MATHETRIA (female disciple) RETREAT
Friday, October 18 – Sunday, October 20, 2019
Begins Friday evening with dinner.
(You can arrive after dinner if needed.)
Ends Sunday at 12 noon.
Location: Falls Creek Retreat Center.
(About 2 hours drive from MVLC.)
Cost: $160 per person.
(Partial and full scholarships are available as needed.)
Mathetria is the feminine of the word disciple. It appears only once in the whole of the New Testament. Yet, as we know, female discipleship has always played an essential role in the life of the church and ministry in God’s name—whether women were named as disciples or not.
On this retreat, we will gather together to renew our spirits and reinvigorate our commitment to our female discipleship. We’ll read texts together (scripture and selections from a book TBD), share stories, listen, laugh, rest, and worship together.
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Mathetria Retreat: Fierce Conversations
“Preparatory Listening and Pondering”
Jesus ate dinner with Pharisees and scribes, he also ate with tax collectors and sinners, engaging these diverse groups in conversation while he did. He taught and conversed in the Temple; he also invited a Samaritan woman by a well into deep conversation. Jesus heard the stories of people’s lives and talked with them about theology and politics—even about their practices with money. Throughout his incarnate life on earth, he consistently had bold and courageous conversations with people. For him, courageous and vulnerable conversations were a mechanism to offer his promise of belonging and life together.
On our retreat we will focus on fierce conversations as an act of discipleship, following in Jesus’ practice of reaching out to others and deepening relationships via bold and courageous conversations.
In preparation for our time together, you are invited to listen to the podcasts below, take some notes to propel your thinking, and bring your pondering regarding the following questions. (If you need help accessing the podcasts, Pastor Bri is glad to offer assistance.)
Podcast: Brené Brown with OnBeing “Soft Front, Strong Back, Wild Heart”
onbeing.org/programs/brene-brown-strong-back-soft-front-wild-heart-feb2018
Questions:
- As a society, where do we tend to locate our belonging? What is helpful or harmful in these associations?
- What is the most courageous thing you have witnessed or experienced in the world lately?
- What boundaries do you need in place to be able to engage people with a soft front, strong back and wild heart?
Podcast: Pádraig Ó Tuama with OnBeing “Belonging Creates and Undoes Us”
onbeing.org/programs/padraig-o-tuama-belonging-creates-and-undoes-us
Questions:
- “Belonging creates and undoes us both.” Ponder an experience or conversation that has undone (or transformed) you. How were you invited into that space? What was the aftermath?
- How does fear shape our public/communal conversations? Where have you seen this?
- Think of a courageous conversation you would like to have, but have resisted. What are the hopes and fears that you bring to that?