Having been on the Kairos pastoral team now for two years, one of the highlights for me has been participating in the Men’s retreat. My first year attending was great, because it gave me an opportunity to meet and spend time with several men from our church who I had not yet had the chance to get to know. I left that weekend encouraged by the depth and quality of men connected to our church who have a hunger to know Jesus and one another more fully. The following year (last year) was also a great experience, though in a different way. I went last year with a year of relationships under my belt, so it was easier and more natural to connect with guys about family, work-life balance, and faith. The weekend was relaxing, full of enjoyable conversations, and we had the opportunity to learn, pray and worship together.
Since I hold the quality of the men in our church in such high regard, I felt comfortable inviting two of my friends to join us on the retreat, confident that they too would have a positive experience. Neither of these guys have a church they call home, so I was excited about introducing them to guys from our church. They too had a wonderful experience. One of the guys recently asked me if he was allowed to attend again this year…which I told him “absolutely!” My other friend who attended is now one of the eight Kairos men currently participating in our first men’s mentoring group. I seriously doubt he would be apart of the mentoring group if he had not first attended and met other men on the Men’s Retreat.
I share my personal experience, because I am hopeful that many of the men in our church will join me this year. Everyone needs a weekend away to recharge and grow in their faith. I also have an encouragement, maybe you could call it a challenge for the men (and women) of our church: Is there someone in your life that needs to be invited to join the rest of us for the next Men’s Retreat? Is there someone that pops into your mind that you believe would benefit from being part of a community of men, a community of faith that seeks to walk along side them in life and encourage them to follow Jesus?
My guess is that for many of you it was an invitation that spurned some sort of community life and faith engagement that has been incredibly beneficial, rewarding, and live giving for you. An initial invitation is what sparked my faith many years ago. So, I encourage you to ask God to place someone on your heart to invite to church, a community service project, a women’s gathering, or our upcoming Men’s Retreat – August 24-26. You take the risk of extending an invitation, and stand back and allow God to do what God does with our small acts of faith.
Several guy have already signed up for the retreat. For those of you men who are thinking about attending, you can click here for more information and to register. FYI: price increases $30 if you register after July 29th – scholarships are available upon request.
– Joe