November has been another month full of blessings. We have celebrated Bruce’s Retirement, hosted groups from all over the state, and had two retreats.
On November 2nd, hundreds of people from all over the country came to Minnehaha Academy to honor Bruce Peterson, our Executive Director. Bruce has led Covenant Pines Ministries for the last 37 years. In that time, God has done amazing things through him. The amount of people that were present at the celebration is a testament to the ripple effect of his leadership. The video below was created to honor Bruce and provide just a glimpse of all that he has done for Covenant Pines, Adventurous Christians, and Silver Beach.
After Bruce’s party, we got ready for our Quilter’s Retreat. Women from all over Minnesota came with their quilting gear to spend 4 days of creativity together. It’s a joy to watch these women dive into their passion for this long weekend. So many of them are swamped with responsibilities back home that they don’t get the opportunity to focus on this important part of their lives. We love to give that opportunity to them.
But the Quilters Retreat is more than that. There are quilting retreats all over the place. But here at Covenant Pines people retreat not just to relax, but to draw closer to God. This year the theme of the retreat was “Shine Like Stars” and was based on Philippians 2: 15-16 which reads, “we will shine like stars in the sky as we hold firmly to the word of life.” The weekend was focused on how holding onto God’s Word helps us shine in this world. If you’re a Quilter or you have another crafty passion, please join us at Quilt & Craft Retreat on March 19-22.
After Quilters we turned our attention to Men’s Retreat. Men’s Retreat, or MANCAMP, as some of the guys like to call it, is a time for brothers in Christ to worship together and play together. 140 men came to hear from Phil Print of Crossroads Church in Woodbury, MN and Sten Carlson of Cedarbrook Church in Menomonie, WI. They spoke about the life of David and how we can learn from his successes as well as his mistakes. After each session the men would break into small groups and discuss the application of the message to their lives.
When they weren’t hearing from Phil and Sten, the guys were out enjoying all that camp has to offer. The sound of gunshots echoed around camp as the men practiced at the shooting range. The squeaks of rubber soles were in the air of the gym as men played basketball. Others found enjoyment playing cards long into the night by the fire. Still others used this retreat as an opportunity to catch up on reading. There was something to do for everyone.
Mark your calendars! Next year’s MANCAMP will be November 20-22, 2015.
