If you are new to LifeSiteNews you might not know that one of the most important events that occurs each year is our staff retreat in the village of Barry’s Bay, Ontario.
With nearly 20 full and part-time staff members in 7 different countries around the world, it is quite rare that we are all even on the same conference call, let alone the same physical location at the same time.
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For that reason, our annual staff retreat is one of the most important opportunities we have to discuss operation and strategy for the year ahead, to assure we are all of one mind in vision and mission, and to grow in fellowship and solidarity as a team.
This year did not disappoint.
We usually all arrive in Barry’s Bay at the campus of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy on a Thursday evening and meet all day Friday and Saturday for intensive, grueling, yet incredibly fruitful meetings and deliberations.
Of course, our discussions don’t end with our scheduled meetings, but continue until the late hours of the night in the context of our social gatherings each evening.
This year we were blessed by the presence of a special guest, Fr. Shenan Boquet, President of Human Life International (HLI). His experience of the very issues we report on from ground zero, in the trenches of many third world countries where HLI carries on its own mission for life and family, brought an enlightening perspective on the heart of our mission. He also provided us each day with motivational spiritual reflections on the important work we have been called to do.
There was an extended session on the issue of homosexuality as this has become the dominant moral issue in the news with the very aggressive international push for same-sex a “marriage”. We were joined by Skype by Fr. Paul Check who heads of the Courage apostolate and also by Austin Nimocks, who argued the defense of DOMA at the US Supreme Court. Both gave us invaluable insights into the issue to help us better report on it.
Two of our board members, Jim Hughes and Jeff Gunnarson from the LSN Canada board, were also able to be present for one of the days this year.
We also continued the tradition of inviting author and artist,Michael O’Brien, to join our gathering. Michael brought a crucially important perspective as he participated in all of the sessions during these two mission-building days.
After the last work session we all took our chairs down to the nearby lake and there Michael offered a reflection on the deeper spiritual implications and challenges of our work . Once again, Michael reminded us that our work has greater significance than we may realize and because of that we must “put on the armor of God” in order to protect ourselves from discouragement and other negative temptations and from the assaults of many enemies who do not want this unusually fruitful work to continue. Michael reminded us that the work of LifeSiteNews is crucial.
All in all, the staff left this weekend retreat feeling united, inspired and encouraged to continue fighting this difficult battle for life and family!
This important gathering is for many of us the most anticipated event of each year.
As for me, I am more impressed by our staff and their dedication to this mission year after year. It has been particularly rewarding to watch as we have grown not only in size, but in our professionalism as journalists and in our dedication to reporting on life and family issues.
The spirit of this young and exceptionally talented group of truth warriors is absolutely inspiring. It is no wonder to me why, despite the great odds we are up against in a world that is becoming increasingly hostile to the truths of life and family, LifeSiteNews continues to weather the storm and boldly proclaim truth to the world.
And of course, there’s you…
Without your sustaining support during our greatest times of need, this mission would not be growing and reaching so many people around the world. Our increasing reach is beyond anything we ever could have imagined possible when we started this mission 16 years ago.
Our meeting in Barry’s Bay is always also a time for the LSN staff to reflect on your generosity and share your comments, emails, and correspondence with us throughout the year. We never cease to be amazed by your generosity.
You are very much an integral part of this mission and I thank you!
With only a little over a week left to go in our Fall Campaign, we need all of our supporters to help us this next quarter with as generous of a donation as you can make.
We still have a necessary minimum of $130,000 to raise by October 1st.
In addition to the foundational support of our $5, $10, and $25 donors, we are also in great need of sustaining support from our readers who can give $500, $1,000, or even $2,500 or more to the needs of our mission at this time.
For those that cannot donate $200 or more at this time, would you consider becoming a recurring donor by giving $20, $25, or even $50/month? Recurring donations are the lifeblood of our mission and provide you with the opportunity to provide sustaining support over the year without a large, one-time hit to the pocketbook.
For instructions on making a donation by phone or mail, click here.
Thank you for your support. God bless you.
Steve Jalsevac
LifeSiteNews.com
P.S. – Only 9 days remain before the end of our Fall Campaign. Any amount you can give will go a long way to helping us reach our goal. And remember, even if you can't make a large donation today, please consider making a recurring donation for $20, $25, or maybe even $40 per month. Click here to donate online.