SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (BP) – The North American Mission Board (NAMB) served Southern Baptist ministry couples by bringing the Refresh Retreat to the Caribe Hilton in San Juan.
The Nov. 14-16 event brought together the largest participation of pastors from the Convention of Southern Baptist Churches of Puerto Rico – 94 percent of all the affiliated pastors participated in the event, the majority of whom are bi-vocational.
“This weekend was truly special … a special time of fellowship and koinonia where we worshiped the Lord together,” said Luis Soto, executive director of the convention. “It was an unforgettable weekend of blessings to Puerto Rico.
“We had powerful exhortations through His Word. We were encouraged, ministered to … and our souls were refreshed together, along with more than 70 pastors, ministers and their wives.”
NAMB President Kevin Ezell addressed the group via video, telling them that Refresh is a favorite event for NAMB staff because it allows them to encourage pastors.
“I am incredibly thankful for your faithfulness, your commitment and your persistence,” Ezell said. “But I also know that when you are working that hard and God is using you that way, it drains you, and you need a time to refresh. So, I encourage you to take this time to soak things in, spend time with the people around you, and have special time with the LORD. It is a time to refresh you for ministry.”
Tim Dowdy, NAMB vice president of evangelism, said Refresh retreats are designed to strengthen ministry couples.
“Refresh is meant to refuel and refresh the hearts of pastors and their wives,” Dowdy said. “Pastors are running 24 hours a day, and for weeks they don’t take a break. A lot of the pastors are bivocational, with secular jobs while pastoring, and they get tired and get weary. …
“This helps them to take a very intentional break, catch their breath, refresh.”
A highlight of the retreat was recognizing Pastor Rene Pereira, who pastored the biggest Southern Baptist church on the island, Glenview Baptist Church in Ponce. The Convention of Southern Baptist Churches in Puerto Rico awarded him for 48 years of ministry. Perreira and his wife are now retired.
H.B. Charles Jr., pastor of Shiloh Metropolitan Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Fla., preached in the retreat’s opening session from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 on how a thorn in the flesh can aid in ministry..
Charles encouraged ministry couples to consider that thorns in the flesh are given by God, they help fight our pride, drive us to pray, change our perspective, are not about us and produce strong Christians.
“When I feel strong, I am truly weak, and when I feel weak, He makes Himself strong in me,” Charles said. “ …You can handle anything if Christ is your everything.”
Gilberto Corredera, pastor at Prestonwood en Español in Plano, Texas, preached on intimacy with God.
“Our vertical relationship is what should define our horizontal relationships,” said Corredera, who is from Cuba. “I want you to remember that your private life and your relationship with God is reflected in your ministry relationships.
“Bridging the gap between my private life with God and my public life in ministry is important. Remember that our public life is not more important than our intimacy with God in private.”
Jarrett Stephens, pastor at Champion Forest Church, in Houston, Texas, challenged attendees to remember four key events in their life – the moment of salvation, when God called them, when they first met their spouse and the toughest trial they had faced both individually and as a couple.
He guided them to recognize who God is, what He did for them and how those trials helped produce thankfulness, caused them to worship and strengthened their faith.
Ken Whitten, NAMB’s national director of pastoral leadership, concluded the preaching time on Saturday morning with a sermon on brokenness.
The enemy desires to sift the believer, he said. He encouraged pastors to be especially careful in times of pride, pressure, promise, weakness and vulnerability because, “What is in the well comes up in the bucket.”
Whitten said that interruptions happen at unexpected times but can come with unparalleled blessings. No one can minister better to a broken person than a person who has suffered, he said.
Also present were José Abella, vice president of Send Network Español; Bruno Molina, director of the National Hispanic Baptist Network; Jonathan Santiago, Send Relief’s regional director for Puerto Rico; Dave Kiehn, regional director for The Pillar Network; Daniel Santander, pastor of La Iglesia in Johnson Ferry, Georgia; Jorge Altieri, Send Network Español Lakes Midwest Region strategist, and various Hispanic NAMB church planting catalysts.
NAMB has six annual Refresh events around the United States. Find more information here.