{"id":3711,"date":"2019-11-20T14:02:19","date_gmt":"2019-11-20T14:02:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/sitenews\/2019\/11\/20\/ted-women-in-ministry-retreat-provides-breathing-space-facilitates-rejuvenation\/"},"modified":"2019-11-20T14:02:19","modified_gmt":"2019-11-20T14:02:19","slug":"ted-women-in-ministry-retreat-provides-breathing-space-facilitates-rejuvenation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ted.adventist.org\/news\/ted-women-in-ministry-retreat-provides-breathing-space-facilitates-rejuvenation\/","title":{"rendered":"TED Women in Ministry Retreat provides breathing space, facilitates rejuvenation"},"content":{"rendered":"

20 November 2019 | Be\u010di\u0107i, Montenegro [Victor Hulbert]  <\/p>\n

Inspiring preaching, insightful workshops, helpful networking \u2013 but most of all \u2013 time! For female pastors, Bible workers and administrators across the Trans-European Division (TED), the opportunity to meet, relax and share at the TED Women in Ministry retreat was, for them, a godsend.<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt was a timely retreat, full of fellowship, a refill of energy and optimism, with speakers that shared positive, uplifting messages, but also the challenges of being a female in church ministry,\u201d states Marianne Dyrud, Executive Secretary and Youth director for the Danish Union. Following the weekend of meetings, 15-18 November, in the relaxed sea-side atmosphere of Hotel Splendid in Be\u010di\u0107i, Montenegro, she appreciated the \u2018space\u2019 given for women in ministry to pull aside from busy and often stress-filled lives, to \u201chave a breathing space as a place to rejuvenate, get energised and where we could minister and support each other in the ups and downs of ministry.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Women<\/a>That was the intention of the weekend, according to TED Ministerial director, Patrick Johnson. He was one of only five men to participate in the conference alongside 110 women who travelled from countries such as Iceland, Norway and Finland in the far north, the British Isles and the Netherlands in the west of the TED, and Poland, Hungary, the Balkans, Greece and Cyprus further south and east. Throughout the weekend that myriad of languages and cultures blended together as the women found others who faced similar challenges and solutions and who, often spontaneously, could lift each other up in prayer.<\/p>\n

\"Women<\/a>\u201cNew friendship connections have been made that, if nurtured, will continue throughout their lives,\u201d Johnson stated, noting how beneficial it was for the women to share experiences together, both pleasurable and painful, as a much-needed healing activity. He is planning an online forum that can also provide them with additional support.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had a fairly flexible programme which we could adapt according to need,\u201d Johnson stated. That was essential as, after a positive Sabbath morning of testimony under the theme, \u2018God is so good\u2019, one pastor shared the challenge of broken ministry together with her ministerial husband as they experienced loss together. Rather than the normal end to Sabbath morning worship this led to groups sharing and praying together in an outpouring of emotion and love.<\/p>\n

That continued during the afternoon as women met informally or headed out to enjoy nature, either along the seafront or, for some, a climb up the mountain towards an olive grove and a 2,000-year-old tree, an expedition led by Family Ministries director, Karen Holford.<\/p>\n