There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:4-7)

While studying the book of 1 Corinthians, our men’s Bible study group became intrigued with the subject of spiritual gifts. Many voiced concerns that they did not understand what these were or if they actually possessed any spiritual gifts. The Reverend Andrew O’Dell graciously offered to conduct a workshop to explore this topic, and thanks to much effort on the part of Andrew, Jimmy Bailey, and Bryant Bair, a retreat was born.

On the weekend of September 12th, our group set off to McLellanville to “The Fritz-Carlton,” as Beth Bailey’s family home has come to be known, to discover our spiritual gifts and learn how we could best use these gifts to further God’s ministry. Along the way, we also discovered our personal style of effectively using our gifts and learned how to identify our spiritual passions, how to use our gifts interdependent and in conjunction with other disciples, and how to strengthen the church and share God’s word.

Our group usually gets just an hour a week together––through Zoom for the past several months––so this extended time as a group was truly a blessing, and we strengthened our friendships over meals and during downtime on the dock or sitting in rockers on the porch. Our group would like to thank the Fritz family for their gracious hospitality and the Reverend Andrew O’Dell for his continued dedication to teaching us God’s word.