Ekklesia Tou Theou – Church of God (ECOG) will be holding its annual retreat during Holy Week. This year’s gathering – scheduled from April 3 to 5, and which will be held in Indang, Cavite – eyes to benefit mainly people living with HIV (PLHIV).
Themed “Project: Matthew 25″, the retreat aims to celebrate and commemorate the passion, death and resurrection of Christ in a more personal way and in a small community setting.
“This is the time where we pray together, talk to each other, meditate, exercise, listen, cry, laugh, shout, be silent, accept God’s words and share the most holy eucharist. We also share our sorrows, challenges, troubles, doubts, fears and address it as a group, as a community and as a church,” said Fr. Regen Luna, ECOG’s pastor.
The retreat will conduct sessions that will help members and non-members of ECOG understand the journey and experiences of a person living with HIV. The retreat is hoped to be a safe place where PLHIVs will have the time to share their lives among each other, and for them to know the “real, unconditional and non-judgmental love of Christ that will empower them to become advocates of hope.”
“We hope that our participants will have a deeper and richer understanding of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross, His passion, His resurrection in the context of a PLHIV, and also in a person with compassion for those who are in need,” Luna ended.
