Over 35 people gathered in Rochester in Mid-March for the Living Hope Church Spring Retreat. Since many members of our team are still in the process of moving to Rochester, this was an important opportunity to gather together from Ames, the Twin Cities, and Rochester to deepen our relationships, pray, worship, and hear testimonies and teaching.
Pastor Paul and Pastor Charlie both taught on the subject of “The Strength of a Church Planter.” While there are many wise strategies we can follow, ultimately we need to rely on the Lord and His strength as we do ministry and plant Living Hope church.
A highlight of the retreat was the photo scavenger hunt! Teams of 4 received a long list of possible photo opportunities around the city, each worth a varying number of points. In a short couple of hours, each team needed to eat lunch together and try to get as many points as possible from the list — with bonus points awarded for random strangers who agreed to be in a picture. The scavenger hunt was a great relationship building activity, while also helping team members discover a few new places around the city.
We ended the retreat with a time of prayer, lifting up various topics including evangelism, discipleship, our pastors, church unity, and the many logistics of moving and starting a new church. We all enjoyed being together and look forward to the whole team being together in Rochester soon!