2020 NC Regional Content
-
Summary of Weekend - Reflection by Rick Manella
This is a personal reflection that I hope captures the spirit of the gathering as requested by Mike. Gay and I arrived at the gathering tired, yet expectant, as introverts ready to stretch and enter in, yet silently praying for an anointing to help us to do so. A not dissimilar way to our approach to going to gatherings since the first at Alverna in 1985. Well, it was clear by the end of the weekend that the Spirit is falling mightily, to help us bring the transformation in Christ in a way that only the spirit can, manifesting so quickly and thoroughly. It started and ended with repentance and a humble opening to God’s grace and love. We were struck by its power and the change in all of us that following the Spirit had given powerful healing, knocked down many walls, lifted many burdens, and most importantly to savor it with our brothers and sisters in wonderful fellowship and disposed us all to want to go share it with the world in our daily lives!! Felt like we were in the Acts of the Apostles, and certainly renewals we have experienced within our Community over the years! We were on fire!!We were blessed with heartfelt talks from our Regional Minister and Vicar shared from trusting and vulnerable hearts, sharing reflections they have personally experienced recently, from Mike on dealing with the feeling the lie we all deal with that we are so unworthy that we have to fix ourselves before our Lord could possibly love us, and how he recently was delivered to another level of healing in that! Emily shared the desire to be more fully present and helped us through an examen of how we all could do better in being a loving presence to others in our region and to our cell groups. Thank you to Mike and Emily for their servants heart and discernment in creating a wonderful gathering experience for all! The Collins then shared the fruits of steady desire and action to create a cell group in their area that was touching in its simplicity yet steadfast pursuit that God blessed with a now thriving cell group!
The capstone of the gathering was the presence of our founder and foundress, John Michael and Viola. John shared from his heart that he senses a renewal of the Spirit Based in a humble and repentant returning to Christ and the foot of the cross, of the natural outgrowth of the charismatic gifts to more regularly manifest in our Community life because of this, of a commitment and fuller manifestation of cell groups (good teaching on this!), as well as a deepening in our contemplative prayer life with a session on breath prayer Sunday morning. All this to begin and end with repentance and bringing ourselves wholly to the foot of the cross. As to the charismatic gifts he kept emphasizing praying for and receiving the gifts, tongues, healings, prophecy... That led to a powerful praise, adoration time Friday night that set the stage and primed the pump for that to be manifested again the next afternoon.John Michael Sat. Morning shared foundational teaching on the criticality of the Spirit being operative in our lives and in the Community as well as a teaching on cell grouping from his cell group handbook, emphasizing the difference between cell groups and bible studies or prayer groups. Cell groups are to build community, founded in the charism of our Community found in our excellent documents, way of life and building real relationships in Christ.In the afternoon we had an anointed time of stepping out in that faith as prayers, and receivers of powerful healings. John emphasized, which helped us all to break through to powerful healing, that it does not require long discussion, but rather a short trusting openness to healing on the prayer and recipients part. Let God be God, let the Spirit Work, not to ask with trepidation or just praying to “accept” our burdens”, edifying though that may be, but to believe and simply let God do what he wants to do! “Speak faith to sickness, not sickness to faith”. The sweetness of the Spirit and overwhelming sense of God’s love was wholly present and transcendent, healings were abundant! It was enlivening to Gay and I personally in ways we haven’t experienced in a long while and in ways that are new and show a future that we are ready to dive into. One is never to old, or to young, to grow and be utilized to serve our brothers and sisters (everyone) in love. be open to the gifts of the spirit!This fall of the Spirit flowed into our vigil liturgy as an amazing demonstration of the fellowship and closeness we all felt in the spirit uniting in an explosion of song, prayer, praise, preaching (Fr. Steve!) and Eucharist!In summary it was an anointed gathering. We all went away assured we are loved and God wants us to live in that love and share that love daily and moment by moment with everyone! It is possible! Let the fire fall!!!! Pray for and trust the the Spirit will anoint you, let this Lent be a repentant return for all of us to our first love in Christ, our Lord longs for that return so that his Love may flow.I’ll end with a word shared at the gathering given before the regional that wholly captured a key message from the gathering for Gay and I, perhaps for you as well!“From one of our brothers:“All of my graces are free, and freely poured out on you every day. Don't block these blessings or rationalize them away. I paid the price on the Cross to freely pour out these gifts on the world.My Father wants you to receive the joy and light of my Kingdom in every breath of every day. Victory has been won and the fate of evil has been decided. While it still presents itself in dying gasps, it holds no power over those consecrated to me.Fully live this truth and boldly go in my Name to touch and heal and release the captives around you. My work is far from done in this world, and your hands and feet are mine to bring love and healing everywhere.Don't settle for comfort and false peace, but seek my peace in the work I have for you. Listen with trust as I lead you!” -