be $55 per adult, $30 per child and $160 per family.

Scholarships are available, we do not want finances to be a limitation! To learn more about scholarships, please contact Dr. Stuart Gordon at SGordon@SMCommunityChurch.com.

Reserving your spot.

To make payment and reserve your spot, please fill out our registration form by clicking here.

Why an all church retreat? The church is not sustainable if we only spend an hour together on Sunday mornings, which is why we want to provide an opportunity to increase our time together. We may not even know it, but our new best friend could be sitting just a few pews away, or even in the next service! The all church retreat is open to everyone who is part of our church - from the pastor’s family, to the member who joined last month, to the 8th grader who only attends youth group, to the people who have participated in this community for over 50 years. It is rare we get to bring all corners of our church together, and this retreat is the perfect chance to make that happen. As a result of last year's retreat, we have had new members volunteer in our ministries, we have brought in a youth deacon, and we have begun to build friendships across generations. There’s no reason to stop that now!

Why should I go? Because San Marino Community Church is not complete without YOU! Not only is this an opportunity to learn about how to invest more time into your congregation, but it’s a chance to grow in a community that you are already familiar with.

What will we be doing? The weekend will be a combination of spiritual reflection, small group discussion, and fun activities! When we are not sharing a meal together and listening to God’s word, we will have several opportunities to engage with one another such as playing volleyball and building sand castles on the beach, wine tasting, going for a hike, shopping, and enjoying a cup of coffee. An official schedule will be posted next month.

If you have additional questions, please don't hesitate to reach out!