{"id":24362,"date":"2024-08-19T17:15:20","date_gmt":"2024-08-19T15:15:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/clone\/?p=24362"},"modified":"2024-08-27T03:17:38","modified_gmt":"2024-08-27T01:17:38","slug":"radically-restful-retreat-2024-uk-ministers-wellness-retreat-recap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/radically-restful-retreat-2024-uk-ministers-wellness-retreat-recap\/","title":{"rendered":"Radically Restful Retreat: 2024 UK Minister\u2019s Wellness Retreat Recap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

When did you last enjoy deep and restorative rest, just you and God? What would it mean for you to truly savor your work as someone employed by the church? Do you ever feel like quitting the ministry? Those were some of the questions we invited the UK ministry staff to consider this spring. What about you?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

God\u2019s Spirit moved powerfully this past April at the UK Minister\u2019s Wellness Retreat in Leicestershire, England. It was an honor for the Eremos Ministry<\/a> staff (Joel and Christy Peed, Dr. Sean and Erin St. Jean) to serve almost 40 of our brothers and sisters in Christ across the pond for five days of rest, teaching, solitude and \u2013 most importantly \u2013 a chance to listen for the voice of God in a pastoral setting. It had been some time since they had all met in this way, traveling from all over England, Scotland, Ireland, and Scandinavia to participate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The theme was \u201cThe LORD is my Shepherd,” based on Psalm 23, and we asked the staff in attendance, \u201cWhat does it mean for God to restore our souls?\u201d In this vein, Joel and Christy\u2019s teaching focused on best practices for healthy churches and their leaders, godly parenting principles for ministry families, and spiritual formation practices that would sustain ministers into the future. They gently challenged the staff to consider not only how they could merely survive the ministry, but truly thrive. Sean\u2019s material was centered on treating professional burnout and helping ministers to address and heal historical hurts in their churches. Erin facilitated a nightly discussion designed to highlight and share what had been learned and experienced that day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the post-retreat feedback form, we learned what stood out most for the retreat participants. The primary comment was that there was a noticeable lack of pressure placed on those who came. Someone said, \u201cWe have never been to a retreat like this before. We are accustomed to being told we aren\u2019t baptizing enough or working hard enough, but your message was almost the opposite of that.<\/em>\u201d Indeed, we insisted on a few basics: no phones, no \u201cwork,\u201d and no side meetings or planning were allowed. These gentle admonishments gave everyone a sense of permission to simply rest and connect with the Father.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

One minister wrote, \u201cInspirational and thoughtful lessons, balanced with lots of time for reflection and connection with God. A paradigm shift in ‘being still and letting God’. There was a great spirit of bonding and unity amongst all in attendance.<\/em>\u201d Another wrote, \u201cI could turn off notifications and not engage in conversations outside the retreat. The lessons were insightful, inspiring, and healing and gave a lot of food for thought. The sense of unity and bonding was palpable, making us feel connected and part of a larger community<\/em>.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A major highlight of the retreat was a 24-hour period of silence and solitude. We all agreed to refrain from speaking to each other during this time, took grab-and-go bags for our meals, enjoyed long walks through the beautiful countryside, and made the most of the opportunity to commune with God privately. For most, this was regarded as a great gift, an experience they will never forget. For a few, there were feelings of trepidation. One person told us, \u201cIn decades of ministry, I have never before experienced an entire day of silence and solitude<\/em>.\u201d One or two felt anxiety at the prospect of spending time alone with God. This gave us an opportunity to walk alongside them and help them to shore up their confidence in God\u2019s unconditional love for them. We also offered individual coaching and counseling sessions on-site. Ministers began to open up about some of their pain and struggles and were given a chance to be heard and make plans for their futures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally, it should be said that some people did not initially want to go to the retreat at all because of relational conflict they had experienced in the church. Thankfully, God worked through that time and that space to heal some of those wounded hearts. The retreat served as a beacon of hope, offering healing and reconciliation. And truly, we learned from them just as much as they did from us. We are grateful to have come through this experience together, not just as brothers and sisters in name, but now tightly knit together in our hearts!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you, your church staff, or the regional family you’re a part of is interested in a similar retreat, please contact the Eremos team ASAP (at <\/em>joelpeed@gmail.com<\/em><\/a>) as the calendar for 2025 is quickly filling up. <\/em>Learn more at www.eremosministry.org\/<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

God\u2019s Spirit moved powerfully this past April at the UK Minister\u2019s Wellness Retreat in Leicestershire, England.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":25,"featured_media":24363,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ghostkit_customizer_options":"","ghostkit_custom_css":"","ghostkit_custom_js_head":"","ghostkit_custom_js_foot":"","ghostkit_typography":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_folder":[],"class_list":["post-24362","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/restful-retreat-UK.jpeg?fit=1289%2C859&ssl=1","author_info":{"display_name":"dtadmin","author_link":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/author\/dtadmin\/"},"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/phsvEw-6kW","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":31405,"url":"https:\/\/disciplestoday.org\/clone\/ministers-wellness-webinar-the-prodigal-father-on-oct-15th\/","url_meta":{"origin":24362,"position":0},"title":"Minister’s 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