February 15, 2024
We hosted our Church Planter Retreat in San Diego last week with the generous help of Traders Point Christian Church and CDF Capital. This retreat is for lead couples of all of our new churches under 5-years old or those that haven’t yet launched. We had an amazing retreat! Thank you for praying for the 24 men and women that joined us!
Our decision to move the retreat to San Diego was primarily to give our couples an opportunity to experience some sunshine during the darkest and dreariest season in the Pacific Northwest. San Diego gets only about 10 rainy days a year after all. Well, we experienced three of those days and in record fashion!
But our PNW church planters are a hearty group, they didn’t allow a little rain to get them down! If there is anything we know about – it’s rain! And God provided just enough sunshine throughout our retreat to give breathtaking sunrises, sunsets and views––seemingly as a reminder that He loves us and was with us.
Mike Hickerson, from Mission Church in Ventura, CA shared on the topic of marriage and leadership health. Mike is a former/fellow church planter that is several steps down the road. He joined us for the entire retreat and was so encouraging. Kaelia Vayda, who is planting a church in San Diego with her husband Jake, led us in worship each day. It was beautiful.
We provided lots of free time so that the planters could choose what would help them to recharge in the best way. Some chose to walk the beach, others chose to read and visit with their spouse and some even tried to escape from prison (via an escape room)!
Evergreen’s goal is to not only establish new churches, we also want our leaders to remain healthy for the long haul so they’ll have the longevity necessary to make generational impact. Our hope is that this annual retreat, along with a new discipleship pathway for our leaders, will go a long way in providing opportunities for refreshment, mentoring and encouragement.
Thank you for your prayers and continued partnership with Evergreen Network. God is doing some really amazing things in the Pacific Northwest! We are so fortunate to be a small part of the story He is writing!
Help us Plant Churches in the PNW.
Whether you are a planter or a partner, our vision is to establish 50 healthy, multiplying churches throughout the Pacific Northwest within the next 10 years, including at least 10 churches led by leaders that are developed and sent out from Evergreen Network churches.
