Ministerial Retreat (Part 1)

Today I begin my first ministerial retreat.  This is an experience that I have ever taken part in before.  A lot of people have talked about the benefits of going on something like this so I am excited to see what happens.  A ministerial retreat is something that pastors or other church leaders go to for relaxation and rejuvenation.  It is almost like a miniature vacation.  This ministerial retreat is only about an hour away from where I live at a placed called Camp of the Woods, in Speculator, NY.  I will be spending two days here with my pastor and his wife.  Unfortunately, my wife is unable to attend with me as she has to work and could not get the time off.  I believe that next year this is something that we could both benefit from.

The Location of this ministerial retreat is beautiful and peaceful

While the ministerial retreat has only just started, it is located in a beautiful, quiet, mountain filled area.  It is very peaceful here.  A large part of this particular ministerial retreat is going to be attending seminars where we hear from speakers from various places in ministry.  As such, I have been told that this is almost more like a conference than a retreat.  I am not bothered by this as I trust that we will be given valuable information.  The first seminar I went to was good.  While the general topic was not something that I am completely passionate about, there was a number of nuggets of wisdom that I was able to take away from the session.  I will write more about the details of what I am learning later.  The purpose of this post is more informative about my attendance of a ministerial retreat.  As such, it would be appropriate to pray for me during this time I as seek to hear direction and wisdom for my life.  (It would also be good to pray for my wife as she has to stay home alone for the next two days.)

All in all, I hope to leave this ministerial retreat inspired and ambitious about the future and about the potential that I can bring to my church and the youth ministry.  Furthermore, I believe that God is going to use this time to inspire others in the district an refuel them for the time to come.  Interestingly enough, I get to preach on Sunday morning after all this is done.  Stay tuned for more updates on what is going on here at the Speculator ministerial retreat!

 

-Pastor Zach