Forty-five women from 14 congregations gathered together at Murray Hills for The Westside Women’s Retreat on June 20-21st, 2025. The Theme of the event was “Serving the Ground in Which We Grow Together.” On Friday evening, we enjoyed a salad supper, watched a movie, had a discussion, and ended the evening with Vespers led by Erin Curtis, our outgoing council chair. On Saturday, we opened the day with worship in the sanctuary, which included scripture and song. We then moved into Round Robin-style workshops, including a Congo Talk led by Carol Cure, Labyrinth as Art: Creative Meditation, and Crafting with the Chuukese women, where we created beautiful headpieces. After Lunch, we had a brief business meeting where we expressed our gratitude for Rev. Erin Curtis and discussed next steps for the council. The afternoon included robust Pray-n-play activities, closing worship (with communion), and a closing circle.

Other activities included a display from One Fair World, providing shopping convenience, with a portion of the proceeds supporting the ministry of FEDICE, our partner organization in Ecuador.

We are grateful for the many hands that helped with the clean up.