2025-09 Coworkers Retreat Camp
Tomorrow marks the beginning of our Sabbath Retreat Camp. We will look back to “those years,” walking in the footsteps of our forebears, and take the Ten Commandments—given by God through Moses—as our guide as we worship the Lord at the close of the Sabbath. In the Hebrew tradition, preparation for the Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday, and the Sabbath is observed from Saturday morning until Sunday morning.
“Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” (Deuteronomy 5:12–15)
One special feature of this camp is the generous amount of free time. Working together, serving together, and learning together can be easier; but simply enjoying life together—sharing space, relaxing, and building fellowship—may sometimes be challenging. That is why we hope each moment of free time becomes an opportunity for sharing in fellowship. Believers of different generations are encouraged to be open and honest, ready to listen to one another’s life stories.
Another unique aspect of this retreat is how we are transforming the traditional game of mahjong—often associated with gambling—into a tool for friendship and service. It will become a way for young people to serve the elderly and help prevent cognitive decline. Just as the church once transformed Sunday—the Roman Empire’s day for sun worship—into the Lord’s Day of resurrection, so too we hope the community will slowly come to see mahjong not as gambling, but as a wholesome, caring activity of shared enjoyment.
We have also arranged three optional workshops:
Spiritual Direction in learning to serve one another. Nurturing family life through love and marriage. The practical wisdom of John Wesley’s teaching: “Earn all you can, save all you can, give all you can.”
Our hope is that these topics will encourage meaningful conversations in a relaxed setting.
Another distinctive feature of this Sabbath Retreat Camp is that we have kept the number of organizing staff to a minimum, leaving plenty of “open spaces” throughout the program—for translation, leading prayer, Scripture reading, tidying up, coordinating activities, and more. We hope that, like a family, everyone will pitch in spontaneously. It may be a little messy at times, but we trust that as one family in Christ, there will be order in the midst of disorder.
We are deeply grateful to our A team for providing this opportunity for Sabbath retreat, and to the camp staff for serving us. Above all, we give thanks to our Triune God:
To the Father, who lovingly cares for us, To the Son, our Lord Jesus, who shows us grace, To the Holy Spirit, who binds us together in unity.
Photos and Videos
明天就是我们的安息退修生活营。这次，我们要回到「那些年」，追随先贤的脚步，以上主借摩西所颁布的十诫为准则，在安息日的黄昏向主献上敬拜。按照希伯来人的传统，周五黄昏便开始预备进入安息日，而从周六早晨至周日早晨则专心守安息。
「当照耶和华—你 神所吩咐的，守安息日为圣日。六日要劳碌，做你一切的工；但第七日是向耶和华—你 神当守的安息日。这一日，你和你的儿女、仆婢、牛、驴、牲畜，以及在你城里寄居的客旅，都不可做工，使你的仆婢可以和你一样安息。你要记念你在埃及地作过奴仆，耶和华—你 神曾用大能的手和伸出来的膀臂领你出来。因此，耶和华—你 神吩咐你守安息日。」（申命记 5:12–15）
这次生活营的特色，是留下许多自由的空间。一起工作、一起事奉、一起上课并不难，但单纯地享受彼此相处、一起生活却往往不易。因此，我们盼望每一段自由时间，都能成为团契分享的时刻。愿不同世代的信徒都能坦诚交流，并乐意倾听彼此的人生故事。
生活营的另一个亮点，是尝试将传统上被视为赌博的麻雀游戏，转化为促进友谊、彼此关爱的活动，让年轻人借此服事长者，也帮助他们延缓退化。正如早期教会将罗马帝国敬拜太阳的 Sunday 转化为纪念基督复活的主日一样，我们也希望逐渐让社区认识：麻雀不必与赌博挂钩，而是能成为建立关系、共享温情的健康休闲。
此外，我们亦预备了三个自由参加的专题：
学习彼此服事的属灵导引 学习如何维系家庭的爱情与婚姻 学习约翰・卫斯理的生活智慧──「尽力赚钱，尽力储钱，尽力捐献」
盼望大家能在轻松的氛围中彼此交流、互相造就。
这次安息退修生活营的另一个特色，是大幅减少了安排人手，特意留下许多「留白」：翻译、领祷、读经、清理、场地、自由活动等，都没有过度规划。我们期待大家像一家人一样，自发而即兴地投入帮忙。或许过程中会有些混乱，但我们深信，在基督里的家人能够乱中有序。
最后，感谢教会行政小组为我们安排这次安息退修的机会，也感谢营地同工的服事。最终，我们要将一切感恩归于三一的上主：
天父慈爱看顾我们， 主耶稣恩典眷顾我们， 圣灵亲自联系我们。
