Apr 27th 2017 marked the start of the Inaugural ‘Creative Word Fellowship – Young Adults Bible Study Retreat’. As the name suggests this was a bible study retreat and was aimed at 18 – 40 year olds and in line with CWF’s ethos of teaching, the retreat was focussed on teaching Gods Word faithfully in its Truth and Purity.
The impetus behind running a retreat aimed specifically at young adults was that there are many opportunities for young adults to serve within our churches but there is a lack of opportunities for young adults to come together and receive. This means that they don’t receive the teaching they need to serve others. To fill this gap, ordained LCA pastors were asked to lead the camp in bible studies and morning and evening worship, and as the camp was fully catered there was plenty of time to gather around God’s Word in Worship, Study and Fellowship.
Rev. Guntars Baikovs accepted the challenge to run the ten bible studies over the weekend. Pastors Levi Graham and Joshua Muller led us in morning and evening worship. And we were also blessed to have two more pastors attend camp who read our bible readings for us. The theme of the retreat – ‘Reformation Now – What does this mean?’ – gave us the opportunity to explore many solid ideas around the context, relevance and application of Christ and the Word today. Study topics were underpinned by both practical and philosophical ideas around our worldviews (narratives) and what shapes them, which gave attendees a lot to think about and learn from.
Each morning began with morning worship and three bible study sessions, which were followed by lunch and then free time to explore the natural beauty around the camp. After a shared dinner, the evening was comprised of evening worship, a final study session and time to relax. Although there were no planned activities for the free time, attendees went on walks together, played games and enjoyed each other’s company. More often than not discussion continued along the lines of the fascinating topics which had been explored during the day and other issues at large within Christendom.
The retreat was held at Tandara Lutheran campsite in the Grampians and attended by 34 people from South Australia and Victoria. Along with paying the fee for attending the camp, the young adults (and a few locals at Tandara) chipped in an amazing $600 for a retiring offering during our closing service towards Lutherans in Africa (LIA). This money has been split between LIA’s ‘Lutheran School of Theology’ and their ‘Capital Campaign’. Further information about LIA can be found on their website.