[More details and news about the region gatherings available here.]

As the month of February comes, we’re heading into what I think are the hardest months of winter. Behind us are the excitement of the first snow fall and the delight of Christmas. Ahead are dreary, overcast skies and piles of dirty discarded snow. We need a bright, warm place to be and, given the economy, that place probably isn’t the Caribbean for many of us. But, I have a great deal to offer you: a trip to your next regional meeting. Now, before you laugh and wonder if the cold has frozen my brain circuits, let me tell you why I make that suggestion. I have just attended my second regional gathering hosted by the Mission Strategy Network Task Teams. This first one was on Saturday, January 31st, at Trinity, Park Rapids, and the second one was Monday, February 2nd, at St. Christopher’s, Roseville. Both were well-attended with either over half or all of the congregations showing up. In each one, there was an eagerness and excitement to be together and to talk about the MSN process and progress. We prayed. We used Gospel-Based Discipleship to ground ourselves in scripture. And when it was time for us to form small groups around the 4 BCMS Goals, the increased energy warmed hearts if not the room. People leaned into the conversations, sharing stories of their ministries and listening as others told of theirs. Like shedding layers of winter clothing, the groups unpeeled layers of frustration, not with a tone of complaint, but in hope that an opening to the light might unthaw a creativity to imagine anew.

Yet, like all re-creation experiences, perhaps the real test is how people talk about them at the end. Was it worth the cost? Did it meet the expectations? Did it fill our empty places with a new spirit to buoy us up as we face again the everyday realities of life? When I think about these questions in light of my experience at these first 2 MSN Regional/Area Gatherings, I certainly can’t answer them for everyone. However, what I heard as people left gives me some confidence to guess they were glad they came. They left with ideas to take back to their congregation and feeling less isolated. So, check out the dates and places of these “bright, warm places” in the Diocese of Minnesota! Get to one of them. Yes, I can’t promise you’ll come home with a suntan, but I’ll bet your “armor of Christ” will be shinier.