When Joy Steault’s father died of COVID-19 in 2022, her grieving process left room for a great idea: an urban oasis, a space of quiet and time with God. This idea came to fruition in 2023, when Joy and her husband, Ken Steault, brought a former Navy training facility from CBU to create a Christian retreat center. They plan to make the facility City Retreat Memphis.
City Retreat Memphis is designed to be an accessible, ecumenical retreat center, with an abundance of spiritual resources, gardens, a café, a library, a chapel, and a spiritual director. In April 2025, City Retreat Memphis will offer self-directed and organized meditation retreats for Memphis residents who wish to deepen their spirituality.
Planting the seeds
The COVID pandemic has upended how people see the world, including Joy Steault. Among the many personal changes in her life, the pandemic has given her the space of silence she craved. The onset of lockdown, the death of her father, and turning 50 gave Steault the opportunity to reevaluate how she wanted to spend the second half of her life.
Steortz’s time of self-reflection provided an opportunity to deepen his relationship with God through meditation and silent retreat. With the guidance of his spiritual director, Steortz immersed himself in deep self-inquiry with God, answering questions such as, “Where am I in life right now?” and “Where do I feel God is trying to lead me next?”
“It was more listening than talking. More being than doing. More contemplation than studying. It was about creating space in your mind to be quiet and let things slow down,” Steorts said.
It was during this time of change that Steorts began asking, “What does our culture need, especially our young people?” Her answer was rather counter-cultural: Our communities needed places to unwind.
An urban oasis
Ken and Joy Steaut have lived in Midtown Memphis for the past 12 years and continue to put down deeper roots, and now, more than ever, the couple feels inspired to bring something positive to the city.
The Steaults said City Retreat Memphis’ mission is to create a space for people to spend intentional time with God, especially through meditation.
Intentionally taking time to rest, pray, reflect and spend time with God is a practice Steorts hopes many will learn with the help of the retreat center.
“There isn’t much natural rhythm in our culture. We’re always distracted by our phones and entertainment. We’re not connected to each other. We’re not connected to nature. We’re not connected to food,” she said.
“There are a lot of things that may not seem very spiritual that are beneficial to our spirituality,” Steortz said.
Steortz’s background in counseling and social work influenced the location choice for City Retreat Memphis. She knows that many Memphians don’t have the funds or proper transportation to travel to retreats outside of the city. Having a retreat center in the heart of Midtown removes barriers for people who want to know God and deepen their spirituality.
Some pastors can’t take time off work to spend time with God. For example, inner-city pastors are on call 24/7. City Retreat Memphis offers these pastors a place to step away from work and be nourished by God.
There will be sliding scale fees for membership, retreats and spiritual direction sessions, but Steortz hopes to make these services free through grants and fundraising.
The language barrier is another hurdle Steortz is trying to overcome: City Retreat Memphis will provide resources for Spanish-speaking residents of the community.
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Steortz wants the retreat to be an incredibly hospitable place, and he stresses that anyone interested in deepening their faith is welcome.
City Retreat Memphis: What’s included?
The three-acre site at 2524 Avery will be a space for Memphians to escape the busyness of excessive productivity. Initial demolition work began in February 2023.
Construction milestones for Phase 1 include the completion of the day retreat space, gardens, exteriors of all three buildings, a large back porch, installation of a security system and fencing, starting housing for seven staff members, and paying off the mortgage in full. Once construction for Phase 2 is complete, capsule homes for overnight stays will be built on the retreat center grounds.
From Monday to Friday, there is the opportunity to sign up for full-day, half-day, or even overnight silent retreats. Participants can stroll the gardens, pray the Stations of the Cross, read Christian meditation books in the library, and buy food and drinks in the café. Hour-long sessions to meet with pastors, counselors, and spiritual directors are also available.
The day retreat space is scheduled to open by April 2025.
On Sundays, City Retreat Memphis is open to the public, but Joy and Ken Steaudt encourage people to attend the Sunday service at their church. City Retreat Memphis also hosts community nights several evenings a week, where speakers and artists speak and socialize.
“Our lives are an unfolding adventure and there’s so much to explore, so we hope people will start on that journey, and if they don’t know where to start, we’d love to help,” Steortz said.
