Thank the Lord for providing another English Retreat for us this year! We are at a new retreat site—Columbia Bible College in Abbotsford. We have invited our Brother David Peng from Los Angeles to come speak at this year's retreat. We look forward to all the blessings the Lord will pour out on our congregation. We are in the midst of finalizing the theme based on the burden the Lord has put on our heart, so please continue to pray for the retreat.
Over the years, the demographic of VCA and SSCA has changed. Last year was the first year we invited young families to join the retreat. We thank the Lord for how He provided and encouraged the young families. This year, young families will once again be invited to join the retreat. We thank the Lord that the new facilities have dorms that are suitable for families, so we can all stay on campus. Another bonus is that the childcare classrooms at Columbia college will be in the same building as the message hall.
In previous years, we have invited brothers and sisters who were unable to join full-time to sign up. After much prayer, our burden for this year is that we will only accept full-time attendees. We feel strongly that our aim should be to set aside this time solely to the Lord; therefore we encourage brothers and sisters to attend full-time. In addition to the distraction of brothers and sisters coming in and out, there were quite a lot of challenges for retreat organizers and the registration team as the retreat sites have specific rules around off-site guests. Attendance full-time will be required, and if you must commute, please contact the retreat organizers.
Another slight change is that we have focused the suggested age range for registration to Grade 8 and above (not including those that bring children as part of the young family group). If there is a strong desire for someone under Grade 8 to join, please contact the registration team.
In Him,
2024 VCA English Retreat Planning
