We each look forward to reconnecting during this retreat, sharing highs and lows, successes and struggles, and generally catching up. Two distinct joys of our retreat are sharing delicious meals with the other guests at the Centre, and sitting around a campfire well into the evening listening to the Ghost River flow by in the valley below.
We gathered for our Covenanting ceremony again this year around the uneven, unfinished stone slab that serves as the worship table in their chapel. Balancing cups and candles on the stone requires a little extra focus and attention, just like so much of ministry. We shared a grief or struggle as well as a hope or joy we carried this past year, and covenanted to continue in ministry together in the coming year. We also blessed the Rev. Trina Holmberg as she prepares to move to Nepal to run a guest house and volunteer with the school and churches there.
These retreats, with their beautiful mixture of laughter, silence, conversation, and learning, are an integral part of ministry in the Canadian District, and we are deeply grateful for the opportunity to gather in such a beautiful and meaningful space every year.
