Dumbartonians returned to our beloved West River Camp, Oct. 21-22, for our annual retreat.
During our Saturday workshop, we learned all about the Enneagram and how our personalities align with the 9 different Enneagram types. Hazel Monae, a Racial Equity & Leadership Development practitioner who has 10 years of experience with the Enneagram, facilitated this workshop with a lot of humor, creativity, and joy. Learning how our different personality types interact with one another as we navigate decision making and building Beloved Community was time well spent.
Being at West River is always restorative. We shared meals, walks, worship and fellowship. As always, there was also time for playing games and sitting around a shared campfire.
Doug Nelson, who has been a member of DUMC since 1997, shared the following reflection on what being at the West River Retreat meant to him. (Doug moved to Florida in 2012 and has been actively involved again with DUMC since Zoom worship became available Summer 2020. We’re so grateful that Doug leads the online Discovery Group the second Sunday of every month.)
Participating in the Dumbarton Church Retreat was a wonderful opportunity to spend face-to-face time with people whom I respect and love since I’m a member of the congregation who joins via Zoom from Florida on Sundays. I relished every hug, especially with members that I have not seen since visiting the worship space in the summer of 2022.
The program related to the Enneagram was both personally insightful and a catalyst for conversation with other church members. The variety of our “nine types” is the mix we need to effectively maintain a Church Council, Trustees, Clusters and several key committees that currently work to keep this 250-year-old congregation thriving.
I appreciated our reflections and sharing over meals throughout the weekend and at the fire pit on Saturday evening. What a wonderful way to get caught up on the joyous events occurring in people’s lives. Getting to play board games and laugh deep into Saturday night with folks who enjoy creative competition was another highlight. Sunday’s service allowed Rev. Rachel to deliver another sermon connected to our journey down the Camino to expand our hearts about our spiritual journeys.
I’m so grateful to have spent time with all of you attending, and enthusiastically encourage others not attending to get the retreat on your calendar next year.
P.S. I had a great time meeting my grandnephew Sunday afternoon post retreat.
