Limburg, Netherlands • July 2027
The Pillars
Rest is Not a Reward
It is a design principle. The world was made with a pause written into it. We are not inventing the sabbath, we are recovering it.
Makom (מָקוֹם) means "place" in Hebrew. Shortened from HaMakom, which refers to "The Place," another name for God. It notes that the space we occupy is not where God is, but what God is.
We are rooted in the Reformed tradition and in the conviction that scripture is the word of God, that Jesus Christ is Lord, that the Spirit is present and active, and that the resurrection is a historical event with present consequences. We take the resurrection seriously enough to believe that joy is not incidental to faith but central to it.
Tables Are Thin Places
Some of the most important moments happen around a shared meal, in an unscripted conversation between strangers who become less strange.
Excellence is Worship
We believe that excellence, whether in food, hospitality, or art, is itself an act of worship. You are worth a generous table and beautiful things.
Joy is Theology
The resurrection means the people of God are the most free, most alive people in any room. We intend to act like it.
Why don't you name your guest lineup?
Makom doesn't publish the names of its teachers, musicians, or chefs before you arrive. We do this on purpose. In short, we want you to come for the presence of God, not the people guiding you there.
The tradition we draw from does not seek platform or reputation. We have found that names create expectations, and expectations get in the way of presence. What we are after is something older and quieter than that. We hope for encounter, shared tables, the moment when someone says something true and you feel it land. That doesn't require a name you already know.
Our chefs are renowned, our speakers are extraordinary, our instructors are gifted, and our musicians have played large stages, but you are the focus, they just make room.
The people we invite to lead may choose to announce their involvement on their own. And that is ok.
Common Inquiries
If we haven't answered what you're asking, please write to us at hello@makom.house. We read every message and will reply.
A Place at the Table
Everything at Makom is all-inclusive. One price covers everything.
Six nights accommodation in your chosen room type with carefully selected gifts. All meals including breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day prepared by a local chef, plus morning coffee and afternoon refreshments. All teaching sessions, worship services, one-on-one counseling, and advisors. Morning movement sessions with specialized trainers. Guided lessons and classes by local artisans. All supplies for our unique experiences. Curated wine, local beer, and zero-proof crafted options on designated evenings. The local excursions with the staff and transportation to off-site locations. Exclusive access to the entire estate grounds and its amenities. Private transfers from nearby stations on arrival and departure. And much more that is hidden until you arrive and experience it first-hand.
Everything means everything, there are no unwanted surprises.
King Suite
$4000
for primary guest
$1,000 for a companion.
A king bed with ensuite bathroom. Full access to every part of the Makom program including the food, the worship, the excursions, and the community. Nothing is withheld. Bed can be divided to two singles if needed.
Happening:
May 8, 2027 - May 14, 2027
Ministry Scholarship
$1,000
for each recipient
A small number of scholarship places are available at each gathering for those in pastoral ministry who could not otherwise attend. We offer this openly and without condition. If this is you, please apply by the link below. It is first-come. We are also working with a few sponsors to bring the cost to $0 and cover airfare, but cannot promise this yet. We will notify you if this happens.
A note about pricing:
We have priced Makom honestly, not cheaply, and not for excessive margin. The cost reflects what it actually takes to gather 20 to 40 people in a sacred space with a world-class chef, exceptional teachers, staff to run everything, quality goods, thoughtful touches, and the care this experience deserves. We believe beauty, quality, and care are an act of worship and want to express them fully to our very best ability. We recognize this will create a barrier for some, and we do our best to create scholarships and sponsorships to help all we can.
Join the community to stay in touch about upcoming gatherings.
If you have any questions at all, please get in touch.
Contact us
"Surely the Lord is in this place — and I did not know it." — Genesis 28:16
The Itinerary
Not everything at Makom is scheduled. Not everything scheduled is mandatory. Here is how this gathering moves and how the space between the moments makes it work. This is the core schedule, but we build in a number of surprises and leave room for the Holy Spirit.
We have 3 categories of programming:
Expected
The communal heartbeat of the gathering. This is shared meals, the Sunday worship service, the worship night, the farewell banquet, the blessing jar reading. Not mandatory, but the gathering is shaped around them and you will want to be there.
Encouraged
The core program to have the full experience. This is morning teaching, guided movement, small group discussion, vespers, the chef's demo evenings. Most guests attend most of these. They are where the depth of the week is built.
Optional
Everything else. Enjoy the spa, spiritual direction, fishing, horse riding, excursions, the letter writing station, the dawn prayer walk, the conservatory, the puzzle table, the courtyard fire, and several surprises along the way. Available always, required never.
Our Theological Frame: A Place of Crossing
Saturday
Welcoming Day
12:00 PM -- Private transfers from Viersen Station.
12PM-4PM -- Arrival, check-in, and explore the grounds. (Expected)
4:00 PM -- Welcome on the terrace with Dutch specialities. (Encouraged)
6:30PM -- Opening blessings, vision, rhythm, and permissions. (Expected)
7:00PM -- Welcome dinner with Limburg produce. (Expected)
9:00 PM -- Worship set. Get acquainted. (Encouraged)
Sunday
The Lord's Day
6:30 AM -- Sunrise prayer walk along the Maas river. (Optional)
8:00 AM -- Slow and generous Dutch breakfast. (Expected)
10:30 AM -- Morning worship service, liturgy, communion, response. (Expected)
11:15 AM -- Session One -- The Lines We Draw (Expected)
12:30 PM -- Sunday lunch and a time of rest. (Expected)
Free Afternoon -- The pool, the river, the grounds, conversation, rest. (Encouraged)
7:00 PM -- Plated dinner with crafted nonalcoholic pairings. (Expected)
Monday
From Here to There
7:30 AM -- Morning movement session. (Optional)
8:30 AM -- Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
9:30 AM -- The Steyl Ferry Crossing — Full Morning. (Expected)
12:00 PM -- Lunch at Kloosterbrouwerij Steyl in town. (Expected)
3:30PM -- Session Two -- Where We Are and Where We'll Go. (Expected)
Free Moment -- Letter writing for gratitudes, blessings, and forgiveness. (Encouraged)
7:30 PM -- Dinner at the long tables. (Expected)
Evening -- Fire pit and community. (Encouraged)
Tuesday
Calling & Vocation
7:30 AM -- Morning movement session or prayer on the terrace. (Optional)
8:30 AM -- Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
10:00 AM -- Session Three -- Building for the Kingdom on Earth (Expected)
12:30 PM -- Lunch and rest. (Expected)
Free Afternoon -- Explore the town. 1:1 spiritual direction available. (Optional)
6:30 PM -- Dinner at SOBER restaurant. (Expected)
8:00 PM -- Worship set in the garden. (Expected)
Evening -- Fire side community. (Encouraged)
Wednesday
New Each Day
7:00 AM -- Sunrise Lectio Divina bible study. (Optional)
7:30 AM -- Morning movement session. (Encouraged)
8:30 AM -- Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
10:00 AM -- Session Four -- A Grace That Renews (Expected)
12:30 PM -- Lunch on the terrace. (Expected)
2:00PM -- Vlaai making together in the kitchen. (Encouraged)
Free Moment -- The sauna, the hot tub, the pool, the river, the people. (Optional)
8:30PM -- Worship and testimonies. (Expected)
Evening -- Fire in the living room, stars outside, and community. (Encouraged)
Thursday
Stepping Out
7:00 AM -- Sunrise Lectio Divina bible study. (Optional)
7:30 AM -- Morning movement session. (Encouraged)
8:30 AM -- Family-style breakfast. (Expected)
9:30 AM -- Trip to Maastricht, the oldest city in the Netherlands. (Expected)
12:30 PM -- Lunch in the city. (Expected)
4:30PM -- Session Five -- Stepping Out to Step In. (Expected)
5:30 PM -- Worship before our final dinner. (Encouraged)
6:30 PM -- Farewell banquet dinner of the chef's finest. (Expected)
9:00 PM -- Sending prayer and commissioning.(Expected)
Evening -- Final night together and a reading of the blessing jar. (Encouraged)
Friday
Sending Day
7:30 AM -- Final breakfast enjoyed at your leisure. (Encouraged)
9:00 AM -- Sending Ceremony -- Our leaders will pray over reach person upon departure.
10:00 AM -- Private transfers to Viersen Station.
12:00 PM -- The house closes.
A note on unscheduled hours:
The most significant moments of the gathering often happen in the gaps. A conversation after dinner that nobody planned, an afternoon in the conservatory that turned into something else, a dawn walk where the silence said more than anything the speaker offered. While we provide many ways to use your free time, we want to honor the gaps, not simply fill them.
A note on our table and expressions:
We set a generous table. All of our food is prepared by a renowned local chef who will share history, story, and flavor that can only be experienced in this way from whole ingredients sourced as locally, organically, and regeneratively as possible. Often the food is grown on the land where we stay. We never allow seed oils or artificial ingredients of any kind, and will gather dietary restrictions from each guest prior to arrival and accommodate those needs as fully as possible.
Wine & alcohol is offered at dinner on selected evenings as part of our hospitality, in the tradition of Christian fellowship around a meal. It is never the focus, it accompanies the food and the conversation. Non-alcoholic options are given the same care and intention as the wine. Nobody is forgotten at the Makom table.
We celebrate that the Lord is risen. Joy is theology. The people of God are the most free, most alive people in any room. We intend to act like it... Which sometimes includes dancing, singing, and celebration. We are Easter people.
We will be hosted in d'Ouffenhoff Estate in Limburg, Netherlands.
D'Ouffenhoff is a 17th-century monumental farmhouse on the banks of the Maas in Limburg with beautiful Scandinavian bedrooms, a dining room with two long wooden tables, a stretch tent terrace on the river, a 52-meter indoor pool, and cycling routes through the castle villages of the valley in every direction. The property sits within the d'Ouffenhoff estate, surrounded by forest and farmland, with the river right out the front door and a 14th-century ferry crossing five minutes on foot.
On the other bank of the Maas is Steyl, a monastery village founded in 1875 by Arnold Janssen, who arrived with almost nothing and built a missionary order that eventually sent brothers and sisters to every continent on earth. The compound he left behind includes a double church, monastery gardens, a botanical garden, a mission museum, and a brewery still run today by a father and daughter in the old monastic spaces. We cross to Steyl on the ancient ferry and spend the day there. The theology of this week is vocation — the sending that begins in a specific place, from a borrowed house, with very little — and the question of what you are being sent toward.