Caister (Retreat Conference)

The Caister Retreat Conference was a residential Christian revival event held in East Anglia, England, shortly after Easter on an almost annual basis from 1996 to 2008. The tag line of the event was "An initiative of Anglican Bishops to encourage Christians in evangelism and spiritual renewal".

Caister is a generic title for the event, although each year's retreat conference had its own sub-titular name, reflecting the theme of the year.

Although the event was organised by members of the Church of England, participants came from Anglican churches throughout the world, and also from Christian churches of other denominations. The event was of a strongly catholic character, but also attracted members of other Anglican traditions, including a strong charismatic element.

The first Caister event was held in 1996, and took the name "The Word is Near". It was held at the Haven Holiday Camp in the village of Caister-on-Sea in Norfolk. Participation was restricted to those who qualified as an ordained bishop, priest, or deacon; or to those who were in training for ordination; or to members of religious communities (monks and nuns). However, from the second year (1997) the event was opened up to lay people as well. Attendance varied from year to year, but the retreat conference typically attracted between 500 and 1,000 participants annually.

There was no Caister retreat conference in 2000, 2003, or 2006, owing to the lack of availability of accommodation during the week after Easter in these years, the main holiday season having begun.

Each Caister retreat conference lasted for one working week, Monday to Friday, usually during 'Low Week' (the week following Easter Week). The daily timetable was always constructed around the same key events: early morning group Bible study, mid-morning keynote addresses from a different guest speaker each day, a 'holy hour' at midday (of corporate silence in the presence of the blessed sacrament, concluding with benediction), a series of afternoon optional seminars (with four or five different seminars offered each afternoon), an evening sung mass with a sermon from one of the bishops in attendance, and a late evening special service, whose format varied from day to day throughout the event, but including services of reflection, of reconciliation, of healing, and of praise.

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