The 2019 Presbytery Retreat was held in early May at the St Clements Redemptorist Retreat Centre at Galong. Although not ideally situated for many Presbytery members, this remains a very satisfactory place – indeed the only really suitable Retreat Centre in the Riverina, in beautiful surrounds and with comfortable lodgings.
It was good to see people coming from places as distant as Finley and Lake Cargelligo. Many thanks to the organisers Myra Cowell, Larraine Hoffman, Jenny Rose and Wendy Frasier. The roll-up this year was an increase on the previous year and promises well for future retreats.
The Retreat was led by Rev. Niall Read, former Moderator, and he chose as the theme “Walking in the Way of Jesus”. One of the features of the Retreat was “Walking Church”, where Niall led scriptural reflections, small group discussions and (on our closing day) an outdoor Eucharist while taking us through the peaceful fields that are part of the St Clements property.
There was considerable and helpful engagement on matters to do with the life of the Church and the Presbytery. We enjoyed the company of guests from outside the Presbytery, including Rev. Nigel Hawken who is the Aged Care Coordinator for Uniting, based in the Illawarra but also responsible for the Riverina Presbytery area. We also welcomed people into the Retreat on a daily-visit basis and it is hoped that this will be a continuing feature in future years.