Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus Christ!
As one who has taken many retreats over the course of ministry as a pastor, I appreciate the time for reflection, introspection, and growth that such opportunities provide. Retreating from normal patterns and work places have allowed me the space for my mind/body/spirit to gain perspective and be creative. I appreciate the way that God’s Spirit has used these times to shape and renew me as a spiritual leader and child of God.
This week, I will be on retreat twice. Starting today, I will be at the Benedictine Center in St. Paul for a writing retreat. The intent is to work on new materials for this year’s Lenten devotional. I have loaded my fountain pens and have my legal pads ready. As writing is an important part of my ministry, I welcome the extended chance to focus on it in a context of prayer.
My second retreat for the week comes on the weekend. On Friday and Saturday, St. James Lutheran’s Council will be gathering for its Annual Council Retreat. Together we will work on our Strategic Plan. Last Fall, each of our Mission Teams (Welcome, Spiritual Formation, Service) gathered to update goals for 2022. The new Council will review the goals in light of the recently adopted 2022 Mission Budget, schedule goals to one of our trimesters, and assign leadership to guide implementation. The Council will also elect officers for the congregation at the end of its retreat.
I am grateful for our 2022 Council (click here to see photos), and for their willingness to share their leadership gifts. Please pray for them in your prayers not only this weekend but throughout the year as they help to guide our community into the new reality that awaits on the other side of the pandemic.
Confident of the energy and excitement that the Spirit will generate on both of my retreats this week I wonder if these times are properly named. Instead of “retreat,” perhaps a better word would be “ADVANCE!”
As always, I look forward to greeting you in worship this weekend whether you attend the 8:00 a.m. (parking lot/sanctuary) or 9:30 (sanctuary/livestream) or whenever you choose to worship (YouTube archive.)
In Christ’s Light,
Pastor Walt
P.S. If you are interested in going on a retreat yourself, I am excited that St. James Lutheran will be offering a morning prayer retreat on the first Saturday in March. Gary DeKrey and I will share prayer practices with you that you can use to deepen your faith life during Lent. We gather at the Arboretum for a morning program. You can stay the rest of the day at the Arboretum enjoying the natural beauty of winter. For more information (click here).