VENTURA, Iowa—The Iowa Association of Regular Baptist Churches held its annual Men’s Retreat at Iowa Regular Baptist Camp. More than 400 men attended this special time of fellowship around the Word of God. One session on Friday night and two on Saturday morning addressed this year’s “Freedom in Christ” theme, taken from Galatians 5:1—“For freedom Christ has set us free.”
Randy Patten, executive director of the National Association of Nouthetic Counselors, spoke on how to obtain and maintain a clear conscience, forgiveness, and making the best use of the time God has allotted to each of us. Patten has been training Biblical counselors for three decades. Before beginning his position with NANC in 1997, he served 12 years as a pastor and then 12 years as a pastor to pastors and a consultant to local churches.
Between sessions with Patten, numerous activities filled the weekend: trap shooting, a zip line, indoor and outdoor climbing walls, canoeing, paddleboating,
kayaking, archery, tennis, disc golf, and more.
Blair Ridge Baptist Church, Cedar Rapids, Iowa, hosted the event. Pastor Troy Weigert says, “On a personal note, it was an amazing blessing to be the host church for the retreat. Our men had many wonderful opportunities to serve together and grow together throughout the retreat. We would like to extend a heartfelt thanks to the IRBC camp staff, the IARBC staff, and to our sister church, Calvary Baptist Church of Mount Pleasant, for all their help throughout the retreat.”
- Iowa Regular Baptist Camp is one of 37 camps associated with the National Association of Regular Baptist Camps. Find a camp near you.
