An Inside Look At The Sojourn Elders’ Retreat

Last week the Sojourn elders and elders-in-process traveled to a rustic cabin overlooking a lake for their 2009 summer retreat.  As the deacon in charge of communications I was allowed to observe the proceedings and participate in plenty of prayer, relaxation, good food, river-floating, stimulating conversation and a study on 1 Timothy led by teaching pastor Daniel Montgomery.

As a chronicler, the one thing I’d like all Sojourners to know is how diligent the elders are in caring for your souls and seeking God’s will for our family, neighborhoods, Louisville and the world.  Through my observation and interaction with them I can catch a glimpse of the weight that each man carries as he labors for the gospel.  As they read portions of 1 Timothy aloud in a series of sessions over the two-day retreat, they shared deep thoughts, concerns and desires for this church.

Of course, the event wasn’t without some controversy:

But we know our Pastor Chad is really a big, ol’, lovable fuzz bear.

You can also hop on over to sojournmusic.com to catch “Cookin’ With Cosper,” my short interview with Pastor Mike, the “head chef” throughout this retreat.  Mike seriously knows how to whip up some tasty items.

I would have brought you more videos but after the first couple I was threatened, and I had to hide my iPhone.

The elders know how to float around in a lake, too.  One of my personal highlights came as elders-in-process James Santos and Bryce Butler chatted with me while we bobbed around in the lake.  All of a sudden a fish jumped out of the water, flew just inches past our heads and plopped back into the depths.  I kept thinking, “Man, I’m glad that fish didn’t whack me right in the face.  I’d never have lived that down.”

The elders encourage each other and challenge each other to love their families, to rest and to pray in the midst of all the work they do in caring for the church.  They’re also constructive in talking about the best ways to move our mission forward, whether that involves ways to make our upcoming Pastor’s School more effective, or Sojourn Gathered on Sundays, Group Life or church planting.

In short,  we are led by some wonderful, godly men.  Remember to pray for your elders, to encourage them and to make it a joy for them to care for you.

And I hope these kind (and very honest) words about the elders will mitigate the torture that was promised my way if I posted this video, wherein Pastor Daniel tells Pastor Mike and Pastor-to-be Bryce about the time when I filmed him in the process of re-arranging all the books that his pastoral assistant lovingly arranged for him. My defense is that this shows that, in addition to being the solid Christian leaders you see on stage every Sunday, they’re also “normal,” approachable, fun guys:

Seriously, our elders are great.  They are happy to have us, and we are blessed to have them.