Story by Kathy Krug
On Tuesday morning, September 15, ten people from Slate Hill Mennonite Church arrived at Camp Hebron for the three day Autumn Retreat. We were joined by nine other people from other churches.
The teacher/facilitator was Ken Martin (read more about Ken below) who's theme was "Encouraging One Another." The worship leaders were Paul and Mary Good (read more about the Goods below).
Retreat guests are busy building their water-bottle rockets.
The days were filled with meaningful fellowship, delicious meals, and fun activities. Some participated in rocket building and launching, bingo, ping pong, shuffleboard, horseshoes, table games, archery, and craft time. A walk through the Prayer Labyrinth provided a quiet, meditative time. A wagon ride took the group to the lake for boating. Susan Berger of Camp Hebron presented an enjoyable and meaningful session about the horsemanship program and the horses at camp. A concert and a hymn sing provided an opportunity to sing and listen to new songs as well as old favorites.
All too soon, the retreat ended Thursday, September 17, but we all headed home with words of encouragement for ourselves and for reaching out to others.
Betty said, "I really enjoyed the sessions with Ken Martin in using the theme "encouraging one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." I had an all-around fun time including bonding and developing new friendships, fun craft activities, archery - first time I ever shot a bow and arrow and I actually didn't do too bad! And the horsemanship demonstration was tops in talking about developing a relationship and learning to know your horse just as we need to and want to develop a relationship with God in learning to know Him more deeply. It was an amazing time together."
Norm said, "Especially enjoyed the sessions with Ken Martin as he challenged us to be encouragers and to build each other up. I also enjoyed the fellowship with others at the retreat and watching on-going activities."
Lorraine & Ben said, "Ben and I enjoyed the Retreat as well as fellowship with others in our Care Group. We enjoyed the Bible sessions on Encouragement which we found so appropriate for us. I liked the crafts we did. I especially liked the horse training lesson by Susan who demonstrated how she got the horses to go where she wanted them by using knowledge and experience she accumulated over the years. She also likened it to the way God uses many ways to train and lead us. We liked the simplicity of the crafts, the wagon ride, the paddle boat rides, the socializing, and oh yes, the delicious meals that we did not have to make, or clean up afterward! All and all, it added up to a delightful time."
Gene & Dottie said, "We had a wonderfully fun, restful, and inspiring three days at the Autumn Retreat. There was lots of encouraging conversation among the 60+ers, which, by the way, was the theme of our excellent speaker Ken Martin. We came away feeling greatly renewed and uplifted. Its hard to pick out any single activity that we liked best, because it was all so enjoyable. I, Dottie, really appreciated most messages on encouraging one another, but, for fun, I enjoyed the bottle rocket project. Gene's favorite was the Wednesday night concert by Paul and Mary Good as well as the sessions with our speaker. We are ready and eager to attend again next year and will encourage many of our friends to go as well."
Next year's Autumn Retreat will be from Tuesday, September 13, 2016 - Thursday, September 15, 2016.
Do you know someone who might be interested in attending next year's Autumn Retreat? Share this blog post with them, and send them our way for questions we can answer via email or by phone at 717-896-3441.
Check back on our website for details about next year's speaker, pricing and more!
Meet our speaker Ken Martin: Ken is married to Lois and they have three children and four grandchildren. Ken served as a Pastor of Weaverland Mennonite Church for 16 years before becoming Overseer/Bishop of the Weaverland NE District of Lancaster Conference for 20 years. He has retired from those roles, though continues to serve as Director of 60Plus Ministries and Visitation at Weaverland Mennonite Church, and also assists one day per week in Chaplaincy Ministry at Garden Spot Village.
Meet our worship leaders Paul & Mary Good: Since before they were married, music has been a part of their lives. From singing with their children to leading worship at church, from a local coffeehouse to a concert, Paul & Mary have been blessed with the privilege to minister to people in song. Whatever the venue, Paul & Mary's love for the Lord and for each other is evident in the songs they sing. Along with their songs, they enjoy sharing stories of their children, grandchildren, and life. Paul & Mary Good have been involved in Christian music ministry for over 25 years. Their music style is country with influence of bluegrass, southern gospel, and contemporary praise and worship. Along with Paul & Mary's music ministry, they also run and operate Road's End Studio where they do music lessons, recording and more. You can also check out Paul & Mary's Facebook page for updates on where they'll be playing next.