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.
明天就是我們的安息退修生活營。這次，我們要回到「那些年」，追隨先賢的腳步，以上主藉摩西所頒布的十誡為準則，在安息日的黃昏向主獻上敬拜。按照希伯來人的傳統，週五黃昏便開始預備進入安息日，而從週六早晨至週日早晨則專心守安息。
「當照耶和華—你 神所吩咐的，守安息日為聖日。六日要勞碌，做你一切的工；但第七日是向耶和華—你 神當守的安息日。這一日，你和你的兒女、僕婢、牛、驢、牲畜，以及在你城裏寄居的客旅，都不可做工，使你的僕婢可以和你一樣安息。你要記念你在埃及地作過奴僕，耶和華—你 神曾用大能的手和伸出來的膀臂領你出來。因此，耶和華—你 神吩咐你守安息日。」（申命記 5:12–15）
這次生活營的特色，是留下許多自由的空間。一起工作、一起事奉、一起上課並不難，但單純地享受彼此相處、一起生活卻往往不易。因此，我們盼望每一段自由時間，都能成為團契分享的時刻。願不同世代的信徒都能坦誠交流，並樂意傾聽彼此的人生故事。
生活營的另一個亮點，是嘗試將傳統上被視為賭博的麻雀遊戲，轉化為促進友誼、彼此關愛的活動，讓年輕人藉此服事長者，也幫助他們延緩退化。正如早期教會將羅馬帝國敬拜太陽的 Sunday 轉化為紀念基督復活的主日一樣，我們也希望逐漸讓社區認識：麻雀不必與賭博掛鉤，而是能成為建立關係、共享溫情的健康休閒。
此外，我們亦預備了三個自由參加的專題：
學習彼此服事的屬靈導引 學習如何維繫家庭的愛情與婚姻 學習約翰・衛斯理的生活智慧──「盡力賺錢，盡力儲錢，盡力捐獻」
盼望大家能在輕鬆的氛圍中彼此交流、互相造就。
這次安息退修生活營的另一個特色，是大幅減少了安排人手，特意留下許多「留白」：翻譯、領禱、讀經、清理、場地、自由活動等，都沒有過度規劃。我們期待大家像一家人一樣，自發而即興地投入幫忙。或許過程中會有些混亂，但我們深信，在基督裡的家人能夠亂中有序。
最後，感謝教會行政小組為我們安排這次安息退修的機會，也感謝營地同工的服事。最終，我們要將一切感恩歸於三一的上主：
天父慈愛看顧我們， 主耶穌恩典眷顧我們， 聖靈親自聯繫我們。
