The Holy Spirit Weekend: A Retreat for Young Professionals By Lynne May Last fall, my friend, Kathryn Elliott, total stranger, approached her out of our group, we members of the Sword called me and asked if I wanted to the blue after a church service, intro- of the Spirit and the People of Praise, co-plan a retreat in honor of the fifti- duced herself and asked her to come alongside the five who came with no eth anniversary of the Duquesne on the retreat, Anna, though sur- affiliation. As one sister put it,“ It’s Weekend. “Yes!” I nearly yelled into prised, said yes almost immediately. like we’ve known each other for the phone. God prompted me to invite years!” Kathryn, a member of the People Amanda, whom I met one Saturday Kathryn and I agree that this re- of Praise in Virginia, and I, a member while praying in a church. On the re- treat felt like a taste of the early days of the Work of Christ in Lansing, treat, the Lord encouraged me to of the renewal: words of knowledge wanted to gather our friends from invite Amanda to be baptized in the about inviting strangers to a retreat; across the Sword of the Spirit and Spirit—it was a joy to pray with her. praying over someone in a living People of Praise to ask for a fresh During our Saturday night prayer room for baptism in the Spirit; people outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Twenty meeting, we invited the Holy Spirit to being drawn to the retreat from people came from various branches give us certain things: blessing in our different corners of the US. We are of our communities. Five more came vocations, anointing in evangelism, grateful for how God received our who had no affiliation to community. healing, boldness, prophecy, courage, desire to recreate something akin to We invited these folks as we received more of his strength, and unity. Eve- the Duquesne weekend. We don’t words of knowledge prompting us to ryone walked away encouraged and know what comes next, but we are do so. filled with joy! We felt a deep unity in up for whatever God wants! The Holy Spirit Weekend, Friday, June 23–Sunday, June 25, at Lake Anna, northern Virginia, brought peo- ple together from Colorado Springs, the DC area, Florida, Maryland, Pitts- burgh, New Jersey, and Michigan. There were Catholics and Protestants, men and women. On Friday night, we asked: Why are you here? Wesley had been wres- tling with these questions: Why don’t I see what happens in Scriptures to Jesus and the disciples happening today? Where are the signs and won- ders? He concluded that it had to do with the Holy Spirit, so when he heard about this retreat, he knew he had to be there. Similarly, for months, Anna, one of the five who had no connection to community, had been wanting more of the Holy Spirit and an experience of community. So when Kathryn, a In Praise of Ecumenical Courtesy By Dave Hughes

For the next while, I would like all of us in the region to focus our attention and our intercessory prayers along the lines of ecumenical courtesy. Ecumenical courtesy is one of the pillars of ecumenical life in the Sword of the Spirit. It is a comparatively simple idea--one that contains profound wisdom. It is one of the things that makes our life as an ecumenical community of communities work, and I believe is an idea whose time has come for broader distribution. Last year I was speaking at a leadership meeting of a different stream of the Christian world. I spoke on the practical aspects of our ecumenical life in the Sword of the Spirit, especially the notion of ecumenical courtesy. Many of the participants found the concept to be something like the ‘missing link’ in their own work for ecumenism. In brief, ecumenical courtesy is the idea that we extend simple courtesy to those from different Christian traditions in our words and actions—that we think intentionally in ecumenical settings about how we say things and how we do things. Ecumenical courtesy is essentially like other forms of human courtesy. If I had someone from China in my home, I would choose my words and actions to take account of their culture and background and avoid language and concepts they would not understand or might find offensive. It is rooted in respect for others and a conscious intention not to let superficial matters cause offense or create exclusion. While a relatively simple concept, it serves as both an enabler and a protection for ecumenical common life. It is both a lubricant and a hedge. Much more could be said about how we apply this principal but for now I’d simply like to ask us to pray. • First, let us examine our own hearts and ask the Lord to lead us in wisdom and give us grace for expressing ecumenical courtesy in our own circles. It’s not always easy to know what to do and we often make mistakes, but we can always do our best. May God give us grace. • Please pray for a broader renewal and appreciation for this pillar of our life in the Sword of the Spirit. Pray especially for leaders and speakers that they have wisdom as they lead and teach in ecumenical settings. • Finally, pray for opportunities to share our experience in this area. May God use the Sword of the Spirit by opening doors where we can freely give the wisdom we have so freely received.

Dave Hughes is the president of the North American Region of the Sword of the Spirit. Dave also organizes a group of SOS members who are committed to praying for the area of ecumenism in the Sword of the Spirit. Every few months, participants in the group receive an e-mail from Dave asking them to pray for specific ecumenical intentions. If you would like to join this group, send an e-mail to [email protected].

2 Editor’s note: The Brotherhood of Hope has been in the process of becoming a member community in the Sword of the Spirit for several years now. The brotherhood recently entered the final stage of this process (imaginatively named the “Underway B” phase.) A couple of years from now, we anticipate they will become a full member community in the Sword of the Spirit.

Underway B Community in the Sword of the Spirit. In April 2017, we under- went a visitation by various leaders from the Sword of the Spirit and were approved to become an Under- way B Community! Reconnecting with the Sword of the Spirit has been deeply refreshing for our community! Renewing our ties with the Servants of the Word has once again become a great gift of fraternal camaraderie to us. Restor- ing ties with the family life of cove- nant community has been encourag- ing and lifegiving. We Brothers and The Brotherhood of Hope is a com- challenging one for both the Brothers Saint Paul’s Outreach have devel- munity of Catholic Brothers radically and the community we left. But all oped a common alliance in our out- consecrated to Jesus by vows of chas- throughout this time we Brothers reaches and work together in many tity, poverty, and obedience in a remained faithful to our founding ways to proclaim the Gospel on col- common fraternal life. We strive to inspiration and continued to live out lege campuses. Currently the Broth- advance the gospel primarily by a charismatic spirituality and to bring erhood is helping to build a covenant reaching out to inactive or uncom- others through the Life in the Spirit. community in Tallahassee, FL. It is a mitted Catholic students at secular Beginning in 2008, the Brother- very fruitful endeavor which has universities. We foster deep conver- hood of Hope began a communal been steadily growing over the past sion to Jesus Christ, build evangelistic discernment to re-enter the Sword of few years. communities, and train leaders to the Spirit. For the past decade, we We Brothers are extremely grate- empower others with Christ’s liber- Brothers have had the great joy of ful to the Lord for His faithfulness in ating hope. reconnecting with our roots, rekin- leading us back to our spiritual family Our roots are deeply tied to the dling our relationship with the Serv- in the Sword of the Spirit! Charismatic Renewal. We were ants of the Word, visiting other com- founded in 1980 by Fr. Philip munities and becoming a regular part Photo above: members of the Broth- Merdinger, a priest of the archdio- of local covenant community life. In erhood of Hope with some men dis- cese of Newark and former coordina- January 2017, the Brotherhood of cerning membership. Photo below: tor in the People of Hope. It was after Hope petitioned to become an the Tallahassee covenant community. visiting the Servants of the Word in 1978 that Fr. Philip, moved by the example of young men living “single of the Lord,” was inspired to found our community. We are deeply grate- ful to the Servants for their founding inspiration, the support we have re- ceived, and the common patrimony we share. While in discernment to become a Catholic community of brothers, our Brotherhood had to move its home from New Jersey to Boston, and consequently leave the Sword of the Spirit. This period was a 3 The Kairos GAP program has changed a bit. Here is how and why. By James Munk, Director, Kairos North America

however, presented win for GAP, for our youth, and for an opportunity: to The Sword of the Spirit. focus on equipping Over time, we plan to continue high school gradu- improving the GAP Program: making ates to become it more effective, larger, and finan- game changers be- cially attainable for more and more fore day one of their Sword of the Spirit youth – I look for college career. We the day when a missionary GAP year want our GAP alum- is the norm among our young people. ni to walk into Eng- If you would like more infor- lish 101 with a leg mation about the GAP Program, or up on their class- would like to apply for a GAP year, mates in human ma- contact us at the Kairos office. You For The Sword of the Spirit to fulfill turity, but more so, to be thinking can also get more info from our about how they are going to evange- webpage: its call, we must engage our young lize their classmates and work with people in our life and mission. Over www.kairos-na.org the years, many of our youth have our SPO and UCO chapters to trans- responded by taking a “Gap” Year: a form their university’s culture. year off from employment and stud- A few years ago, we discerned The Sword of the Spirit is dedicated ies to travel to a different community that to realize this vision, we would to spreading the Gospel of Jesus and devote themselves to training, need to focus more of the GAP Pro- Christ and strengthening Christian service, and evangelistic outreach. gram’s energy on training its partici- people (Catholic, Protestant, and For a long while, the GAP Pro- pants, and giving them close mentor- Orthodox) through active gram was the catchall platform for ship, experiences in campus evange- evangelization and by forming anyone in our environments in- lism, and in missionary household Christian communities. vesting in such a year. Over the last living. But how best to facilitate this? decade, the GAP Program has under- Across the pond, our brothers In our youth outreach and gone some changes that have re- and sisters in the European GAP pro- community building work, we shaped the program, and clarified its gram had experimented with having encourage men and women to give vision. all the Gappers live and serve in one their lives fully to Jesus Christ, The main change occurred when city… previously, they had been dis- practice daily Christian discipleship, Saint Paul’s Outreach (SPO) began to persed across the region. Seeing the and to zealously proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ to others. hire college graduates to serve “on fruit of this arrangement, in 2016 we staff.” A few years later, University followed suit and consolidated the The Sword of the Spirit is supported Christian Outreach (UCO) followed GAP Program in Grand Rapids, MI; by charitable contributions. Your suit. While this translated to hun- this coming autumn, the program will support is welcome! Contributions to dreds of young people serving full be in Lansing. The Sword of the Spirit are tax time as campus missionaries, it also If last year was a good indication, deductible in the United States. this move was a good one for the meant that the number of post- Jerry Munk, Newsletter Editor university applicants to the GAP Pro- effectiveness of the program, and for gram dwindled. These days, GAP is the individual Gappers. There are © 2017 by The Sword of the Spirit mainly an 18 to 21 year-old program. certainly some drawbacks to this ap- 4828 S. Hagadorn Road The change in demographics, proach; but overall, it seems to be a East Lansing, Michigan 48823 4