Leadership Development
Stuck in a rut?
Bring a sack
lunch and
COME
Celebrate the Wonders of our God in Fellowship
with your Brothers and Sisters
SEE
What
exciting things
David Thorp had to say at the National Conference about
The
Mission
Ahead
LEAVE
Speaking in the power of
the Spirit
Saturday, January 23, 2010
10 AM to 3 PM
St. Vincent
de Paul Church,
30525 8th Ave S,
Federal Way
Once you arrive at the parish,
follow the signs to the meeting room!
“Be Transformed
by the Renewal of Your Mind”
Reclaiming Our
Inheritance
2009 Leaders’ Retreat - Report by Bernie Wymore
The Leaders’ and Helpers’ retreat in
September was one of exploration, discovery, and realization of the inheritance
that the Lord has given to us.
The 30 or so men and women who attended came together to
meet other leaders, learn from each other, and share in the wealth that the Lord
has given to each of us. The conference room was alive with new faces,
faces we have not seen in a long time, and missing a few that normally
would come. That room was alive with music and praise to our Lord and Savior.
Our opening exercise, presented by Andy
Lee, was one that brought old and new together, and shared a little something
about ourselves. It was a fun time, and got everyone to mix around and meet and
greet new people. Our Praise and Worship led by Sharon Fox was inspirational,
fun, and got us focused for the weekend. Sharon and her team led us not only in
song, but also in praise, and worship that invoked the Spirit to be with us.
Tom Curran, our keynote speaker, talked about the five
things we need to remember about the Sacrament of Reconciliation or Confession:
“I did it.” “I’m sorry.”
“Please forgive me.” “I’ll
take care of it.” “I’ll never do it again.”
These came from a teaching he uses with his children, but it is true for
all of us when we come to our Lord. When we do something we know is not right,
and ask for forgiveness from our Lord, He knows what we did, He just wants us to
acknowledge it—and then do something about it. He is always there for us,
whether we acknowledge it or not.
At first, I was not sure how this all tied into our theme,
but as the weekend evolved, everything we did followed this line. When we need
something from Jesus or the Spirit, we ask, but then we want it now—we don’t
want to wait, and we certainly get impatient with the Lord. Then we end up
apologizing to our Lord for not be patient, and not praying, and not following
His direction. And when we discover
our gifts and charisms, what do we do with them? Do we thank our Lord? Do we ask
our Lord to guide us in their use? Or do we take them for granted and then move
ahead as if this is something owed to us?
Through our workshops, many came to learn about other
gifts and some practical ways they are used. Others discovered gifts and
charisms they had not yet uncovered.
Saturday evening praise and worship and Mass with Bishop Eusebio Elizondo was
also inspiring, as he talked about how gifts are used and why we each have
different ones.
And yes, this IS our inheritance—and we
do reclaim it. But we cannot take it for granted. We have to work at it, and be
thankful every day for all that the Lord has given to us.
I cannot fully explain the feeling of this weekend, but here are a few things
that were shared:
“We have the fire of the Holy Spirit and we
need to proclaim
this more often.”
“Jesus is present in all we do; we just need
to seek Him out.”
“Even though
our numbers are small, we are great in the Spirit.”
“I learned so
much, now I have to figure out what I need to do next.”
2008 Leaders & Helpers Retreat
Leaders Retreat Report - Click
Here
Here are some reflections from previous Leaders events:
The Door Prophecy
Overcoming Hindrances to Intimacy with God
Leadership
Development Committee/Experience Leadership Project
Statement of Purpose
Assist
and nurture leaders to recognize and realize the fullness of their call to
leadership in God's specific vision for them personally in order to bring forth
and live out God's vision for their community.
