Friday, March 25, 2011
Team Retreat 2011
We spent last weekend at the Scottish Churches House in Dunblane for a team retreat, to spend quality time together, deepening our relationships, and to have a break from the pressures of day-to-day ministry. This was the Glasgow Team's first retreat! 
We stayed in Leighton House (photo above), originally a 19th Century church that has been converted into self-catering accommodation. It turned out to be a great place for a retreat. Leighton House is across the street from the impressive Dunblane Cathedral, a minute’s walk from the River Allan, and close to the heart of the village. In other words, a place very conducive to a retreat.
We were privileged to have Dr Rory MacKenzie (photo above; he lectures in Practical Theology and Buddhism and has experience in cross-cultural ministry in Thailand) from International Christian College with us on Saturday for teaching. Rory spoke to us about the role of prayer in ministry and gave some practical suggestions on how to incorporate a discipline of “prayer without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:7) in our busy schedules. What Rory shared was equally challenging and encouraging. One insight that I found particularly helpful was about prayer and our priorities: prayer should attune us to God’s will and what He is already doing, allowing ourselves to be changed in the process. Yet we can treat prayer as a way of asking for God’s approval when we’ve already gone ahead with our own plans – which is really getting things back to front. It's something most of us will admit to knowing already, but so easy to forget in practice. Rory's teaching was a helpful reminder of this and he gave some very practical suggestions, encouraging us to (as Rory put it) "to pray as we can, not as we can't."
It was a great weekend. I believe that our time together and Rory’s teaching will help to strengthen our ministry to refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow.
Here are a few more photos from retreat:
It was a great weekend. I believe that our time together and Rory’s teaching will help to strengthen our ministry to refugees and asylum seekers in Glasgow.
Here are a few more photos from retreat:
Leighton House meeting room with a view of the cathedral.
Conversation before dinner.
Snowdrops in the Leighton courtyard.
Niamh cuddling 'Rafi'; she learned to crawl the first day of retreat!
Dunblane Cathedral
Leighton House & a celtic cross.
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