A Joyous Time at Mo Ranch!
by Rev. Fritz Ritsch
Fifty people–adults, children, and youth–attending St. Stephen’s first Mo Ranch retreat in several years, over Labor Day weekend. The retreat was a huge success. The Rev. Elizabeth Dick led an excellent workshop on the themes “Refresh, Reconnect, Reaffirm.” It was a time of spiritual renewal, lots of great fellowship, and reaffirmation of our commitment to the mission and ministry of St. Stephen. Some highlights:
- Julia Hoffman, a child of the church, leading us in song!
- George Thomasson and Mike Witt on the giant slide!
- Ghost stories, and Rock ‘n Roll stories from Bill Larmour, under the starlight!
- youth canoe trip on the Guadalupe!
- A surprise visit by another child of the church, Casey Daniel!
- Making a human vine to symbolize John 15, “I am the vine, you are the branches”!
- Chuck wagon cook-out followed by a beautiful communion service!
- Noah Fergus teaching us the clapping that goes with one of our camp songs!
–And so many more! Ask anyone who went and let them tell you! It was a diverse group that went–long-time members and newer ones, visitors who haven’t yet joined, elementary children and youth, teens and their parents from VBS and Music & Drama Camp–a beautiful mix of old and new, stranger and friend, in a setting of perpetual beauty.
The Mo Retreat was the brainchild of the Communication & Outreach Committee, which was an outgrowth of the Worship Survey results from last year. As you recall, it was determined that the church needs to develop a communications plan for reaching the larger community and drawing new members. As the committee reflected on this, they felt it was also important to strengthen the enthusiasm of our regular members, so that their enthusiasm can become a contagious form of evangelism to the larger world. it is the committee’s hope that a Labor Day retreat will be a regular event for St. Stephen.
There are a lot of people to thank for this event, but a few people stand out: Chuck Hoffman, for being the chair of the committee and the calm center at the eye of the storm both before and during the retreat; George Thomasson and Paula Perrone Thomasson, who with tireless dedication made the arrangements with Mo and put out every fire that cropped up during the retreat; Elizabeth Dick for enthusiastic, intuitive, and compassionate retreat leadership; and Julia Hoffman for providing the joy of music–and her presence–in her life demonstrating the kind of amazing fruit St. Stephen has produced over the years!