Questions · Church retreat
Church retreat questions from Friday night to Sunday morning
Questions for a church or ministry retreat: icebreakers for the first night, small-group questions for Saturday, prompts for quiet time alone, and a Sunday morning send-off.
- 17 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
Finish this: our barkada or family always laughs when ___.
Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.
Shared laughter becomes part of a group's language. Sometimes one unfinished sentence is enough to bring everyone back there.
Yung shared laughter, nagiging sariling language ng group. Minsan isang bitin na sentence lang, gets na agad.
The questions
17 questions for a church retreat
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
Friday night
4 questions
People arrive tired and a little guarded. Start with laughter.
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Finish this: our barkada or family always laughs when ___.
Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.
Back of the card
Shared laughter becomes part of a group's language. Sometimes one unfinished sentence is enough to bring everyone back there.
Yung shared laughter, nagiging sariling language ng group. Minsan isang bitin na sentence lang, gets na agad.
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Design a celebration just for you. What would make it feel special?
Magplano ng celebration para sa sarili mo. Ano ang magpapaspecial dito?
Back of the card
Which part of the celebration would you happily repeat the next day?
Aling bahagi ng celebration ang masaya mong uulitin kinabukasan?
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Tell us the funny memory your friends or family still bring up.
Ikuwento yung funny memory na binabalikan pa rin ng friends o family mo.
Back of the card
Some stories become part of a group's archive. If people still bring it up, it probably earned its place.
May stories na parte na ng group archive. Kapag binabalikan pa rin, malamang deserve niya yung spot.
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Tell us about a place that left a memory or feeling you still carry.
Ikuwento yung lugar na may iniwang memory o feeling na dala mo pa rin.
Back of the card
Some places stay with us quietly. You may not notice it right away, but later you realize you carried something from there.
May mga lugar na tahimik lang ang iniiwan sa atin. Hindi mo agad napapansin, pero may dala ka pala mula roon.
Saturday small groups
5 questions
From ordinary grace to the harder places. Offer a choice.
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Tell us about a normal moment this week when you noticed God.
Kuwento ng ordinary moment this week na napansin mo si Lord.
Back of the card
Sometimes faith grows through small noticing. Ordinary days can still carry reminders that God is near and paying attention.
Minsan lumalalim ang faith sa maliliit na napapansin natin. Kahit ordinary day, puwedeng may paalala na malapit si Lord.
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What helps you notice God's grace in everyday life?
Ano yung nakakatulong sa'yo mapansin yung grace ni God sa everyday life?
Back of the card
Grace can show up in quiet ways: enough strength for the day, an encouraging word, a small provision, or peace you did not expect.
Minsan simple lang dumating yung grace: sapat na lakas for the day, encouraging na salita, maliit na provision, o peace na hindi mo in-expect.
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Tell us about a time God's grace gave you courage to try again.
Ikuwento yung time na binigyan ka ng courage ng grace ni God para subukan ulit.
Back of the card
Trying again does not mean pretending nothing happened. Grace lets us return with truth, humility, and hope.
Ang pag-subok ulit, hindi ibig sabihin pretending na walang nangyari. Dahil sa grace, puwede tayong bumalik with truth, humility, at hope.
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Name one part of your life you keep trying to control instead of trusting God with it.
Magbanggit ng isang part ng buhay mo na lagi mong sinusubukang i-control imbes na i-trust kay Lord.
Back of the card
Surrender can be a repeated conversation. God is patient with the places where we are still learning to trust Him.
Puwedeng paulit-ulit ang surrender. Patient si Lord sa mga part ng buhay natin na natututo pa lang tayong i-trust sa Kanya.
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When you're trying to forgive, what part of what happened still hurts?
Kapag sinusubukan mong mag-forgive, ano sa nangyari yung masakit pa rin?
Back of the card
Forgiveness can be real and still take time. Naming what still hurts can help you bring it to God honestly.
Puwedeng real ang forgiveness kahit kailangan pa ng time. Kapag napangalanan mo yung masakit pa rin, mas honest mo itong madadala kay Lord.
Quiet-time prompts
4 questions
For the afternoon, alone, with a journal.
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Name one truth you want your future self to remember about God.
Magbanggit ng truth about Lord na gusto mong maalala ng future self mo.
Back of the card
Some truths become anchors later. Naming one now can help you remember when the next season feels different.
May truths na nagiging anchor later. Kapag pinangalanan mo ngayon, mas may babalikan ka kapag iba na ang next season.
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Choose one Scripture truth you want to remember this week.
Pumili ng truth from Scripture na gusto mong maalala this week.
Back of the card
Remembering is part of faith. A truth can steady you before your feelings catch up.
Kasama sa faith ang pag-alala. Minsan nauuna kang hawakan ng truth bago pa sumunod ang feelings mo.
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Name one small thing God might be asking you to do this week.
Magbanggit ng isang maliit na bagay na baka pinapagawa sa'yo ni Lord this week.
Back of the card
Following God can start with something simple: a prayer, a message, an apology, a pause, or one quiet act of love.
Pwedeng magsimula sa simple yung pagsunod kay Lord: prayer, message, sorry, pause, o isang tahimik na act of love.
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Name one good thing you are quietly hoping for.
Magsabi ng isang good thing na tahimik mong hinihiling lately.
Back of the card
Quiet hopes still deserve room. Saying them gently can remind you that wanting good things is not foolish.
May lugar din ang tahimik na hopes. Kapag nasabi mo sila nang gentle, naaalala mong hindi foolish ang umasa sa mabuti.
Sunday, before you go home
4 questions
One answer each, then pray over them.
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Think of one small thing you can do to feel closer to God again.
Mag-isip ng isang maliit na bagay na puwede mong gawin para mas lumapit ulit kay Lord.
Back of the card
Coming back to God can begin small. A real step matters more than a dramatic promise.
Puwedeng magsimula sa maliit yung paglapit ulit kay Lord. Mas mahalaga yung real na step kaysa malaking promise na hindi mo kaya.
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Share one prayer God answered, even in a small way.
Mag-share ng isang prayer na sinagot ni Lord, kahit sa maliit na way.
Back of the card
Small answered prayers are still worth remembering. They can help us notice God's care in moments we might have rushed past.
Worth remembering pa rin ang small answered prayers. Natutulungan tayo nitong mapansin yung care ni Lord sa moments na baka dinaanan lang natin.
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Finish this sentence: “In this next season, I hope I get to experience...”
Tapusin mo yung sentence: “Sa next season, sana ma-experience ko...”
Back of the card
This sentence can stay small or open wide. Either way, it gives your hope a place to begin.
Puwedeng maliit lang o biglang lumawak yung sentence. Either way, may starting point yung hope mo.
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Choose one relationship where you want to reflect Jesus more in how you treat them.
Pumili ng isang relationship kung saan gusto mong mas ma-reflect si Jesus sa pakikitungo mo sa kanila.
Back of the card
Following Jesus often becomes visible in one relationship at a time: patience, truth, kindness, repair, and steady love.
Madalas nakikita ang pagsunod kay Jesus one relationship at a time: patience, truth, kindness, repair, at steady love.
How to use them
Before you ask
A church retreat gives a group something it rarely has: time. Not a small group squeezed between work and bedtime, but a whole weekend, and the questions should use it. Light on Friday, deeper on Saturday, something to carry home on Sunday.
Friday night, people arrive tired and a little guarded, so start with laughter: the funny memory their family or friends still bring up, a celebration designed just for them. Saturday is for small groups. Move from noticing grace in ordinary life to the harder places, like what they keep trying to control or what still hurts when they try to forgive. Give people a choice of question instead of requiring every one.
Use the quiet-time prompts in the afternoon gap. On Sunday, before the cars are packed, ask each person what they want to take home, and pray over the answers.
Good for
Tips
- Assign small groups ahead of time and mix ages and ministries.
- Print the quiet-time prompts on cards people can take outside.
- On Saturday, let groups choose between two questions; choice makes depth feel safer.
- End Sunday on time so families can get home rested.
Decks for this
A simple weekend rhythm
Leave more white space than you think you need. Retreats are remembered for the conversations, not the schedule.
- Friday evening: dinner, then a light icebreaker round in groups of eight.
- Saturday morning: teaching, then small groups with two or three questions each.
- Saturday afternoon: free time, plus one quiet-time prompt to take outside.
- Saturday night: worship and open time. No questions needed.
- Sunday morning: one send-off question per person, then prayer.
Church retreat
Frequently asked questions
What questions should you ask at a church retreat?
Light icebreakers on the first night, small-group questions on Saturday that move from noticing grace to harder topics like trust and forgiveness, quiet-time prompts for time alone, and a send-off question on Sunday.
How do you plan small groups for a church retreat?
Groups of six to eight, assigned in advance, each with a leader and two or three questions per session. Offer a choice of question so people can go as deep as they’re ready to.
What are good quiet-time prompts for a retreat?
A truth about God someone wants their future self to remember, a Scripture they want to hold onto this week, one small thing God might be asking them to do. Give people a card and an hour.
Bring a better question to the table.
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