Council of Elders

1 Timothy 4:14 refers to a council or body of elders laying hands on Timothy. By the grace of God, He is establishing such a group in our region. God initiated this through our brother John, who in turn invited me to partner with him when I returned from my year long travels through the U.S. in the summer of 2010. Since then we have had a series of quarterly meetings, a weekend retreat and a social evening to which we invited the wives plus growing interaction between individuals and groups at other times. Each of these brothers functions as a shepherd in the group with whom they are associated. We are also establishing a similar group in the Boston area, over an hour to the east.
Last night's time together was the best yet. The brothers listened to, and respected one another. One sign of maturity is when a person has something of value to say but is not compelled to override another person to say it. Each one had an opportunity to give testimony of what God is doing in their life and in the different fellowships. We are preparing for another weekend retreat.
Another good sign is when people voluntarily stay afterwards to encourage one another. This says a need is being met. One of the best testimonies was from a brother named Paul, who after our last retreat, experienced a lot of adversity in his job, his house, and his health. He was greatly encouraged by the different brothers reaching out to him in this time.