NORTH AMERICA CHURCHES - EASTER EVENTS

Hope New York Retreat

In mid-April, Hope New York gathered for a weekend-long spring retreat in Blue Mountain Reservation Center, 45 minutes away by train from the busy city. For us urbanites, it was a good get-away into the woods and cabins, complete with minimal iphone usage, as well as time to bond as a core team since we started the church two-and-a-half years ago.

Pastor Ben and Dinah Lee ran the program and kept things practical. After a thought-provoking talk by Ps. Dinah on redefining what true fruitfulness looks like beyond numbers on a page, the ten of us gathered in a circle for core-team activities as we prayed for each other including the pastor.

We are at a stage where we are moving to working closer together as a team and understanding everyone’s role in it so that we can intentionally build a community we want people to be a part of. One of the central questions we’re working out is how to absorb the fundamental principles of Hope International Ministries and have them translate in a way that is attractive to New Yorkers. New York is a one-of-a-kind city in its colorful diversity, hard-edged skepticism and animating energy, and we are excited to build a Gospel-based community here. New York is one of the few places where one can honestly say, if God touches this city, he touches the world. What that looks like, and how we will all work together, is an ongoing question and we’d appreciate prayer over the process. This retreat was one step in that direction.

By: Sarah Ngu (Columbia University, NYC)


Hope Vancouver Easter Bible Retreat 2011 April 22 - 24

From these moments...

• we are free to love together.
• In the sanctuary, as we hold our hands and make our requests to God, He shows us "The Circle of Love".

• In the sanctuary, Pastor William and Lan share about "Love, Faith and Hope" By the end of the sessions, all 26 of us were kneeling down to praise God.

• In the dining hall, as everybody enjoys the "Yummy Tummy HaHaHa" meals prepared by our wonderful cook Tina, Sister Sandra saves food for Brother Jay, while Pastor William shares his piece of roast beef with Brother Kevin.

• In the volleyball court, an encouraging shout of "Good Try" can be heard as Sister Jennie serves the ball out of bounds. Brother Rommel runs down the slope many times to get the ball for us, always returning with a smile.

• In the cabin, brother Knot, Dominique, Vince and I sit and rest around our bunk beds doing small talk, while our little brother Nick waits patiently for us to play cards with.

• On the dock, we are blessed by God's presence during this Easter Weekend. The Spirit of Love, The Spirit of God.

• In Camp Jubilee, we are thankful to be here because of Jesus' Love. We are forever grateful that He had died on the cross so our sins can be forgiven.

Written by Johnnie Li, Hope Vancouver, Canada