This past weekend we had our first ever couples retreat. It was one of the most special times that we have had with the families in our church. We had the retreat at a hotel and event center outside of the city in a more rural area. It was a very beatiful place with a more rustic or country feel and the food they provided was excellent.
We started on Friday night with supper and then our first class where pastor Austin Gardner taught about how to recover our lost love. It was a great pleasure and blessing to have him with us to teach on the family. We are very grateful for his time and sacrifice to come and be with us. On Friday we had seven couples and on Saturday we had nine couples for the classes. In all we had five classes that had a great impact on our couples. It was great to see them as they left each class holding hands or arm in arm.
Then on Sunday we celebrated fathers day and on Sunday night finished up our family conference where we learned how to protect our marriages so they will last for the long run. We had 117 for our morning service and a great group that night.
Finally on Monday we had a small cookout at my house where we invited some of the leaders of the church for lunch. We had a great time of fun and fellowship but most importantly Bro. Gardner challenged them to step up and stand strong to see the church move forward during our time of furlough. We just want to give a special thanks to Bro. Gardner for coming and sharing this time with us and our church people. It was truly a blessing to us and our people.
