NCC Worker's Seminar January 2023
On the weekend of January 13 to 15, 2023, the NCC Workers and their spouses attended a weekend-long seminar at Leoni Meadows Camp in Grizzly Flats, CA.
The weekend was focused on a few central topics regarding the responsibilities and difficulties of being involved with the work. Each topic was presented as a discussion and all of the workers, their spouses, and children were able to contribute!
On Friday evening, Br Marian Ionita led the discussion titled “Listen to His Voice” where it was discussed the importance of taking the time to seek out the voice and instruction of the Lord through means of prayer and Bible study.
After a study of the weekly Sabbath School Lesson, Br Julian led the discussion on Sabbath morning focused on the theme of “Be Active, But Not Exhausted.” There were many points brought up regarding the rates of mental health issues amongst religious workers, and it was emphasized again the need to lean on the Lord for strength and listen to Him as we fulfill the gospel comission.
After a time for praise and prayer requests, the final topic of “A Pastor’s Family: His First Missionary Field” was discussed. It was emphasized that pastors and workers need to put their families first, as they are blessings God has given them to lead directly. It was especially discussed regarding the fact that fathers and husbands are to be the Priests of the Household.
After closing the Sabbath together, the workers split up into three groups for team building activities! They were assigned a list of tasks that they had 60 minutes to complete. Each task was worth a certain number of points and could be completed in any order! It was so fun to see the various teams working together and getting creative in solving any obstacles that came up along the way! Amidst the fun and games, the workers and their families strengthened their bonds and cooperation skills through the light-hearted activities.
The final part of the evening included the workers revealing their prayer partners. At the beginning of the weekend, each attendee was assigned a prayer partner, someone whom they were supposed to pray for during the seminar, as well as learn something new about them and show them one act of kindness. This was supposed to remain a secret until Saturday evening, meaning that the attendees were not only doing kind acts for their assigned prayer partner, but also for others as an attempt to keep the subject of their prayers a secret. This fostered an environment of Christian love amongst the workers and their families during the weekend!
Lastly, after morning worship on Sunday, a delicious breakfast, overnight snowfall, and a group picture, the weekend seminar was closed with the Benediction, led by Br Julian Utupanu, the NCC President.
What a blessing to spend time together to study the Word of God and enrich the work done in spreading the Gospel!