Yearly Meetings/Association Hold Joint Pastors’ Retreat

Pastors, their spouses, and children, from New Association of Friends, Wilmington, Western, and New York Yearly Meetings, met for food, fun, and fellowship April 22-24 at Hueston Woods State Park in Ohio. This marked the second visit, as a group, to this particular location, and the fourth joint pastors’ retreat.

In a world which is often marked by hustle and bustle, these retreats are an invitation for pastors to rest and relax, serving as an important reminder to the pastors that they aren’t machines. Whatever we are doing and wherever we are, it can be tempting to feel as if we are isolated and alone in our cares and concerns. Gatherings like these provide a timely reminder of the shared call and purpose in ministry.

As FUM’s Coordinator of North American and Caribbean Ministries, one of the aspects of my job that I cherish are the conversations and relationships I am able to have with pastors. These are a group of people who have answered a call to ministry and dedicated their lives to spiritual growth and transformation in their communities. They pour their time and energy into others.  

The unofficial and maybe unintentional theme for this year’s retreat could have been taken from John 8:32: “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” Pastors and spouses over the course of the retreat were asked to reflect on various gaps between ideology and reality. No matter the particular situation, the existence  of that gap indicated areas for personal or community growth. When we were able to see it—see the truth of the gap—there was a freedom and opportunity to get to work, inviting God’s Holy Spirit into the place of healing.  

Please pray for your pastor, the pastors in your Yearly Meeting or association, as well as the pastors in your wider body of Friends.   —Michael Sherman