The evening of Friday, August 23 to Sunday, August 25, Piedra Viva Mennonite Church had its annual retreat at Amigo Center located in Sturgis, MI. It was a time of renewal, inspiration and grounding in the Anabaptist faith.

The celebration started on Friday with an informal meal and time of fellowship, reflecting on our faith, and how we have seen God move in our lives in our Christian walk. The evening ended with singing psalms and prayer. Saturday we started the day with a brunch provided by Amigo’s staff, and it was followed by a two part study, led by sister Deb Byler, on eight spiritual practices for the believer to follow in order to stay strong in their journey towards holiness and stay strong in their faith in Christ.

A pontoon ride was a break from the study and served as an opportunity to get a closer look at God’s creation, to enjoy each other’s presence, and to get acquainted with factual information about Amigo Center and the lake.

After congregational singing, Deb continued with the second half of the study. In this session, the emphasis was on the importance in the life of the believer to have alone time with God, to have retreats, and connecting with a spiritual guide.

A bonfire was planned for 8:30 pm; however, it started to rain, and though the fire had been kindled, it was very quickly extinguished the fire by the rain. The flames on the bonfire were extinguished, but not the flames of the spirit. The congregation met in the dining room of the lodge, and started to sing psalms and other scriptural songs. What a blessed time!

Sunday morning started with a service by the lake. Terri Geiser and Michelle Sosa led the congregation in singing and brother Rolando Sosa preached, giving a brief historical overview of the Christian Church and the roots of Anabaptism. Diana Montiel, Michelle Sosa and Juan Carlos “Charlie” Rodríguez, all three adults, confessed their faith in Jesus Christ and were baptized. Brother Rolando Sosa, with assistance from brother Charlie Geiser, officiated the baptisms. The services ended with the celebration of the Lord’s Supper.

After nurturing our soul and spirit, the congregation moved to the dinning hall to celebrate the baptisms and to close the retreat, with a delicious brunch provided by Amigo’s wonderful staff. The activity closed on Sunday at 12:30 pm with prayers and goodbyes.

We thank our Creator for the blessed time we had during our retreat, for the privilege to be called children of God, for our Anabaptismos faith, and for Piedra Viva, our faith community, which although small in numbers, has an ardent fervor, love for Christ and people. 

Submitted by Rolando Sosa, Pastor, Piedra Viva Mennonite Church.