An Upcoming, Local Parish Retreat
As most of you are no doubt aware, Bp. Trevor Walters has been kind enough to lead CCA through a process of healing and reconciliation, following some of the challenges of the last year. The kinds of changes our church has recently been through stir up strong responses in many of us. These responses to challenging changes can feel so strong because they often come from deeply-held wounds that stretch as far back as our childhoods. In an effort to continue the process of corporate and private healing, Bp. Trevor will be leading a local Parish “Retreat” here at Christ Church in the Parish Hall to address just these kinds of wounds. From Bp. Trevor himself:
If you consider that a parent’s task is to fill up their child’s cup (in the way that Psalm 23 envisions a person’s cup running over), how successful were your parents at this task? If parents failed to fill the cup, a child will either be thirsty for affirmation to the point of addiction to it, or they will throw the cup away and say “affirmation is overrated, so who needs it?” The former wears the cup on their sleeve and the latter rejects the cup and, by default, anyone who might fill it.
Now, where does faith come into this picture? Is this not just another pop psychology creating a ‘me’ generation? No, because this approach is to find the healing that can restore the broken cup. It is the affirmation deficit that leads people to crave attention and to say “look at me aren’t I wonderful” all the time or to push others away in order to avoid acknowledging the need. On the weekend retreat, you will discover why this was not God’s plan, along with ways to live in light of God’s good plan for us as it relates to affirmation.
I hope that this retreat will foster further opportunities for each person to connect on a deeper level with God, and with one another. God’s desire for Christian communities is that they would be places where people come to know God’s grace, mercy, healing, and love. This retreat will be a terrific opportunity to do just that. The retreat will take place on the weekend of February 28th, beginning on Friday evening, continuing through the afternoon of February 29th. More details to follow. I hope everyone will prayerfully consider joining us for this healing retreat.
In Christ,
Fr. Matt