On Saturday 28 September 2024, several men from across the parish retreated to Little River.
Our retreat, which included men from across the parish, was led and hosted by Dr Lex McMillan. Lex and his wife Barbara have a beautiful and fit-for-purpose home in Okuti Valley, set amongst 20 acres of native forest and garden, which was a perfect location for the retreat. Our day started sharing our hopes for the day: strengthening the bonds of friendship between us and deepening our spiritual lives. By the end of the day, we had done both of those – and much more. We spent the morning reading and indwelling in the story of the two people walking along the Emmaus Road with Jesus. After lunch some of us walked up Te Ara Pātaka (Summit Walkway) as we reflected, prayed, wrote and talked about transitions in our lives. Our day ended with a poroporoaki (a reflection on the day) and Eucharist together, with some retiring to “The Old Vicarage” in Halswell for dinner. There was a genuine sense of warmth and friendship between us, a profound sense of God with us, and a resounding call to do something similar again, which we will.
By Andrew Butcher