Wrestling with God: SNEC Men’s Ministry Retreat
This year’s Southern New England Conference (SNEC) Men’s Ministry Retreat, held at Camp Winnekeag from Sept 25-27, blessed youth and adults with deep spiritual topics and engaging, hands-on activities. Despite the remnants of a passing hurricane, about 50 men attended on Sabbath, including several father-teenage son duos.
With the theme, “Wrestling with God,” guest speaker Stanley Hood from Cleveland, Ohio, presented the story of Hosea. He unpacked the Hebrew word hesed, which has no direct English translation but depicts mercy and steadfast love, revealing a God who refuses to let us go.
Even while preaching on this deeply spiritual and thought-provoking topic, Hood kept his audience on their toes. He placed a wheel on the table beside him and, whenever he spotted someone nodding off, called them up to spin it and complete the task it landed on, such as sharing a personal story.
In another activity, the men wrestled with their priorities as they chose how to stack large Styrofoam blocks labeled with the various aspects of life.
To the men’s dismay, there was no outdoor service project this year because of the rain. But as always, Saturday night featured a basketball game, a much-anticipated tradition that brought together players of all ages.
Many thanks to SNEC Men’s Ministry coordinator, Paul Paradise, for planning this annual event where men can strengthen their faith, connect with other God-fearing men, and relax in a natural environment.
To stay informed about SNEC Men’s Ministry activities and upcoming events, follow @sneconference on Instagram or Southern New England Conference on Facebook. For more information, contact Paul Paradise at pparadise@sneconline.org.
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