UPDATES

2025 MAY -  ITALY
LEADERSHIP STUDY RETREAT IN ITALY

The Italian leadership team has launched a leadership development program within their ministry. Our Caleb85 resource is part of their leadership formation. John is on the design team for Leader+ in Italy. I joined him and the Italian leadership team for a study entitled 'Leadership Lessons from the Life of Peter' in May.

We spent three days together and grew close as a community. Participants really enjoyed seeing Peter in the context of his whole life journey, as the feedback showed. There are so many things we can learn when we view each event and lesson as part of a greater story being written in our lives by God. We all enjoyed being away from the city, as well. When a retreat is possible, it is so much richer in terms of community, connection, and processing themes together and personally.

We loved our time at Villa Grassina! We loved spending time with our Italian fellow staff! It was hard to leave. As always 😊

2025 MAY -  ALBANIA
Albania Men's Hiking Retreat at Mt Korab

In May, 40 men from our ministry in Albania went on a 3-day retreat in the mountains of northern Albania. John had the privilege of leading the men through the Caleb85 study on "Abiding in Christ". We covered these 3 topics:

1. The Analogy of the Vine & Branch

2. The Analogy of the Living Water

3. God's Design: Fruitfulness comes from Abiding

It was a great time of good food, good camaraderie and a 7-hour hike to the tallest peak in Albania. This is another opportunity from Caleb85, and it's not just for men! 😊

2025 MARCH -  NEPAL
Caleb85 in Nepal

I just returned from Nepal where Zbyszek Masewicz and I taught the Caleb85 "Abiding in Christ" series with 45 pastors in Far West Nepal. It was in coordination with our Cru-Nepal ministry. In addition, we visited 13 churches in 2 days in some pretty rural areas. It was a reminder to me that Jesus said, "I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overpower it". No one knows these pastors names or their churches. But God knows and they stand as a beacon of light.

2025 JANUARY -  LITHUANIA

John and I made a C85 visit to Lithuania in January this year. We spent days with 2 different groups as part of our Caleb85 teaching courses.

First we arrived in Kaunas. We met with a group of emerging young leaders from City Church, a relatively new church plant in 3 cities in Lithuania. The topic was discipleship. What a lively group, great participation around the biblical principles of developing disciples in the churches. We focused more on the heart and mindset of making disciples, a little less on methods and tools.

After our days in Kaunas we travelled to Vilnius where we spent 4 days with our Agape team there! We covered the Life of Peter course - again a great group to have lively conversations with! In a country where the sun hardly shines during the winter days, it was a blessing to gather around the Light of the world!

We loved our time in this Baltic State!!

2024 NOVEMBER - MOLDOVA
ABIDING - MEN'S RETREAT

On Nov 12-15, the staff men, along with some key volunteers and a few pastors from Moldova and Transnistria met in Cahul for a retreat to study "Abiding in Christ as Leaders".

We studied what it means to 'Abide in Christ' from John 15. Of course, a familiar theme was from verse 5: "I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who abide in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing".  Another theme we studied was the Biblical image of Living Water from John 7.37-39. Here we recognized our need to stay 'thirsty' and to keep seeking the living water so that from our 'innermost being will flow rivers of living water, which is the Holy Spirit".  One of the questions we discussed was, "how do we stay thirsty for God?". Finally, we studied and discussed how abiding impacts fruitfulness. Throughout our study, we sought to make application to our lives, ministries and leadership. 

In addition to our study, we went on a 4-hour hike into the hills surrounding our retreat venue, ate good meals together, and had great times of worship and fellowship.

It was a rich time with the Lord and each other, building camaraderie and nourishing our souls for the work God calls us to.

Interested in having this kind of time with your staff, leaders, volunteers and local pastors? Reach out to Laci or me and we'll design something specifically for you.

2024 SEPTEMBER - HUNGARY
ABIDING - NLT RETREAT

This year John (Henderson) joined us to lead a CALEB85 study for our team. The theme was ABIDING. Each morning we gathered for 90 minutes of teaching and discussion in the Word, led by John. This is one of the retreat studies offered by Caleb85 and we chose this one for this time, for our season of ministry.

2024 MAY - MOLDOVA
THEMES FROM PETER

Our GCM ministry here holds an annual training conference for their staff and volunteer leaders and this year, they requested some of the themes from ‘Peter’s Life’. Specifically, these leaders wanted to study, ‘calling’, ‘faith-fear-failure’, ‘guilt & shame’, and ‘restoration’. 

2024 APRIL - NEPAL
‘Go & Make Disciples’

Another open door beyond Europe came from Nepal. One of our ministry leaders there has a heart and passion for the churches and pastors. C85 was invited to  help lead a pastor training conference hosted by one of the local pastors at their church. The topic they chose was “Go & Make Disciples”. Several pastors expressed how this topic was perfect timing for them and they plan to begin teaching on this topic immediately in their churches.

2024 FEBRUARY - MACEDONIA

John has been a guest in Macedonia several times. This time he led a leaders' retreat and the theme chosen was Haggai. 

It is always a joy to be in Macedonia serving our staff there. At this leaders retreat, we studied the book of ‘Haggai’. It is a powerful 2-chapter account of the people of God who returned to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity to rebuild the temple. We studied the challenges they encountered and made applications to our lives and ministries.

2024 JANUARY - LATVIA

John Henderson led a retreat for the Latvian staff in Riga. While the wheather was cold, the community was blessed and personal! we are glad as this is a first in the nation of Latvia. The format was a spiritual retreat, and theme the local staff chose was: Abiding.
The staff in Latvia reached out to C85 to request a retreat for them and their key volunteers. The topic they chose was “Abiding in Christ” and the weekend came to be known as the “Abiding Retreat”. Together we studied what it means to Abide in Christ and how to minister to others ‘out of’ our abiding in Him. We also enjoyed abiding ‘with each other’ during our 3 days together.

2023 MAY - ISRAEL

Another great experience leading a following the Messiah tour for Hungarian CRU staff and church elders. The theme of this tour was Biblical discipleship. Such a fun community time over Scripture in the Land! 

2023 MARCH - NEPAL

Our Cru-Nepal Leader invited Caleb85 to provide "The Spiritual Life of the Leader" Bible course for 30 pastors. Some travelled multiple hours by motorbike to attend. This is part of a partnership between Poland and Nepal to help provide Biblical foundations for pastors, volunteers and Cru staff in Nepal. Zbyszek Masewicz from Poland and John Henderson co-led the course.