Welcome to the Launch of Your Eden Lead Cohort

Hi ,

Your journey has begun.

You said yes to a year that will ask something of you, not performance, not productivity, but presence. Presence with God. Presence with yourself. Presence with the people who will travel this road with you.

That year begins now.

A quick introduction: I'm Chuck Gschwend, Co-Founder and Director of Eden Lead. I'll be the voice behind your emails throughout the year, and I'll also be with you in person at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center this fall. 

Your first stop is the EL#6 Cohort landing page. Everything you need for the months ahead lives there: your pre-work, cohort resources, and the full arc of what this year holds.

When you’re ready, begin the pre-work. Don’t rush it. This isn’t a prerequisite to check off. I t’s the first step of a longer walk. A good rhythm is a one- to two-hour block each week, moving slowly through the material. It’s organized into Reflections, Practices, and Readings for a reason. Let the Holy Spirit, your primary teacher, meet you there. 

Two things to do right now:

1. Bookmark the landing page. This is your home base for the entire EL #6 Cohort year. Your Content Syllabus, Pre-work Reader, and Participant’s Calendar are all there. Add the important dates to your personal calendar now. 
2. Begin the Pre-work Reader. You’ll find it on the landing page. Print it and put it in a binder, or read it on your device, whatever helps you best walk “with” Jesus through this material.

One more date to put on your calendar:

On August 18th at 7 PM CST, we’re hosting a Virtual Launch Gathering for EL#6. It’s a live, informal gathering with the facilitator team and me. It's a chance to meet a few of your fellow cohort members, get your questions answered, and get a feel for what’s ahead before the first retreat. If you have questions about the pre-work, triads, spiritual direction, or anything else about the year, this is a good place to bring them. Zoom link and details are coming in a future email.

Here’s what the full year looks like:

This fall, we’ll gather at St. Francis Springs Prayer Center in Stoneville, NC for our first retreat, the Knowledge of God Retreat (September 15-18, 2026). We’ll spend four days together sitting with a question most of us have never been given permission to hold: What if God is far better than you believe him to be?

In January, we return for the Knowledge of Self Retreat (January 11-14, 2027)  for four days exploring what God knows about you that he wants you to know.

In April, we close the year with the Pace and Practice Retreat (April 19-22, 2027)  where everything comes together into a personal Rule of Life, a way of walking through your days that you’ll carry long after the cohort ends.

Between each retreat: weekly Triads, monthly spiritual direction, and personal practices that guide you between our times together.

This is the full year. It will be both new and familiar, a deeper way of being you didn’t know you were looking for.

If anything comes up between now and the first retreat, reply here or reach out directly at 870-897-1566.

Grace to you,

Chuck Gschwend

The Eden Project

Co-Founder and Director of Eden Lead