Dr. John Eckrich — 62, executive director of Grace Place Lutheran Retreats.

Family — Wife, Kathy, a nurse and part owner of the Doncaster clothing company. Three children: Christopher, 30, lives in Aspen, Colo., and is the founder of an Internet company; Molly, 27, also lives in Aspen and is the manager of a high-end beauty salon; Michael, 24, lives with his parents in Webster Groves and works at Dewey's Pizza in Kirkwood. Eckrich is the eldest of four children born to John and Emily Eckrich, both deceased. His father was an electrical engineer who worked for Union Electric for many years and spent his last years as the chief executive of Lutheran Medical Center. His mother was a musician who played and taught piano. Eckrich grew up in Glendale and Webster Groves. His siblings are Joan Ferguson of Webster Groves; James Eckrich of Webster Groves; and Janet Davidson of Des Peres.

Education — Lutheran High School South, 1965; Washington University, bachelor's in biology, 1969; University of Missouri School of Medicine, 1973; postdoctoral fellowship in gastroenterology, University of Chicago, 1976-1978.

Were you in private practice before starting Grace Place Lutheran Retreats? — Yes, I mostly practiced internal medicine and mostly in south St. Louis County.

When did you retire? — Two years ago, when I was 60. But I had started Grace Place ministry 10 years earlier.

What prompted your decision to retire if you were doing both things? — I decided that if I was going to allow this ministry to really blast off, I had to make it a full commitment.

What is the mission of Grace Place? — Our goal is to help care for the caregivers. We offer preventive wellness skills, attitudes and resources to Lutheran professional church workers, leaders and their families.

How did you come up with the idea? — In my medical practice, I treated hundreds of pastors and their families, seminarians and other professional church workers in the St. Louis area over the years. I saw the effect that chronic stress was having on their lives. At the same time, my wife and I were involved with family retreats in the 1980s. In the '90s, the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod was losing many pastors, in part to the results of chronic stress.

What year did you start the retreats? — In 1999 we began gathering people who were advocates for clergy health, and we held a pilot retreat in Colorado.

How many people have been on your retreats in the past 10 years? — More than 2,500 Lutheran church workers, leaders and their families have been to more than 100 retreats across the country.

What do you do on a retreat? — The standard Grace Place Retreat lasts four or five days and consists of 10 to 20 church worker couples — generally in a specific category, such as pastors with pastors and teachers with teachers. Each retreat is led by a professional team of guides who specialize in personal and professional growth through physical, relational and spiritual disciplines. We have Bible-based prayer four times a day, and we address four or five major issues on each retreat. We also make time for exercise, recreation and fellowship.

Where do you hold the retreats? — They are held in nice places so they can be uplifting experiences. We go to resorts, retreat centers, lodges or parks all over the country.

Who pays for the retreats? — We try to provide 85 to 90 percent of the cost so it is affordable to the clergy and teachers.

Does that mean a lot time fundraising? — Yes, I spend a lot of my time raising money to help finance the retreats. But I also lead all the retreats.

What are your goals for the organization? — We would like to see it move out of the Lutheran community to be offered to all denominations. We live in a noisy culture, and all of us would benefit from time to be still, to reflect and to think.

How can people find out more about your group? — Our website is www.graceplaceretreats.org.

What do you do when you're not on a retreat? — I like to paint, and I write and play music. I'm also an exercise fanatic, so I exercise a lot. I'm also part of a group that is supporting a Lutheran Church in Bethlehem that is opening a health clinic there for people with diabetes and the first Christian college for communication arts in the Mideast. My wife and I will take the presidents of the 10 universities in the Concordia system to the college in Bethlehem in January.

What was the last, best book you read? — I'm reading "The Source," by James Michener, for the second time. I think it has a lot to offer.

What do you drive? — A 2007 Toyota Highlander. It's silver.