From January 27 to 28, the annual St. Timothy New Year’s Retreat took place at the Queen of Apostle Renewal Centre. The goal was to reflect further on this year’s theme: “Serving is Living.” While there were lots of familiar faces from the previous years’ retreats, it was great to see some new faces joining us this year! Overall, the two days proved to be an enriching time of prayer, reflection and renewal.
The first session on Friday evening began with introductory remarks from Elder James Choe, followed by a time of praise with Jonathan Cho. Rev. Kim then delivered his first lecture, which explored the meaning of servanthood. He spoke about how the desire to serve is born out of one’s “meaningful encounter” with Christ; there is a definite change in perspective that ultimately enables one to put him/herself at the service of others, without much desire for recognition or reward.
Rev. Kim defined the life of serving as a “quiet, spiritual journey,” in which even the most seemingly menial work can be of great significance. Then in the latter half of the lecture, there was a time of discussion in groups with reference to the story of John and James in the Gospel of Mark (10:35-45). Many people brought invaluable insights to the table and made for a wonderful time of sharing. The lecture was also interspersed with a time of singing, as a way to mediate and to reflect on the discussion.
At the end of our first session, a surprise birthday celebration was held for our member Heichung, after which people engaged in a time of fellowship and laughter. Although it was late for some, people were still in good spirits!
Then came what ended up being the most entertaining portion of the evening: singing “Old School Praise Songs.” Led by none other than the multi-talented Pastor Simon on keys, people gathered in a circle and sang countless praise songs that evoked feelings of nostalgia for many. Some still knew the dances to certain songs and got the rest to join them as well! The hour of singing proved to be the perfect way to end the first day, and also to create some excitement and anticipation for the following day.
Saturday began with an early morning prayer session in the main sanctuary. Rev. Kim led everyone in a time of prayer, singing and reflection.
After breakfast, Jonathan once again kicked off the second session with few songs of praise. In his second lecture, Rev. Kim continued to develop on the theme of servanthood by looking at the series of parables in the Gospel of Matthew (25:1-46). What was particularly interesting was seeing the “relationship” or a certain “pattern” that united the three parables together, which all centered on the idea of recognizing the needy and acting on it. In group discussions, people identified the differences between “true” service and “self-centered” service.
We then looked at the perfect demonstration of servanthood as explored in John 13, where Jesus, prior to his betrayal, washed his disciples’ feet, including that of Judas, who betrayed him. It was crucial to see that Jesus did not “demonize” people, but served them in love. And in reference to Philippians 2:2-4, Rev. Kim concluded his lecture on a powerful note: When there is a “true” service, there is unity.
Shortly after lunch, people reconvened for a time of worship and Communion. We were then blessed by moving testimonies from Lily and Jonathan that spoke of God’s powerful work in their respective lives that wholly transformed their perspectives on faith and life through experiences with serving and risk-taking. The spirit of unity and love hovered in the air as people prayed for one another in groups and showered each other with hugs as the retreat drew near to a close.
And with concluding remarks from Elder James and thanking Rev. Kim for his leadership, the 2017 New Year’s Retreat ended with a group photo outside:
Once again, this year’s retreat proved to be a success! Starting the new year, it was important that we truly understood the meaning of servanthood and how it is to be applied in today’s context, especially in our community. For those that were not able to attend the event, we hope that this will encourage you to come out next year!
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