DS-WA MGOCSM - Atlanta's New Year's Retreat

This year’s Atlanta Area MGOCSM New Year’s Retreat was located at St. Mary’s Orthodox Church in Atlanta, Georgia. The event began on Friday, January 30th, with Evening Prayer and Acolyte training, followed by an evening of fun and games. The following day, Saturday the 31st, began with Morning Prayer and an introduction by Rev. Fr. Mat Alexander to topics such as “Where do your roots come from?”, “What are your influences?”, “Who are you trying to please?”, and “Are we doing God’s will?”. We were blessed with the presence of Achen from Dallas, Texas, for both days. He spoke about the aforementioned topics, as well as “waiting” and not “burning out.” The theme of the retreat was Isaiah 40:31 – "But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary; they will walk and not be faint". During the retreat, there were breakout sessions in which different age groups gathered to discuss the difficulties they faced in daily life and solutions to those problems. All in all, it was a blessed weekend, filled with spiritual rejuvenation. Let us continue to keep the MGOCSM ministry and the well-being and growth of all the faithful in the Atlanta Area in prayer.