Cape Town South (South Africa)

Men's Retreat

By Walter December

In the parable of the sower (Matthew 13:1-23), what kind of soil can we identify with?

Are we hardened to God's word? Do we receive it gladly but fail to apply it in our lives, or is our spiritual growth choked by the cares and pleasures of this world?

FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Gordon Green, Martin Hendricks, Walter Daniels, Emmanuel Clifford, Zuko Masela, Freddie Europa.

We need to be receptive to God, resolved to grow, and be ruthless with distractions. We should take the time and trouble to keep spiritually fit (1 Timothy 4:7), by applying ourselves to the following commitments:

• To connect with others
• Build spiritual habits
• Use our God-given talents
• Share our faith with others
• Fulfil our purpose to become like Christ

This was the theme for the Men's Retreat hosted by the Cape Town South church which was held at the St. Raphael's Retreat House in Faure from February 27th - 29th, 2004. The 19 men who attended really bonded. They were highly motivated to deeply reflect on this scripture and apply it.  Gordon Green, who serves on the  National Administrative team as pastor to the pastors, warned against leading busy, but spiritually barren lives.

During the praise and worship sessions, the men raised their voices to glorify God. The toughest task was to assemble the 500-piece Dolomites-Vineyards jigsaw puzzle, which was used as a visual aid to help the men focus on the theme of spiritual growth.

All look forward to the next retreat in 2005.