DEACON UPDATE
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 | Renewal |
June 2013
Those of you planning to attend Annual Conference in Charlotte are likely aware that Sunday has been set aside as a day for spiritual renewal, a day of sabbath, if you will, from business and insight sessions and the usual busy-ness that defines many of the hours of Conference. I think this is a terrific idea.
Caregivers of all kinds are continually reminded to take care of themselves, and we often hear the analogy 'put on your own oxygen mask first' in this context. Deacons and pastors in their caregiving roles would do well to remember this, too, although perhaps in a slightly different way.
While we do need to be diligent about physical care, in our work as ministers self-care takes on a second meaning. As ministers it is just as important that we care for ourselves spiritually, to ensure that the Spirit might continue to be heard and felt through us, through our caregiving.
And that's one way we might look at this day of spiritual growth at Annual Conference, a time to be quiet and let the Spirit speak. A time to remember that our collective joy and trust in the gifts of the Spirit are some of the reasons we continue to come together.
Whether or not you will be at Conference this year, consider taking this idea of a time of spiritual renewal to your deacon ministry, perhaps in the form of a retreat. Find ways to take a sabbath for the sake of yourselves, of your souls; for the sake of those to whom you minister.
"... and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds..." Ephesians 4:23
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