On November 4, 5 & 6, Freedom in Christ hosted Kogudus Renewal Ministry’s presentation, BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING. There were 9 volunteers, including myself, 2 board members (Rev. Paul Anderson and Rev. Peggy Paugh Leuzinger), and 29 incarcerated men at Montana State Prison. We sang, we laughed, we cried, we prayed and we worshiped.
As small groups, at tables, identified with the churches of the first century, like Corinthians, Galatians etc. our Bible studies focused on thematic passages:
- CREATED TO CARE - Genesis 1:26-31, Psalm 8:1-9, Psalm 72:1-14,
- CALLED AND BLESSED TO BE A BLESSING - Genesis 12:1-3,
- PARABLE OF THE TALENTS – Matthew 25:14-30,
- PARABLE OF THE WORKERS – Matthew 20:1-16,
- PARABLE OF THE GOOD SAMARITAN – Luke 10:25-37, PARABLE OF THE RICH FOOL – Luke 12:13-21,
- PARABLE OF THE PRODIGAL – Luke 15:1-2 & 11:-31
We made posters based on our studies. Here are a few of them. I will leave it to you to decide who the long haired guy, holding the Bible at the prison window is supposed to represent.
The guys had a great time, and partook of some great food, including fresh apples, bananas and oranges, which are no longer served in the dining halls.
Since the retreat, I have met with several of the guys in either pastoral visits or Lutheran study or just in passing, and they all said that the retreat was AWESOME, and they can’t wait to do it again. Retreats are only permitted once a year for each group, and Kogudus is working on another retreat in April of 2023.
As we move into the holiday season, let me take this opportunity to wish you all a HAPPY THANKSGIVING, BLESSED ADVENT, MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR!
(Editor's note: This post did not publish in December...still learning this new website and how content works! Apologies for the lateness in showing up.)