With the theme \"Building Bridges\", the 1^st SW Regional Elders Retreat in Marina del Rey exceeded our expectations.  It was a historic meeting with a total of 44 who attended the retreat that included 21 elders plus their wives.  The weekend enabled many elders who are not financially supported by the churches to come and participate.  As outlined in the Cooperation Proposal, churches that expressed support of the proposal were to establish training and discipling relationships between church leaderships in their geographic region.  This retreat was a first step in fulfilling that commitment.  Before the retreat was even over, many elders had already made commitments to be in regular contact with one another for the purpose of seeking counsel as well as building deeper friendships.
 
It was incredibly encouraging to have elders here with such a broad range of shepherding experience:  some who had been just recently appointed within the last month to those who had been elders over 35 years.  Many friendships were begun and others renewed. 
 
In addition to a Q & A panel, great and powerful lessons were taught on the following subjects:  Attitudes That Bridge, Roles That Bridge, and Shepherding as a Father with his Children.   The separate men and women discussion sessions were times when everyone felt free to be humble, open, and learn from one another.  Each day also allowed for much needed time for fellowship and laughter.
 
The retreat ended with the unanimous opinion that more times of training and fellowship like this are needed and desired; each elder and wife also shared either decisions made as a result of the weekend or specific requests for prayers (James 5:14-16).   When you hear comments like, \"For my wife and I, this weekend was a slice of heaven!\" and \"It was a very bonding and inspiring time,\" we are reminded how important our connections are with each other.

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