Retreat 2022
This will be a different kind of blog than you’re used to reading in our newsletter, but it seemed appropriate to share with you the goodness of God! It’s been a difficult two years, since COVID hit, but God remains faithful and has been blessing “behind the scenes.”
It seems only appropriate to talk about Retreat 2022, our gathering from just a few weekends ago. We have waited since 2019 to be together again! And oh, what a sweet time it was, seeing old friends, getting those hugs in, and just enjoying being “normal.”
Jen Vogel, Alliance Women’s national director, taught us things about the book of Ruth that we’ll never forget. What great insights! Our international workers were genuine and relatable, making you want to get on their mailing list so you don’t miss a thing. We had beautiful worship music, learned about TCKs (formerly MKs, missionary kids), and Bongolo Hospital. We even learned about college-age TCKs and how Paradises Mountain Ministries takes care of these young adults whose parents are overseas.
For me, personally, it was a time of fullness. So much so, that my eyes kept spilling over! There were several reasons for this, above and beyond the obvious to those who attended. Did we not all feel the presence of the Lord?
2020
Your district leadership team, under the leadership of Janice Kropp, had prepared for Retreat 2020 and right before it was to take place, COVID-19 hit. We had no choice but to cancel the retreat as no events were allowed to take place ANYWHERE. We were on lockdown! The work had been done, speaker ready to come, and it all came to a screeching halt. We were able to utilize the messages from our speaker, Becca, in our Fall Connections meetings in our churches individually, so all was not lost. Ridgecrest was gracious and moved our contract to 2021 with no penalties.
Our district changed names and scope—we were now The Alliance South, encompassing four more states (or parts thereof). Even our organization changed from Great Commission Women back to Alliance Women! With change comes restructuring—of the district leadership team and our areas of responsibility. I was appointed by the District Superintendent to serve as director, with some of the original team agreeing to stay on. New members were appointed. The handbook was rewritten to reflect the changes.
2021
Since our district had changed, we began looking for a new venue for retreat that would be more centrally located. My first contact with an event planner was March 23, 2020. Promo for Retreat 2021 was prepared and ready to go. Then, due to restrictions on Ridgecrest, we would only be allowed to have 135 attendees. How would we get 135 when churches were still closed? How would we negotiate the elevator or rooming together? We couldn’t even eat in the cafeteria and would be taking boxed meals to our rooms! How would we praise the Lord with masks on and spaced 6’ apart? What if we had more than 135 ladies interested in coming? Who would we turn away? It boiled down to the fact that for 135 attendees, including the team, we could not afford to host retreat. Ridgecrest again graciously extended our contract to 2022 with no penalty, and we were even able to negotiate a small decrease in the cost for the upcoming year. A new venue is now not needed for 2022. Our speaker’s schedule was moved to 2022 and work resumed on the venue search.
One of the important things, besides location, was the cost of attending retreat for all the ladies. We wanted to keep it as close to the current pricing, recognizing that there is always a small increase each year.
2022
FINALLY, the week of retreat came! We still had no contract and our intention was to announce the new venue at retreat. Retreat began on Friday night. Just before our first meeting, the final contract came in via email, but there was no time to sign it. Saturday morning, the contract was signed prior to the missions rally and I had tears of joy, I could hardly see what I was doing! This was what we had prayed for over the past two years! As soon as the missions rally ended, I called our Ridgecrest contact and asked to see her before she left at noon. She caught up with me in the foyer just before I got on the elevator to meet at our appointed place.
Right where we were standing, there was the district map. God’s timing is perfect! I was able to show her our district prior to expanding and then how we are significantly larger. She totally understood our reasoning and thanked me for telling her. The team had already decided that we needed to tell Ridgecrest before we told the ladies at retreat because they needed to hear it from us. That freed us up to play the video that announced….
EMBASSY SUITES, GREENVILLE, SC, MAY 5-7, 2023! All under one roof! April 26-28, 2024, and April 25-27, 2025!
This is a long explanation, but I wanted you to see the goodness of God through the process. His timing, His blessing, His favor.
One thing that Sanna Gailer shared really cemented this for me: “God’s plan, done God’s way, always has God’s provision.” Amen!
