May 14th

Reflections on the Pastor's Retreat

At this year's Pastors retreat, I found myself rejuvenated, filled with love and hope, and encouraged in my work.

We gathered at a retreat centre in Cochrane and there we found a cleverly arranged building. Despite being rather close to housing, the retreat centre felt like it was tucked away in the foothills, far from town. The windows were arranged so that all you could see was nature. The mountains covered the entire horizon and in between us and the mountains was green land and forest. Despite being just down the road, Cochrane seemed to be far away. The paths throughout the centre's land were well-kept but didn't lose their natural feel. On the grounds there was a little graveyard, statues of saints, and a tiny chapel the size of a shed (with four little pews only about two feet wide) tucked into some trees. It was a good place to just be.



I spent a lot of my free time sitting outside being alone with God and nature. I prayed out loud as I wandered the grounds--something that I don't do often enough--and I felt God in the tiny flowers pushing their way out of the ground and in the music the chickadees and robins made. I lamented that I didn't bring binoculars as all sorts of birds flitted about. In the twilight one evening I had a staring contest with a rock for about 15 minutes (I really, truly thought it was a bird!) and later at night I listened to what sounded like a herd of moose in the woods right next to the retreat center, making all sorts of ruckus. I've never seen or heard a moose before this trip, so I was thrilled.

As a group we spent time together listening to our host's devotionals, walking the grounds in quiet contemplation, and having small discussion groups. I found that I was able to just receive from our host and was so grateful for the opportunity to go deeper with my fellow pastors and talk about the hard parts of ministry and be understood. I was able to give and receive advice, and I felt my connections and friendships grow deeper, which is a true blessing.

My favorite part of the trip was during our hanging out time. We played games, including a bible trivia game. Despite the fact that reading and understanding the bible is a major part of our lives, some of us got nervous--we didn't want to look silly if we didn't remember something from scripture. The questions, however, were the kind of things that you wouldn't study, like "What is the name of the only woman in our scriptures that is described as having leprosy?" We had a blast with silly questions and laughed a great deal.

I've returned to work feeling more connected with others in MCA. I feel encouraged by knowing that anything I might be struggling with will be understood by another and that I might have the word of encouragement someone else needs. I brought home a peace that I didn't anticipate, and I am hoping to hold onto that peace as the work continues. 

 

(Pastors Retreat participants: Debbie, front row, second from left..)