Women’s One Day Retreat October 2017
The COA Fall Women’s Retreat at Sinking Springs Herb Farm started at the pond with a morning Bible study. We were showered with sunshine and a view that warmed our hearts; birds were singing, and God’s presence was breathtaking. We opened with a prayer and our host Anne joined us. We continued with a short discussion that included 1 Peter 5:6-7; Psalm 118:24; and 1 Thessalonians 5:18 from the Jesus Calling Bible.
After our study at the pond, we moved to the beautiful farmhouse where we met again with Anne who led the discussion on the 16 herbs of the Bible. We discussed ivy, bay, aloe, coriander, frankincense, myrrh, mint, rose, rue, saffron, wormwood, rosemary, fennel, caraway, dill, and costmary—a bible leaf. After this our host took us for a tour of the herb gardens and we were able to make wreaths.
Anne made us a vegetarian lunch with a garden vegetable soup and a hearty grain salad with Irish bread, most of this from her garden, delicious! After lunch, we ended our day with further discussion on the uses of herbs for today and closed our discussion with a Jesus Calling Bible Study on 2 Corinthians 5:7; Psalm 96: 6; John 8:12; and Psalm 36:9. This was a truly blessed day and I thank all of you for joining me.
Christ Our Anchor’s Spring Women’s Retreat 2017 
This is the second year that we had our spring Women’s Retreat at Shrine Mont Conference and Retreat Center, in Virginia, on May 5th – 7th. Blessed by a beautiful weekend, and 16 women, this year we spent our time getting in touch with the gift of God’s Spirit within us.
Our schedule for the weekend was as follows:
- On Friday, we had the great opportunity again to laugh tell stories and just unwind from the long drive as we got to know each other again.
- Saturday, we started with a Bible Study that opened us up to receive the lesson that Pastor Jessie put together on the 12 step Journey, followed by a blind fold activity that helped us get closer connected on hearing Gods words throughout our days, and finally we created a Vision board to help us stay focused throughout the year.
- Sunday, we had a very special service given by Pastor Jessie and for the first time we had communion.
This year’s meals were served by buffet in there main dining hall. We had to do nothing but enjoy our exceptional meals, that were truly made with Gods love and kindness, and folks that really love serving others.
Women’s One Day Retreat- October 22, 2016
At the White Rose Farms
It started with a circle of pillows on the floor. Grounded with beautiful plants and sunlight cascading into the room mixed with some grey shadows from the winds that were pushing the clouds bye fast. We opened with a prayer of thanks giving for the graciousness of our Host Sally, and started our circle with lighting a candle to invite the light of God to guide us. We continued with a short discussion that included; Proverbs 2:4 from the Jesus Calling book to helped us to open-up and feel Gods presence. Then Pastor Jessie lead us in a Bible Study on Galatians 5:22-23 “The Fruits of the Spirit” and 10 Ideas for reflecting The Fruits of the Spirit, by Scott Williams.
We had Lunch at 12:30 which our Host Sally joined us with some greens from her garden and some warm sweet potatoes that went very well with the pasta salad and chicken salad. After which we walked through the field to her arthouse to continue with the seed circle. Here we dedicated our seed circle to Loved ones or wonderful accomplishments. “Seed circles are fashioned by hand out of recycled paper, seeds, flowers and leaves. Artist and educator Diane Wittner created this process to engage and involve people in restoring our ecosystems. She grew native plants in her small yard, collected their seeds, created seed papers and sowed them along abandoned sites. (see chespeakecitizens.org)”.
We ended our day with a light snack with tea and cookies and a closing discussion on; Psalm 21:6, from the Jesus Calling Book, with a prayer to ask God to help us continue to move forward with more “Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self-Control.
May God Bless your Life Journey!