One night last September, one of my dearest friends, Miriam, sent me a screenshot of the Women’s Retreat that was coming up and asked, “Are you going to this?” I had attended Schweitzer in the past. I use the term “attended” loosely because at that point it had been over ten years since my family and I attended church regularly. Prior to this, we had been in worship ministry for over 20 years, but that and the cares of this life took its toll, and rather than lean into God and His people – we pulled away. We were starving for fellowship with believers. Sitting in bed that night, I signed up then and there.
The retreat was filled with plenty of activities: great food, ice-breakers, worship, games, even a craft. All this was wonderful, but the aspect of the retreat that impacted me most was the women who spoke. The theme of the retreat was “Let it Be” based on scripture in Luke when the angel tells Mary she will be the mother of Jesus. I can only imagine how terrified she must have been, yet in Luke 1:38, Mary trusts the angel is relaying God’s truth to her and replies, “I am the Lord’s servant… May your word to me be fulfilled.”
As each woman shared her story of how God had fulfilled His truth in their lives, I recognized how unique God has created each of us – not one of us walks the same journey – each step is orchestrated to meet our individual needs and draw us closer to Him and to one another.
When the retreat ended, I knew Schweitzer was my church. If you are new to Schweitzer or just struggling to feel connected, please consider attending our retreat this fall. He knows what we need even when we don’t know how to ask. Over the months, the connections I made that weekend have grown into beautiful friendships I wouldn’t have otherwise.
