Vocations Retreat Recap by Marshall Clark
*Each year, the Nashville Fellows take three development assessments and head out on retreat with two consultants who spend four days with our Fellows helping them understand how God has created and shaped them. This retreat is a pivotal point for Fellows each year, and Marshall shares about this year's retreat below!
From January 26-29, the Nashville Fellows embarked on the vocations retreat, admittedly, with a mixture of anxiousness and anticipation. The Fellows are currently all over the spectrum in regards to future plans. Some are returning home, some have jobs already lined up, while others are lurking somewhere in the middle, but all of us were ready to engage with the “greatest thing our program does” according to Theresa.
Although perhaps a little stir crazy by the end of our time in the cabin, I don’t think anyone could have anticipated how much of a blessing our time with Bill Fullilove and Suz Grimes would be. We seemed to cover everything imaginable, from a theological basis for calling and vocation, down to the nitty gritty of making a vision statement for our work lives. Bill and Suz were both treasure troves of information for us who struggle with many fears and lies regarding our vocation. And finally, the Fellows were able to dive deep into the personality tests that have been rattling around in our brains for the past few weeks (EQi, MCORE, and Highlands).
Selflessly, Bill and Suz met with every Fellow for an hour, 1-on-1, to go further into anything that was confusing. This was one of the biggest blessings from the weekend, along with “pod sharing”, where the three partner churches got to meet with their specific Fellows to share with and affirm one another with all they've been learning. Overall, the Fellows left with a sense of hope filled with more questions: some are still deep in the midst of processing their assessments while others have a better idea of what direction they want to go next. Either way, all of the Fellows learned so much about vocation, the intersection of gifts, desires, and opportunities, and God’s overwhelming faithfulness to his children regarding it all.