We hear a lot in Christian teaching about “first Adam”, whose sin quickly dismantled perfection and sent humanity on a downward spiral. Jesus Christ came to restore all that was lost in first Adam’s sin – life, place, and meaning. The scriptures call Jesus “second Adam.”

But what about first Eve? She, after all, sinned first by believing the crafty serpent rather than God, and then giving in to temptation by eating the forbidden fruit. She didn’t stop there – she gave it to her husband to eat as well. But before she sinned, she experienced perfection – knowing who she was, knowing what to do, being fully and perfectly loved by God and by her husband, having everything she needed, and not wanting anything else…At least she didn’t want for a little while…

So, who is the second Eve? We know as Christians we all follow Christ, male and female, and that Christ is the One who restores all. But is there a woman whom we can model our lives after, a woman who knows who she is, and is content in who she is because she is called to it by God, fulfilled by Him, not lacking, not stressed, not pressured, not doubting, but content, resting in the One who made her?

Over the next year, Poiema will be delving into the question of who we are as women in order to fully realize God’s design for us and call in our lives. Once we get the cultural, familial, and even church teaching out of the way, we hope to see clearly the anthropology of woman from the perspective of the Creator of woman, shedding the ideas and perspectives that are not from Him and embracing all that He has called us to be. Then we can glorify Him in a world that does not know Him, in a world full of sad, cheap substitutes for life He wants to give us.

This year’s retreat will be the foundation for next year’s journey through this topic. We will be focusing on the book of Philippians, delving into the surpassing greatness of Christ…what does it mean to live a life worthy of the gospel of Christ? We will study humility, having the mind of Christ, who gave up everything, making himself nothing, so that He could give His life for each one of us. We will learn about prayer, encouragement, and joy by meditating on God’s word, unencumbered by the day’s demands.

We will spend time alone with God, and time in small groups, sharing together, praying together. We will worship together through music, and by soaking in the beauty of God’s creation We will laugh together and cry together…it will be the “feel good” women’s retreat of the year! I hope you can join us!

The Poiema Retreat will be held from June 4 – 6, 2009 at Christ the King Spiritual Retreat Center, Greenwich, NY. Total cost is $200, $100 holds your spot. Checks may be made out to Terra Nova Church with “POIEMA RETREAT” in the memo box. Please give checks directly to Diane Marcelle or Phil Taylor.

Also, a word about the cost of the retreat::

I wanted to extend a brief explanation of the place and cost of the retreat this year. Upon reading the evaluations from last year’s retreat, they were overwhelmingly positive. The one “complaint” was that it was too short – women wanted more time together, more time alone with God, more time being taught, etc. so we decided to make one major change – two days rather than one. We also decided that the two days needed to be Thursday evening to Sat. afternoon, not Friday through Sunday, due to the large number of women who make Terra Nova run on any given Sunday.

Then came venue…we loved Christ the King Spiritual Retreat Center (CtK) – the food, the setting, the staff, the accommodations, the distance from Troy – all of that was extremely positive. The one negative was the cost. Last year it cost $89 per night, which included food and use of all facilities. This year, the price went up to $96 per night, which doubled is $192.

Even though we loved CtK, we didn’t just want to stay with the status quo, so a group of Terra Nova women researched every retreat venue within a 2 1/2 hour drive of the Albany area. The criteria we decided on was a place that was not too “campy” where we didn’t have to cook or provide our own food, and where we didn’t have to sleep 10 or more to a room. We felt that a real retreat for women should include as few barriers as possible to relaxing and resting and refreshing in the Lord.

After thoroughly searching, we came up with nothing comparable to CtK in terms of value, and only a couple of options that were really in the running. A group of us visited CtK again this fall and we all agreed that the serenity, the beauty, and what they provide for us is worth the cost.

We sent out an early “save the date” announcement with the cost so everyone who wanted to go would at least have ample time to save. Of course, this all preceded the economic downturn we have all experienced.

I encourage all of you to prayerfully consider investing in relationships – a relationship with God, and relationships with other women who seek to follow after Him. This is the crux of our faith, and I am confident that this year’s retreat will provide unique and powerful opportunities for growth in not only these relationships, but into your relationships with yourselves and everyone God has placed in your lives.

Please note that Terra Nova cannot take up the financial burdens of individuals wishing to go to the retreat, but that through New Tribes or other individuals, there is money to offset the cost for those who need it.

If you have any questions, please contact me at: diane@terranovachurch.org