On the afternoon of Monday, January 27, over thirty clergy from across ABCNJ gathered at Harvey Cedars Bible Conference for a twenty-four hour retreat. In addition to times of corporate prayer and worship, this retreat offered times of extended silence. During these periods attendees were encouraged to relax and be, quieting their lives so that God could speak into the quiet vacuum created through the spiritual discipline.

Some retreaters took walks, others wrote, a few even took a nap. Still more sat by one of the many windows overlooking Barnegat Bay, transfixed by the wonders of God’s Creation. While our culture tends to value noise, the retreat into silence offered something both deeper and far more valuable.

Victor Koon, Pastor of the First International Baptist Church of Trenton, reflected on his time of silence in this way,

Listen! There is silence, but in it, I hear another sound, another world. I hear a symphony in my soul... The cymbals of the waves crashing against crescent shores; the flute of the winds, tooting gently in harmony... The whistling of seagulls punctuating the grand orchestra of nature! There is silence but in this silence, there is a sound, a symphony playing ever so majestically! Do you hear it? The sound is SHALOM! The sound is PEACE!

The retreat was a time to separate from the demands of life, connect with fellow pastors, and both spend time with old friends and make new acquaintances. And in that space, God was present.