Recently, seven men of the 9.15am congregation headed south to The Pines for a weekend of fellowship, food and fun, with this year’s theme being ‘Spiritual Battles’. For several, including myself, this was our first men’s weekend, with others being serial attendees, and the dynamics were welcoming and engaging.
We gathered on the Thursday night with a hearty classic of spaghetti bolognese, and spent the evening getting to know one another. On the Friday, after some incredible omelettes, we began some studies on Spiritual Battles, wrestling with what the Bible tells us, what this means today and how we should live in light of these battles.
With plenty of thoughts to consider, we then set off for a walk across the South Downs, climbing a couple of hills and discovering WW2 bomb craters as we went. With plenty of exercise conducted, both physically and mentally, it was time for another fantastic meal, this time of shepherd’s pie. Fatigued but fulfilled, we finished off the day with a selection of board games including Saboteur, a particular favourite of the group.
The weekend was fun and relaxing as well as thought-provoking and encouraging. It was great to get to know brothers in Christ over a couple of days, and really helpful in the encouragement to daily put on the armour of God in the face of Spiritual Battles we can be so quick to ignore.
Special mention must go to the wonderful cooking of Minoosh and thanks to Adam for running the Bible studies, but everyone contributed to the fun and encouragement and made the weekend what it was.
Often dedicating a whole weekend to anything can feel like a significant burden, but this weekend provided such an opportunity to really dive into a big topic, and away from the necessary but consuming distractions of everyday life. It’s been a great way to get to know members of my congregation, and a real encouragement. It was precisely because of the busyness of life that this weekend was such an invaluable way to get to know each other and build each other up in God’s word, and I can wholeheartedly recommend the next weekend away for anyone who couldn’t make it this year!