Pastor's Retreat at Normanville

Last Wednesday (3/2), the pastors of Hope Valley took me along to their network's pastor retreat. A Uniting Church network is basically a group of Uniting Churches that decided to work together, help one another, hold each other accountable, etc. Each Uniting Church is a part of a network--some better than others when it comes to various doctrinal stands. The 3d Network is the one which Hope Valley belongs to and it is a solid group of ministers committed to conservative values, cultural significance, and evangelical hearts. I reckon it is a great group to be a part of.

Anyways...we all piled in a car and headed south of Adelaide to a very scenic region along the coast called, Normanville. The drive was gorgeous, with some of the most breath-taking scenery ever. I was very content. The convention hall we went to, basically a resort golf-course, was even more gorgeous, with a wonderful view of the coast and nestled in the hills. All around us were Kangaroo! They seemed to be hopping everywhere. I did have my camera this time and took some wonderful pictures and video of these totally wild animals. It is so surreal to think the Aussies look to them as we look at deer in Michigan. I was impressed though.

The retreat itself was refreshing--a good time in the word, in prayer, and in fellowship with some great men and women of God. I was most happy, however, to really get a chance to hang out with the pastors of Hope Valley. They are such unique and wonderful men, equipped in so many ways for the ministry. I am delighted to serve under them and be a part of what they are doing at Hope Valley. Soon I will be posting a bit about each one of them so you guys can know a bit more about who I work with.
We left the retreat around lunch (the retreat is a 3-day event, but we had only planned on the one day) and went into the nearby town to spend time as a pastoral staff. We went to the most gorgeous beach I have yet seen, walked along its shore, dove in for a quick swim, laughed plenty, and enjoyed the day. It was a good time. Thank the Lord for days like this, eh?
I also mooned an old man. Apparently, I am not very good at changing out of wet things with a towel wrapped around my waist. Just as I got my trunks off, down went the towel. Poor old man! The worst part was, once I had repositioned the towel, I turned around with an apologetic smile on my face and there he was just beeming a huge grin. I think I might of made his day. That terrifies me ;-).

The ride home was even more lovely, as we took a more scenic route over a large dam and along hills that skirted the coast.

That night I tried to attend swing dancing in town. I had stumbled across a swing club that met every Wednesday night. Swing dancing! Sign me up! Unfortunately, once I got there, I discovered it had been canceled due to another group renting the hall. Maybe next time, eh?

In Christ,

Chris