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Ss Peter and Paul Parish 2008 Retreat
The 1st of August marked the beginning of the annual Ss. Peter and Paul Parish Retreat. This is an activity filled weekend of spiritual workshops, games and relationship building exercises. The purpose of these activities is to promote personal development, leadership qualities and spiritual growth.
This year, the retreat was held at the Deer Park Conference Centre on the shores of Port Hacking located at the northern end of the Royal National Park in Sydney. The centre is operated by Youthworks.   
Upon arrival at the retreat, everyone was handed their name tags which read ‘Jesus dwells in here’. Rev. Genard Lazar, Parish Priest, elaborated on the purpose of the name tag, emphasising the significance of portraying the love and peace of Christ as Christians.
On the same day, some groups participated in Bible Studies with the theme “The fruits of the Holy Spirit”. Groups were provided with various physical fruits each resembling a fruit of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The aim of this activity was to recognise the essentiality of possessing each fruit in order to produce an attractive fruit salad. This was then related to our Christian life. Other groups took part in physical activities including billy carting, abseiling and canoeing. Groups rotated after a set period of time.
Day two introduced everyone to the ‘Amazing Race’ which was an adaptation of the TV series. The game consisted of Biblical questions, clues, challenges and activities which teams had to complete.
Despite the cold conditions, many braved the weather to sit around a campfire in the evening and enjoy each other’s company with spiritual songs of praise. On Sunday, the faithful gathered for early Morning Prayer conducted in the Aramaic language as appointed in the Daily Prayer Book of the Assyrian Church of the East. Faithful were handed booklets prepared by Rev. Genard Lazar, Parish Priest, in which the entire service was translated in the English language. The prayers were followed by the offering of the Holy Eucharist by Rev. Genard.   
In his sermon, Rev. Genard highlighted the symbolism of all the activities - Spiritual, Physical and the Amazing Race, applying them to our walk with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. He specifically referred to the requirements for abseiling, mentioning that those who were reluctant at first to take part, were encouraged by the bravery and willingness of others. He also pointed out that some were satisfied by the fact that the rope was securely tied to strong beams of steel. Rev. Genard concluded that we as Christians should be examples to others in order to encourage them to draw near to Christ and submit our fears and worries to Him who is our stronghold. After the completion of the Eucharistic Service, campers then took part in fellowship and were treated to an early lunch. Prior to packing their bags, everyone enjoyed some music and singing. Once packed, a group photo was taken and was followed by a closing prayer before heading home. A special thanks goes out to the organising committee and all those who attended and made this memorable event possible. If you couldn’t make it this year, don’t despair, you will have another chance in 2009.   
”This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you, the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth, Jesus Christ.” - John 17:3
Story by: John Isaac and Ashurina Benyameen
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