Women's Retreat 2014

April 24th, 2014

The 2014 Spring Coram Deo Women’s Retreat was at the Margate on Lake Winnipesaukee on April 4th and 5th. Ninety women from Christ Redeemer Church and Redeemer Fellowship Church gathered together for the weekend.

This year’s speaker was Liz Kealy. Liz has been serving the Lord with Cru for 30 years. Liz addressed the group on Friday night, Saturday morning and Saturday afternoon. Retreat audio recordings can be found at the bottom of the page. After each session, discussion groups met to consider the talks together. There was plenty of time on Saturday afternoon to relax, hike, attend a mentoring discussion, or take part in other fun activities. Below are a few reflections by women who attended the retreat.

“In thinking about the retreat, what stands out to me is the time we spent together in our small group. There were 6 women in my group, and I only knew one of them before that weekend. By the end of the weekend, I felt like we had shared our lives with one another, had prayed for each other, and would continue to pray for one another throughout the year. I am so thankful to the retreat committee for putting us together!”

~Barb van Hoff

“I am older than the majority of women at CRC. My husband and I are retired and have children and grandchildren out of the area resulting in an erratic schedule. The past few years, I have had conflicts with the retreat dates, but this year I made it a point to get that date on the calendar. I had just returned from four weeks of caring for my daughter after the birth of her first child and the retreat was in a few days. I arrived at the retreat alone and when I got to my room prayed that The Lord would lead me to the people I was to connect with. I was continually amazed at the connections that were made. Our small group came to a place of intimacy within our first meeting. Indeed, the talks were compelling, helping me to realize that honest sharing and prayer was what Jesus calls us to do.”

~Mary Ann Lewis

“I have been to many retreats, but this is the first one that was just a women’s retreat and the first one with such a wide age range. Being surrounded by women of all ages for 24 hours was a special thing. Having conversations with woman who have walked a few (or a lot) more steps of life than me really gave me the opportunity to listen and gain insight and wisdom. I love how within a church all barriers are broken down, and we can be real, and encouraging no matter what stage of life we are in. All three messages were thought provoking as well. I have always found the passage in Matthew 26:38-44 of Jesus in the Garden really interesting. The reality of Jesus’ situation in that moment is powerful. Not only would one of his closest friends betray Him, and another deny Him, but He was about to be separated from His father. In fact Jesus says, ‘My father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’ God met Him in the Garden, in His despair. Being in despair is an emotion not a faith statement. It is so easy to find ourselves saying ‘God I want to trust you, but sometimes you do things I don’t like.’ Just as Jesus could trust His father and say may your will be done, we are able to do the same. He is a God that can be trusted, and a God that we can surrender all too. ”

~ Abbie Seale