Reflections on the CCMC Growth Groups Spiritual Retreat (9 - 10 May 2025)

RELAX with GOD

by David Shaw

The world is loud, drowning us in a cacophony of sights and sounds, cares and woes, announcements and events that weave a siren song of distraction from what the Bible exhorts us to do: To wait upon the Lord, renew our strength, to listen hard to the Spirit’s promptings and to follow Jesus.

And so it was that 26 pilgrims (aged 28 - 81 years old) gathered for the CCMC Growth Group Spiritual Retreat on 9 & 10 May in a small attempt to pursue that path. The St Francis Xavier Retreat Centre in Punggol was the perfect venue: far enough from the madding crowd to physically set the tone, with comfortable albeit basic accommodation to usher a focus on the purpose of the retreat.

Led by Rev Dr Norman Wong, the retreat agenda was in keeping with the theme “Rest, Renew, Revive”. It was decently spaced out, with games on one afternoon, a 9.30pm wrap on Day One, and unbelievable siesta sessions each day after lunch!

Ps Norman further set the tone by introducing himself to us (especially to those who may not have been with CCMC when he was our Pastor-in-Charge in 2001, sharing very candidly and vulnerably about his own walk with the Lord – the milestones in his call to ministry, the challenges he’s personally faced, and how he’s conscientiously pursued the Lord through the seasons of his life.

Recognising that people process information and learn in different ways, Ps Norman designed the agenda with a mix of worship, teaching, dialogue with God, personal reflection, and sharing in small groups of 3 - 4 retreatants (a weird term if ever there was one!).

With the exception of one group comprising three members of the same CCMC Growth Group, everyone else had the chance to get to know and pray with some different folks outside of their own circle.

By God’s grace – and to the surprise of the skeptics amongst us – at the end of Day Two, we were a decently tight-knit band of brothers and sisters-in-Christ.

We chalked it up to the hard work by the organising committee: the right decisions in terms of group sizing, an appropriate, inspired agenda; the sensitive and anointed facilitation by Ps Norman, and everyone who came with open minds and willing hearts. The result was a retreat we will all cherish and remember for a long time.

Without revealing too much, we:

• Stepped through a refresher on how to (better) hear the voice of God

• Gained new insights to the Last Supper, the washing of feet, and the Lord’s Prayer

• Learned how to find inspiration in writing, by documenting our prayers as dialogues with God

• Gleaned 7 spiritual habits to cultivate (starting with 15 minutes a day)

• Took a new look at how Jesus walked the face of the earth – why He was so ‘relaxed’, and how we can be ‘relaxed’ too

Finally, we experienced the wonder and effect of authentic sharing and attentive listening in small groups of 3 to 4. Everyone left the retreat grateful to have made new friends in CCMC, and with a resolve to practise the lessons we had learned, on our own and with our small groups. Would we recommend this to our friends? Absolutely.

With much thanks and appreciation to the organising committee: Tan Seng Hock, Hau Yin Siau & Joseph Lim.

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DIALOGUE with GOD

by Joy Yeo

Ps Norman reiterated to us that God wants to listen and communicate with us! We were asked to start a dialogue with God and tell Him everything in our hearts. Not just to pray for things but to even vent our frustrations starting with “Dear Lord….” 

We were given 15 minutes to write it all out. This is completely a new experience for me, and it was hard at first. But when I started, everything just flowed out. To my surprise, I had a response from God. 

It just flowed out and the dialogue continued for 15 minutes. First from me, then from God and so on. The most surprising thing to me was, when I vented my old frustrations, God’s response was, “I have told you this already” and He changed the topic! He didn’t want to talk about it anymore and touched on something totally different that I had been wrestling with in my mind.

This was an amazing experience which I am carrying out after the retreat, and I also taught this method to my Growth Group during the June break.

What others thought about the retreat

“Insightful and enlightening. Very practical tips given. Love siesta times and when you begin with the topic: "You Can Hear (God)", you know you have come to the right retreat!”

- Roger Heng

“Basically, the spiritual exercises from Ps Norman proved practical and helpful in structuring my reprieve from daily busyness and shaping ways to spend time with God at the retreat and beyond.”

-  Jonathan Chan

“I enjoyed the dedicated time to write down our prayers, the pacing of the sessions and the group breakout sessions. I was nervous at first about the group sharing as we were mostly new to each other and I wasn’t sure how the discussion would go, but in the end we were able to have lively conversations, speak into each other’s life circumstances and encourage one another to seek God as we navigate life’s different paths - Praise God for that!”

-  Rachel Hau

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We give thanks for the wonderful time of spiritual rest and renewal shared among the following retreat participants: Joy Yeo, Philip Yeo, Roger Heng, Corine Heng, Ng Ka Yen, Jacob Chew, Ang Geok Lian, John Thong Thiam Leong, Lim Jit Soon, Lee Seok Imm, Joyce Khoo-Phua, Leong Sau Ling, Joanne Tay, Jonathan Chan, Felicia Ng, David Shaw, Kee Chin Ho, Hau Yin Siau, Tan Seng Hock, Joseph Lim, Tan Bee Cher, Rachel Hau, Zarine Heng, Alicia Israel, Patricia Yan, and Rev Dr Norman Wong. 

To find out more about CCMC's Growth Groups ministry, click here.