The eighth Co-workers Retreat of Kunming Shijicheng Church began on August 3, 2020.
The two-day retreat was a good time for the church staff to get close to God. The co-workers withdrew from their work, far away from the hustle and bustle of the world, and retreated to a secluded place surrounded by the mountains.
After Pastor Dong Chenghua led the participants in worship and prayer, Pastor Pu Yunshan gave encouragement through some scriptures: "We must leave our safety zone and have a brave, strong and courageous heart, and preach the gospel of the Lord." He officially announced the beginning of the retreat.
The theme of the retreat was, "The Witness of the Times", with lectures given by Pastor Yue Zaoying. Yue shared that co-workers could become more effective if they focused on the identity, challenge, and shield of witnesses.
He spent much time preparing for this retreat and carefully prepared PPT courses and many interesting activities and games. He wanted the co-workers to see the joyful message that God has given to us. As witnesses to God’s work, we should remember to work hard because of the sacred trust that God has given us. We need to be the Elijah of this age by being a blessing to more people.
More than 50 believers participated in this retreat, the oldest was 72 years old.
After dinner, they watched the movie "The Pilgrim's Progress." While watching, some took notes and wrote down their own feelings and what they understood from the film. After watching, Pastor Pu summarized and shared the content of the film: "The life of a Christian is just like what is shown in the movie. Some people go off the rails and some walk on the wrong side of the path. Whether you turn to the left or to the right, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, 'This is the way; walk in it' (Isaiah 30:21)."
Through group discussions, speeches, games, movies, and birthday parties, the co-workers expressed how much they had benefited and wrote down their spiritual growth plan for the coming year.
-T ranslated by Abigail Wu
