Finding Our Growing Edges

 

Many churches in the U.S. have found new direction with the help of John Wenrich and the Covenant's Department of Congregational Vitality.  After hearing John speak at the Covenant Annual Meeting this past July, our hope was that with his help we could also find new vitality and passion, as Asian Covenant missionaries, in the work God has given us.

As well, there has been another issue which has repeatedly bubbled to the surface as we have traveled and visited and observed missionaries in many different settings--that of "Cross-Cultural Partnerships."  Almost all of us are involved in partnerships with national churches and friends.  Some of those have been good partnerships filled with mutuality, love, and respect.  But all of us have at times experienced dis-functional partnerships.  We asked Mary Lederleitner, a Wycliffe researcher and consultant to speak from her book of the same name.      

Worship time at the retreat--Carl Groot, Lillian Dwigh, Grace Shim, Tim Johnson

So, last weekend we met in a beautiful setting in Cha-Am, Thailand where John and Mary led us though much relevant material.  Through small-group discussions, questions from the floor, and a lot of time just to talk outside the meetings, the 50+ missionaries who were there shared how they have been challenged and blessed through that time.  Ruthie and I felt the retreat went better than we had dared dream and hope.  We're thankful for these times of reflection, fellowship, and retreat which the Covenant makes possible every 3 years.