Last Call | A Pastoral Invite to the Women’s Retreat

Discipleship, Event, Teaching | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

DCC Ladies,

Next weekend the women of DCC will be heading over the mountains to Suncadia for 24 hours of God-saturated learning, intentional relationship-building, and interactive fun. This will be our first women’s retreat, and though I won’t be there, I couldn’t be more excited about the theme: The Greatness of God. Who we understand God is, and what he is like, shapes everything about us, from how we view ourselves to how we relate to others, from how we handle suffering to how we tackle our sin, from where we find durable joy to where we find rest amidst the crazy. So, don’t get caught thinking that the greatness of God is merely an abstract theological truth. Our souls were made to revel in His greatness and live out of that profound reality. Ladies, that’s what next weekend is all about.

So, in light of that, I am making a last pastoral call to any women who have yet to register. As of today we have 90 women signed-up. That is really encouraging! Our prayerful aim is 120. Let’s say that DCC averages 650 people on Sunday and half are women. That makes roughly 325 women. That means there are still 200+ women who have time to participate in our inaugural retreat. My encouragement to you: register. You will not regret it. We understand that not all of you can make it, but this is for those of you that can. If you’ve waited this long, there are probably some barriers, so let me offer the following encouragements.

#1 The gift of carving out intentional space to learn about God.

Our culture is marked by busyness. Work demands. School demands. Kid demands. Project demands. Schedule demands. 24-hour news. Endless social media feeds. It takes intentionality to slow down for five minutes, let alone an entire day. That makes this retreat a gift. It is a gift to carve out intentional space in your calendar to learn about the greatness of God alongside others seeking to do the same. This kind of intentionality is good for our souls. Don’t miss out on this gift. 

#2 The gift of building new relationships.

Or, maybe you just don’t know anyone. It can be intimidating entering into something like this without knowing anyone else. We all get that. But, here’s the thing: that’s what retreats are for! More relational-traction can be gained with a retreat than with a dozen brief Sunday meet-and-greets. A retreat is the perfect place to get to know others. No one is “busy.” You’re all there for the same purpose. So, will this require you to take a step of faith? Yes. Will you be alone? No. Will you forge new relationships with others? For sure. Will it be worth it? No doubt. Embrace this as a gift of building new relationships.  

#3 The gift of temporarily getting out of your context. 

We all know what a gift it is to pause our normal rhythms for a change of scenery. Our family tries to get out of the city at least once a month. The process to get into the woods can be challenging, but once we’re there I always ask, “Why did I hesitate? This is amazing.” It is a gift to temporarily get out of our context to think, laugh, rest, and reflect—especially when it involves clean mountain air, tall evergreens and a river in your backyard (i.e. Suncadia). Sometimes that’s what it takes to get the fresh perspective we’ve been looking for. Embrace this retreat as a gift to get out of your context for a weekend.  

#4 The gift of telling the enemy to take a hike. 

For years as a new believer I noticed that all kinds of things came at me when I was presented with an opportunity to go on a retreat: family emergencies, other plans, lack of funds, sudden desire to be alone, etc. Often, I needed someone to come alongside me and say, “You really need to go to this and I’ll do whatever it takes to make that happen.” So, in most cases, I went. I can recall cases where I even regretted it while I was on my way there. But, guess what? Not once did I regret it afterwards. Not once. I’ve come to see that this is a common tactic of the enemy to keep us from opportunities like this that are sure to increase our faith, deepen our joy, and anchor our love in God—and all that he is for us, in Jesus. The enemy doesn’t want that. He wants us at home by ourselves watching Netflix. So, embrace the gift of telling the enemy to take hike. Put aside doubts. Change plans. Get your shift covered. Take a step of faith. You won’t regret it. 

Ladies, you’re going to have a great time. All that said, here are the details: 

Dates: Friday, May 5th – Saturday, May 6th
Details, registration, scholarship info
Retreat FAQ
Carpool link
Questions:

Q: Will you join me in praying for 30 more women to sign up by this weekend?  

Christ is all, 

Pastor Adam