Invitation to S. E. E. D. Formation Summit

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

S.E.E.D Ministry started out as a small seed in 2004 when a group of parents of a Đồng-Hành CLC group in Arizona contemplated the needs of their children to develop their spiritual life. They dreamed to have an adapted Ignatian retreat as a part of the children’s spiritual formation in the CLC way of life. It was in 2006 that the first S.E.E.D Retreat took place in Flagstaff, Arizona with the collaboration of Hạt Cải, a Đồng-Hành group of university students as retreat leaders, and Nazareth Đồng-Hành family group as parent organizers. Since then, 6 years of piloting have passed with S.E.E.D retreats spreading from AZ to TX in Midwest Region, to CA in Southwest Region, and to PA in Northeast Region, also with great collaborative efforts from young adult retreat leaders and adult organizers from these regions. In year 2013, Denver is projected to have its first S.E.E.D retreat.

As we move toward discerning whether this is God's call for Đồng-Hành to formalize the retreat program as a national ministry, we confirm the desire and need for this type of retreat for our Đồng-Hành regions everywhere. At Đồng-Hành Assembly 2011, S.E.E.D was approved to be a ministry embraced and supported by the whole community. Although this was good news to us, it poses new challenges as we recognize the lack of retreat leaders and organizers that are properly trained and further supported with ongoing formation, and thus the need to gather for a formation summit with the following objectives:

• To reflect on the graced history of SEED and discern the vision and mission of SEED ministry.
• To form lay SEED retreat Leaders and Organizers
• To elect Đồng Hanh National Coordinator for SEED Ministry

With gratitude to God and joy of heart, we are sending this invitation to Ban Phục Vụ to be sent to those who have been involved in S.E.E.D as retreat leaders, organizers and/or potential leaders, organizers to come to our first S.E.E.D Formation Summit to be held in Arizona, March 29 to April 1, 2012 (Thursday afternoon to Sunday afternoon) hosted at the residence of anh chị Tom and Mai Zaengle, 362 W. Aster Drive, Chandler, AZ 85248. We would also like to invite members of Ban Phục Vụ and Formation Teams (national and regional) to join us in this exciting journey. It is our hope to set up regional teams for S.E.E.D ministry and thus we ask for your recommendation whom we should invite to the Summit.

In Christ and His Mission,
Đồng-Hành S.E.E.D Ministry Team