October 2009

As we drove up the mountain, we kept glancing at the temperature readout on the dashboard of the car. It started in the mid nineties and by the time we had reached Alpine Meadows above Angelus Oaks, it had dropped to the seventies. We could already tell we were going to enjoy the weekend!

What a beautiful setting to explore the RUCC retreat theme of “The Ties that Bind.”  Not only were the participants nestled among the trees of the San Bernardino National Forest, but we were also nestled in the loving presence of our brothers and sisters in an environment of joy, acceptance, and love.

About seventy people took part in the retreat as overnighters, day-trippers, and Sunday worshippers. Everyone I spoke with commented that the experience had affected them … many in profoundly different ways. It was wonderful to hear the wide range of reactions to the theme.

Some commented that the tie-dye shirt activity had illustrated the uniqueness of each person. Not only was each shirt different, but the reaction that each person had to their shirt was wonderful to behold. The process of opening the bundled cloth was akin to opening a present, not having any idea of what wonders lay inside. Then, after the gift was opened, it seemed that it somehow matched each personality.

Others commented on the closeness they felt during the quilting activity. The process of decorating cloth squares to surround a photograph drew several people into deep thought as they considered what symbols, words and pictures brought meaning to their part of the quilt. Then, when everyone gathered around the table and quilted the squares together, the hands and ribbons seemed to stitch together hopes and dreams as much as pieces of cloth.

The keynote discussion was a high point for many people, and a welcome opportunity to spend time with Jeanne Favreau-Sorvillo. Jeanne wove a story of inter-connectedness with physical and symbolic ribbons and bows. The exercises and subsequent conversations reminded many of the ways we are connected to God and to each other. Some delighted that the questions didn’t stop when the session was over … that a framework had been built for continued introspection.

In Sunday worship, pipe cleaners were shaped into myriad different shapes, sizes and colors. The stories that went along with each were as varied as the people who created them. There were circles, rainbows, hands, waves, hearts, spirals and many other symbols of love, connectedness and community. The seder-style communion wrapped up the weekend with a litany of a people tied together through worship, prayer and celebration.

The retreat experience was not an unusual opportunity for Redlands United Church of Christ. It demonstrated again the strength of the fabric that is our church family. The ties that bind do not hold us back, but rather give us strength to grow.

With optimism and hope,
Loring Fiske-Phillips