Los Ranchos Pastors:
Advent season is upon us all and this is no time to receive a message about something in February…. unless its about the Pastors’ Retreat! With all that is happening in our world, our denomination and in each of our churches it seems we might all be looking for some encouragement and personal renewal that can only come through the friendships we have as colleagues in Los Ranchos. My reason for writing you is to ask you to stop now and put the dates of Wednesday, February 17 – Friday, February 19 on your calendar…..NOW.
Once again we will be gathering at Serra Retreat in Malibu, and Dr. Craig Barnes, President of Princeton Seminary, will be our speaker. Craig has been a pastor in churches in Pennsylvania and Washington D.C. has held professor positions at the seminary level and, along with being a best-selling author of books many of us have appreciated, his unique path led him to the Presidency at Princeton, where he has been since 2012. Many of us have heard him speak at conferences around the country and now it is our opportunity to spend three days with him in this glorious setting. Yet, we all know the real attraction of the retreat is in the time we have to spend together. There are special plans to help us experience this time in unique ways as we strengthen our relationships.
This year, once again, we will be joined by our colleagues from the Santa Barbara Presbytery, a partnership we began with last year’s event. A significant group of pastors from there really filled out our time in 2015 and they are primed to do the same this time around.
As we are planning the retreat, our goal is to nurture the personal and spiritual dimensions of our own soul in the midst of these challenging times. Craig will be helping us from what he has learned and we can help one another given this time of renewal we spend together each year.
Each of us has the choice of sharing a room with a colleague ($300 for two nights) or, if you prefer, a single room ($350 for two nights). This of course includes room and board, the worship and presentations and the scrumptious menu that comes along with the restful fellowship and spectacular venue Serra is known for. You can sign up directly through the online registration site https://www.eventbrite.com/e/retreat-2016-tickets-19913659291 , or call or send an email to Bonita Carr (714-956-3691, X 122, or [email protected]) letting her know if you want the single or double rate. We encourage you to pay ahead of time and we can process credit cards through the online site (please note that fees will be charged through the online registration site for credit card processing) or in our office if you call. You may also pay at the door (only by check or cash), but however you do it, we ask you to reserve a place soon. Should you find the cost a bit too much to handle, please let us know. We have funds set aside for the purpose of making sure we all can join together for this time of refreshment.
Registration begins at 1 pm on Wednesday, with our reception for our newest pastors scheduled for 4 o’clock. The retreat concludes with a communion service and some final thoughts from our presenter on Friday with the plan to wrap it up by late morning. If you have any questions, please send me an email ([email protected]) or call me at 714-557-3340, ext. 100.
This is a unique time for us to gather together, once each year, to help shape our souls as pastors and our relationships as a presbytery. You won’t want to miss this opportunity.
Looking forward to seeing you there in February. Have a memorable and Merry Christmas!
Tim McCalmont for the Committee Supporting Pastors