Tag: Retreat

Ministering in the Midst of War in Ukraine

Published on by nickcady2 Comments

Earlier this month, I, along with Pastor Michael Payne and two other leaders from White Fields Church, travelled to Ukraine to be part of a retreat for Calvary Chapel churches there, sponsored by Calvary Global Network and Cross Culture Missions.

The purpose of the retreat was to give some respite to those who have been ministering to others since the beginning of the war, which began over a year ago now.

At the retreat, Mike and I taught Bible studies in the evening, other pastors led workshops and met with people one-on-one, and we were also joined by a team of Christian counselors who taught and met with people. The goal was to have a retreat that served people spiritually, mentally, and physically.

The location was a beautiful spot in Western Ukraine, at the foot of the Carpathian Mountains, in a resort hotel, where people could have good meals, a beautiful and safe location, and fun activities for the whole family to have a break and recharge together and with friends.

Below are some pictures from our time there:

Also, while I was there, I was able to record interviews with some of those in our Calvary Chapel family of churches who have been serving others.

This interview, which I recorded for the Mission & Methods Podcast, is with Zhenya Chekushkin, the leader of Calvary Chapel in Ukraine (something which was made official at the conference). He talks about what the Calvary Chapel churches throughout Ukraine have been doing to serve people and minister in Jesus’ name since the start of the war:

Bonus Episode: How Calvary Chapel Churches are Ministering in the Midst of War in Ukraine – The CGN Podcast

In this bonus episode, Nick Cady speaks with Zhenya Chekushkin, the leader of the Calvary Chapel network of churches in Ukraine. Calvary Chapel has had a presence in Ukraine since the early 1990’s, and currently has around 20 churches in different cities throughout the country. Recently a group of CGN leaders travelled to Western Ukraine to encourage those in the Calvary network who have been ministering to others in their country since the full scale invasion in February 2022. This retreat provided an opportunity to recharge physically and spiritually. In this episode, Zhenya shares about some of the ways Calvary Chapel churches have been serving people, and how God has been working, even in the midst of these difficult circumstances. We’d love to hear feedback from you on these episodes. You can email us at CGN@calvarychapel.com

Also, make sure to check out this video from the Calvary Chapel in Svitlovodsk, Ukraine, which shows how the gospel is moving forward even now in Ukraine, and how God is using these terrible circumstances to bring people to a saving knowledge of Him:

We are also preparing a special podcast featuring four interviews with people, recorded at this conference, telling about their stories of what happened to them in the early days of the war, and what life looks like for them now, as they minister and serve others in Jesus’ name.

Stay tuned for that!

If you’d like to support the ministry in Ukraine, you can do so by giving to the Ukraine Relief Funds of White Fields Church or Calvary Global Network.

Marriage Retreat Weekend Recap

Published on by nickcadyLeave a comment

wp-1488231143111.jpg
Blue skies and the Mummy Range in RMNP behind us

This past weekend we were up in Estes Park with some couples from White Fields for a marriage retreat we organized together with a couple other churches.

For Rosemary and I, this was our first time team-teaching together, and it was a great experience. We taught a session on the importance of Christian community and the local church for a healthy marriage.

In preparing for the retreat, our thought was to get away from the things which we don’t like about marriage retreats, such as:

  • The awkward sex talk
  • Going to a great location and then spending all of your time cooped up inside a building listening to lectures
  • Brow-beating lectures about what you need to do “more and better”

I have been to marriage events in the past where instead of strengthening and encouraging marriages, the retreat seemed to only fuel existing discord and frustrations, so that on the car ride home the wife was saying: “Were you listening to what the speaker said? Those are all the things that I’m always telling you that you need to change and do better!” – and the husband saying: “Did you hear the part about how important it is to have sex even if you don’t feel like it? That’s what I’ve been telling you for years!” And both wonder why they spent $200 to get in a fight, when they were doing alright before the “retreat.”

Instead, our vision was to host a true retreat – and focus on the experience rather than a particular speaker. Our theme was connecting with God, your spouse and Christian community and our goal was to encourage, give some tools, biblical guidance and challenges, and create a setting where couples could be refreshed and reconnect with each other and spend time with other couples.

The retreat turned out even better than I had expected. Some great admin work was put in by the staff of Calvary Belmar in Lakewood. Brian Boehm of Trail Ridge Counseling taught one of the sessions and presented some great material that Rosemary and I will be looking at for weeks to come. Brian and his wife Nicole did a ton of work to make the retreat special and they deserve much of the credit for it being a success; they designed and led several key parts of the weekend.

If retreats are done right, they can be awesome experiences. We look forward to doing more of these in the future.

wp-1488231143119.jpg
Mule deer at the retreat center