Published Jul 01, 2011
JENNESS PARK – Nearly 100 ministers’ wives learned to be “Rooted” during the annual Ministers’ Wives Retreat, held at Jenness Park Christian Camp May 20-22. Chaundel Holladay, who serves with her husband, Tom, at Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, expanded on the theme based on Ephesians 3:17-18.
Holladay focused on serving the Lord out of a heart rooted in Christ and in His Word.
The women also participated in ministry-based small groups and attended seminars including “Parenting from Both Sides – Parenting in the Minister’s Home,” “Cutting Edge Beauty – Pruning in Your Life,” “Is Your Ficus For Real? Being Genuine in Your Relationships” and “Chocolate Conversations.”
Rhonda Johnstone, wife of Mid-Valley Baptist Association director Rich Johnstone, coordinated this year’s retreat. She gave each woman a journal and strategy for daily Bible reading called, “Marker Mover Bible Reading Plan – A Guilt-Free Bible Reading Plan,” developed by Paul and Robin Johnstone.
As she presented the journal and color-coded strategy for Bible study, Johnstone challenged each woman to spend a defined number of minutes in God’s Word daily. She noted that women – even women in Christian ministry – face huge demands on their schedules, and there is a real temptation to delay Bible reading until a more “convenient” time. She reminded the group that the greatest priority of life needs to be spending time with the Lord in His Word and in prayer.
“The thing I love about this method of studying the Bible is its flexibility,” Johnstone said. “We all have different seasons in our spiritual journeys. Sometimes we read large amounts. At other times we want to dwell for awhile on a few verses. This kind of study allows us to move through the Bible as quickly or as slowly as the Spirit leads.”
For Jenness Park staff, the goal of the weekend was to provide a restful atmosphere where the women were free to seek the Lord’s face. This year featured a centralized tree-house in the dining hall to emphasize the garden theme, comfortable lawn furniture for devotions by the river and specialty meals complete with a hostess gift at each setting.
Next year’s speaker is scheduled to be Kim McManus, wife of Erwin McManus, lead pastor of Mosaic Church in Los Angeles. The retreat is set for May 18-20 at Jenness Park.