Signs of fall in New England.
Labor Day ushered in “fall”—ahead of the autumnal equinox, but somehow, Labor Day weekend draws the invisible line between all things summer and all things fall. We were delighted to have dear friends, Christy Keating and Pam MacIver, join us for a couple of days over this long weekend. Along with our now deceased friend Patty, Pam and Christy and I have gotten together regularly since the mid-90’s when we were in the same Mom-to-Mom group at Grace Chapel. We’ve been through the thick and thin together for over three decades and are deeply bonded as a result.
Our days together, though too short, were backdropped by beautiful weather which made perfect conditions for swimming (or at least floating) in our pool, walking in our “hood,” and hiking in Great Falls National Park. In between, we shared delicious meals and a lot of talking and laughter. Having some of our “village” come to our new neck of the woods was such a treat. We hated to see them go.
Great Falls National Park is truly a national treasure and we loved hiking along the river.
Our Labor Day 5-mile hike through Great Falls was beautiful and challenging.
A counseling day followed their departure and then we took off for Rome.
Georgia, that is.
We were so honored to be invited to return to speak for the Church of the Apostles' marriage retreat, “We Choose Us,” which was held at the Chick-Fil-A retreat center, WinShape, in Rome, GA.
We flew down Thursday afternoon in time to have dinner with TJ and Sharon Diamond (pastor of small groups at the church), and Steve and Denise Nyberg, dear friends who were in our Sunday School class at Grace Chapel back in the 90’s. It was their recommending us to TJ that inspired our first invitation in 2021 and we were so grateful. The Nybergs were in the process of relocating to Texas to support their son-in-law and grandchildren in the aftermath of their daughter’s death, so we were thankful to have a farewell evening with them. Both couples are “salt of the earth” types and our 3-hour evening together wasn’t long enough.
We spent a most delightful 3-hour dinner with TJ and Sharon Diamond and Steve and Denise Nyberg.
We then overnighted with Nate and Jeannie King, who Paul married in 2000 (after they came to Engagement Matters and did pre-marital with us), and who served on our Engagement Matters team for several years after they were married prior to moving to Rome (Jeannie’s hometown). We had a wonderful morning together, catching up with one another, and it was such an encouragement to us to hear and see how the Lord is “directing their path” and is central in their family of 4 young adult children. I’m not sure there is anything better than seeing God at work through the generations. It was a full circle moment when their oldest son, Drew, brought his serious girlfriend to Engagement Matters this past year. All praise is His!!
We had a wonderful time reconnecting with our dear friends, Nate and Jeannie King, who provided lodging and meals for us before we headed out to WinShape.
WinShape is a “20” on a scale of “10” when it comes to retreat centers. Remotely located on the acreage behind Berry College in Rome, it is a true sanctuary and very much off the grid.
A renovated milk cow farm, it was bought by Truett and Jeanette Cathy and converted to a retreat center, opening in 2003. From the beautifully appointed rooms, to a grand high-end restaurant-esque dining hall, all situated on pristine grounds, the centerpiece of which is a huge man-made swimming/boating pond, it’s hard to imagine a place better suited to hold a marriage retreat! No TV’s in the rooms, spotty Internet, and no place to spend money all reduce the distraction potential, which work together to provide a true getaway.
We loved being there.
But even more, we loved being with TJ and Sharon and their team. Such a great group of Kingdom builders.
The conference launched Friday night, Sept 11, with dinner and concluded at noon Sunday with our final teaching session. Worship was led by a very talented husband-wife team, Lauren and Jeremy, along with bass player, Joe, and they set the table for our teaching by opening each session.
The program was thoughtfully and prayerfully put together and included worship, teaching, small groups, and a laugher-filled take-off of “The Newlywed Game” featuring not-so-newlywed couples. In between there was hiking, biking, boating, and the free (yes, free) Snack Shop which offered ice cream, coffees, chips, cookies, and candies. Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better!
TJ and Sharon Diamond welcome the “campers” and introduce us.
Jeremy, Lauren, and Joe, all professional musicians, led us in worship to launch each session and they were fantastic.
Prompting our books . . .
The team: TJ and Sharon, Nate and Belle (new staff at The Church of the Apostles, from “down under”), and Jeremy and Lauren.
A highlight for us was having some time with the Kings’ grown up children. It was such an encouragement to spend some time with these devoted-to-Christ young people.
We did manage to get our 5 miles in, hiking to the reservoir between meeting with various couples.
The grand finale was having lunch with TJ and Sharon after the conference ended. Our hearts for them just keep growing deeper.
We flew home late Sunday night for a week of doctor’s appointments and counseling.
And then we flew to New England.
We were overjoyed to be invited to do a marriage conference for Hope Christian Church in Winchester, MA. We consider Hope our home church, having attended there the last 4 years we lived in New England. We love Pastor Todd Cravens’ expository preaching and his absolute commitment to teaching the Word and living the Word, which characterize the mission of Hope.
This was our second conference for this church and we loved partnering with them again.
Organized by David and Sharlene Yi, who had a hard-working team around them, it was well put together, simply and effectively. Among the attendees were many decades old friends whom we were delighted to see. The group was large and very diverse.
Chris Bonner, pastor of small groups, emceed the conference and put everyone at ease with his kind, gentle, and clear messaging. He arranged to bring in worship leaders Daniel and Esther, a very talented husband-wife team, who moved from their home country of Kenya to Taunton, MA, just a year ago. They lead with passion and movement and even led us in one song in Swahili. They brought Africa to us for a few minutes, which stirred in us sweet memories of our eight years of partnering with ministries in Uganda.
A beautiful table top charcuterie welcomed the guests Friday night and a full breakfast spread fueled everyone for Saturday morning’s 8–12 session. Vanessa worked hard to create these spaces of beauty and nourishment and her efforts were appreciated by all.
Our right hand man, Richard Hendricks, “manned” the book table both Friday night and Saturday, an act of service we are deeply grateful for.
Sharlene Yi and I admiring the beautiful charcuterie table on opening night of the conference.
Pastor Chris Bonner welcomes everyone to the conference.
The sanctuary was transformed into a coffee house with centerpieces adorning each round table.
Worship led by Daniel and Esther was robust.
We even sang a song in Swahili.
The team behind the event: Chris and Rahel Bonner, Daniel and Esther, Patrick and Andisa Siswana, and David and Sharlene Yi. We loved working with them.
Pastor Todd and Alisa Cravens lead this gospel-centered church faithfully and tirelessly.
Besides the conference, we had great fellowship with Doug and Julie Macrae, who hosted us for our nights in Boston. We also had an evening with Ryan and Kelly Plosker, a breakfast with Tom and Michele Sweeney, and lunch with Todd and Alisa. And Frank and Carolyn Sylvester made a special trip to spend a few minutes with us prior to the conference starting Friday night. Finally, we delighted in worshiping at Hope Sunday morning, which was both uplifting and instructive. A final meal with the Macraes on our way to the airport ended the weekend with an exclamation point.
It was a full, rich, brief weekend and we returned home with full hearts and tired bodies. We always leave part of our hearts in New England, since so many of our deep friendships populate the area which served as our home for 32 years. It’s always good to go back.
We’ve reflected on the contrast between the two back-to-back weekend marriage events, which were so different in some ways. In terms of setting, they couldn’t have been more dramatically opposite: the 5-star-retreat center weekend experience at WinShape to the “in house” Friday-Saturday seminar at Hope.
But the substance and the vision were the same. We love both models and feel they’re each effective in encouraging marriages, which are one of the favorite targets of the enemy. We’re so thankful for these churches which see the need for investing in the marriages in their congregations. Healthy, growing marriages have a positive shaping impact on every other ministry in the church.
On a very different note, this is a new season for us personally. Some of you know by now that Paul is undergoing treatments to eradicate stage 4a prostate cancer, which thankfully has a very positive prognosis. After several months of hormone treatment, he is almost halfway through 39 radiation sessions and we’re trusting that when those are finished, his cancer will be as well.
This is what makes these weekend conferences even more meaningful and enlivening to us. We so love what we do and have always found these opportunities life-giving, but even more so now. God has faithfully given us exactly what we need when we need it and we truly give Him all the praise.
We feel His grace and generosity as we press on with very little physical impact from Paul’s cancer journey. We don’t take that lightly. We know so many whose lives have been turned upside down by a health development and every day we thank the Lord for His mercy.
We are blessed beyond and all praise is His.
