Eight couples were whisked away for the first ever Church Planters’ Retreat hosted by the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches (FIEC) in May.
Andy Paterson spoke on Psalm 91 at the retreat. He was keen to organise the gathering as part of the Fellowship’s support for church plants. It was designed to give planters a break and to help them to recharge their batteries spiritually and physically.
Good mix
Sam and Melissa Buckley from Christ Church Hemel in Hemel Hempstead went along to the retreat at Torch Trust’s Holiday and Retreat Centre in West Sussex. Commenting on the mix of people from contrasting contexts, Sam said: ‘Despite our many differences, there was more that united us because we all share a desire to see people won for Jesus from all different parts of our society.
‘We are united in the conviction that God works powerfully by his Spirit, through his Word, to bring people from death to life and transform them into the likeness of his Son.
Reaching the unreached
‘And we are united in our conviction that planting new churches is a wonderful way to reach the unreached in our nation. We spent 36 hours chatting, eating, praying, sharing and catching up on rest. And I’ve got to say, it was a joy.’
Andy Paterson said: ‘Loneliness and isolation can be devastating in Christian ministry. How much more so for couples planting churches in needy situations.’
People came from rural and urban settings from across the whole of Britain.
