This week I’ll be in New Mexico for the second half of the SWC clergy retreat. Picture a group of pastors trying to rest, reflect, and figure out which suitcase the snacks ended up in. I will be out of the office for a bit, but I’m still around in spirit; just with fewer emails and more time to breathe.

Retreats always seem to hit right when the holidays start rolling in. While folks are planning dinners and checking flight times, clergy are pulling out Advent materials, hunting for the extra candles, and hoping the office copier behaves at least until Christmas Eve. Stepping away for a few days helps me settle my mind before the busy season arrives.

Thanks for your patience while I’m gone. As clergy, we should look after each other, keep the church lifted in prayer, and try not to let all the committees meet on the same day. I’ll be back soon, ready for the season ahead, and probably carrying a few too many leftover retreat snacks.

Our SWC clergy RESTED and RESISTED at the 2023 Clergy Retreat!

We're excited about having Sr. Lika Mejia as our guest on Monday, and taking a field trip with her on Tuesday down to Casa De La Misericordia in Nogales, Mexico! Rev. Randy Mayer of the Good Shepherd UCC in Sahuarita will be our well-seasoned guide over the border.

The clergy retreat planning team hopes that retreat attendees will consider accepting Sister Lika’s invitation to go on the Tuesday trip. We’re in relationship with this shelter as the Southwest Conference; immigration is the largest mission project of the conference. Out of all the UCC conferences, the SWC has the most engagement at the border. It’s an important place for us to talk about and do justice and it’s critically important for the SWC to have a knowledge base of what's happening and be in relationship with a project that’s claiming that.