By Pastor Rebecca Worl
As I carefully packed my manual Espresso press into my camp bag, I smiled in anticipation of the early mornings with women I love, inhaling the steaming nutty roast filling our empty mugs, the smell of the wilderness drifting through the windows, the oh-so-familiar scent of the log cabin walls…the smell of Cascades Camp embracing us. So with my car packed full of women and sleeping bags (and coffee paraphernalia!) we headed out to the 2022 Women’s Retreat at Cascades, our hearts eager to experience this year’s theme “Together” from Ephesians 4:2-6.
Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
Ephesians 4:2-6
Eugene Peterson’s The Message starts this way: “You were all called to travel on the same road and in the same direction, so stay together…”
Together.
This word is powerful, it stirs my spirit, and it speaks to the longings of our hearts and what we are created for. To be one. To be united. To stay together in Christ.
“Together” was a beautiful offering of love to 180 women who attended.
- Together: we experienced the delight of camp food, sunny weather, the serenity of Elbow Lake, and the majesty of the Rainier foothills.
- Together: we canoed, paddle boarded, displayed our mad archery skills, hiked, ran 3k for Alaska, and crafted fabulous yarn pumpkins.
- Together we had “Conversations”: we were taught how to lament, created a vision board for our life, studied the spiritual disciplines, learned how to journal the bible, learned how to be wise financial stewards with Covenant Trust, absorbed the transforming power of “Mending the Soul,” and engaged a good old fashioned hymn sing!
- Together we sat in the prayer room and prayed and prayed and prayed.
- Together we raised $1,483 Alaska conference relief funding,
- Together we learned from Anneweinita Miller about Mending Wings and were invited to participate in the restorative work God is doing on Yakama Reservation
- Together we purchased beautiful bags to support the Abundant Life Center.
Together we worshipped with the gifted and remarkable musical and pastoral leadership of Andrea Drake and Pat Renfro from Emerald City Bible Fellowship.
Together we absorbed wise preaching from three called and gifted Covenant Pastors.
Reverend Leslie McCauley, Associate Pastor at Immanuel Church of Spokane opened us with a powerful word from God. Drawing on decades of experience in reconciliation ministries, she asks us: how can we walk this world together, truly united, truly walking together in one faith, one Lord, one baptism, when we are divided by the sin of racism? How does Jesus lead us out of these spaces where we’ve been “taken captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ?” (Col 2:8). Leslie asks us, “Are we our brother’s keeper?” YES! Yes, we are. She called us back to the gospel, back to the grace that unites us as unique yet communal Image Bearers, and back to repentance. Together.
Saturday evening Reverend Abigail Sandrigo of Iglesia Latinoamericana in Bellevue, WA, invited us into a deeper understanding of what it looks like to walk with one another. Pastor Sandrigo preached in Spanish with an English translation and drew us into the beautiful story of Ruth and Naomi. Ruth left her country, her traditions, her religion, and her family to covenant herself to Naomi and walk with her. How is God asking us to covenant with one another? What does it look like break out beyond the walls of our natural boundaries to walk with one another through grief and heartache? Abigail stretched us to reach out to one new person that night, to share stories with one another, and become friends. It was a beautiful evening of community. Together.
Sunday morning Reverend Sally Carlson of Shoreline Covenant Church brought it all home, preaching solid and foundational truths over us. She carefully walked us verse by verse through Ephesians 3, reminding us to begin with the cornerstone source: “be rooted and established in love…” She asks us to examine, what does the bond of peace look like, why do we have the hope we have, and how does that unite us when we disagree with each other? She spoke openly from her heart about her own journey with emptiness and finding the power of community and togetherness in her sisters that came alongside her. She called us back to the unity we have in Christ. Together.
Then our three pastors led us to the sacred communion table of Christ. Together we remembered the body that was broken and the blood that was poured out for us so we can be united.
Together we went to Cascades, truly a “Place of Wonder and Discovery in Christ.”
Together we applauded and thanked the most excellent well-oiled machine of a Women’s Retreat Team there ever was.
We came with empty cups and left with overflowing ones.
We may have come alone, but we truly left together.
We are our sister’s keepers.
