Anyone who has participated in a Covenant Discipleship group for any length of time would probably confess that a group's spiritual life is like an individual's spiritual journey. At times, the group is filled with fresh energy and awareness of God's Spirit working among them. But at other times, the group seems to be at a plateau, feeling less inspired to be accountable and to grow. It is because of this natural ebb and flow that we at Christ Church, Rochester, Minnesota, have discovered it is also important to sustain groups with experiences that offer refreshment and enrichment to their commitment.

Attending an Accountable Discipleship workshop held in our area provided new understandings and possibilities for groups. By regularly offering an inspirational retreat experience, our groups can be infused with new energy.

This year we had a Saturday morning retreat and included in it the experience of walking a labyrinth. We learned the history of the labyrinth and how it has been and is being used in many places to deepen devotional life. As part of our time together we shared what our Covenant Discipleship groups meant to us, and what participants planned to take back to their groups from the labyrinth experience.

Since members frequently name the difficulty of being accountable in the covenant area of justice, an invitation was put to all the groups at Christ Church for people to help with a weekly Saturday meal for those in need in our community. Representatives from the different groups worked together to prepare, serve, and clear the meal as an act of justice. This type of combined effort again gave opportunities for members to reflect in their groups what the experience meant to them.

When Charles Butler, a member of one of our groups, protested the School of Americas in Fort Benning, Georgia, crossing the line for the second time, he was arrested, indicted, convicted, and received a three-month prison term. His Covenant Discipleship group has supported him and his wife through this experience, conducting prayer services for them and informing the media about the issues concerning the School of Americas. A member in another Covenant Discipleship group manages an e-mail tree so that anyone in the congregation who requests information about Charles can access his messages from prison. This has helped all of us pray with more insight for Charles and his family. Soon he will be returning home and will be welcomed back into the group that has been supporting him and his family daily in prayer and through acts of compassion.

As we continue to learn to inspire people to take their discipleship seriously by participating in Covenant Discipleship groups, it will be increasingly important to care for them by offering ways of refreshment, insight, and inspiration to sustain them. Providing openings for the Spirit is important work.

Aileen Williams, former Minnesota Conference Lay Leader, introduced Covenant Discipleship to Christ Church several years ago. There are 6-8 groups active there today.