The earliest followers of Jesus of Nazareth were inspired by this simple message: Love God and love your neighbor as yourself. They shared these words with such enthusiasm that their numbers multiplied until Christianity became the dominant religion in much of the world.
Today, however, seems to be an era of complacency. Many Christians see their faith as a private matter, something to keep to themselves. People may be shy about sharing their spiritual lives with co-workers, friends and acquaintances.
Gilroy’s St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church (651 Broadway) is presenting an antidote to this attitude. Area residents are invited to a free retreat that will increase their enthusiasm for sharing religious beliefs with others in a natural, pleasant and low-key way.
Faith Stories Retreat is a program sponsored by Faith Alive, a nonprofit Christian ministry that has presented retreats for more than 30 years in more than 2,400 Protestant and Catholic churches across the United States. The weekend’s presenter is Tom Riley, a talented speaker who left a career as a bank senior vice president to become director of this lay ministry.
The weekend is promised to be light-hearted. There will be music, singing and a chance for participants to hear the inspiring faith stories of others and discover their own. A typical comment comes from a former participant in North Carolina: “We sang together and laughed a lot. Our gifted speaker entertained us with stories of faith that made us think of our own faith.”
• Faith Stories Retreat begins Friday, Feb. 8 at 6:30 p.m. with dinner. Session one begins at 7:15 p.m.
• Saturday morning, Feb. 9, begins with coffee and pastries at 8 a.m., followed by session two at 9. It will conclude with lunch. The retreat will resume with session three at 7:30 p.m.
• Sunday morning, Feb. 10, the retreat will conclude as Riley preaches the homily during the 8 and 10 a.m. worship services.
This retreat is open and free of charge to anyone, but you must make a reservation by calling (408) 847-8294. Free childcare provided if requested in advance.
Father Terry Burley, pastor of St. Stephen’s, said his church offers this gift to the community because they want to help build the faith of Christians beyond the parish, commenting: “Everyone is welcome to join us in this faith journey.”
St. Stephen’s strives to be a “neighborhood church” and makes several efforts in that regard:
• It operates a Resource Center, which provides sources of aid to the homeless and is open Tuesday and Thursday from 9 to 11 a.m.
• It furnishes meeting space to CROSS, a national Christian motorcycle ministry.
• In April, a small-group discussion series called “Across the Room” will be offered to the public. For more information about the church or its ministries, call (408) 842-4415.
