A New President and a New Era
by Doug Stoner | Chairman of the Board of Directors
It is with incredible excitement and a deep sense of God’s leading that the Board of Directors is pleased to introduce Giles Armstrong as the new President of SonScape Retreats. Together, Giles and his wife, Angel, will be our primary retreat leading couple. They joined the SonScape team as of September 1.
Giles and Angel were interviewed by the Board in early July. The Board was impressed with their commitment to God and to each other, as well as with their experience in and heart for ministry. It was not just Giles who impressed us. Angel portrayed confidence and maturity as she sat with the Board. While they are all we were looking for in terms of their skills, giftings, wisdom, and passion, there was a genuine humility that came through the longer the interview progressed.
Giles grew up in Africa and England before choosing to attend John Brown University where he met Angel, whose parents ran a group home for delinquent boys in Nebraska. Together they have committed their lives to the Lord and His calling for them. Over the last 25 years, they have served in a Christian non-profit, a small church, and a large church. God blessed them with three children, one of whom is married. They all love the Lord and are now living on their own.
In 2006 they attended a SonScape retreat while serving as the Executive Pastor at Mitchell Berean Church in Mitchell, Nebraska. It was the beginning of a relationship with SonScape that has spanned the last 14 years. During that time, Giles assumed the role of Senior Pastor, guiding the church and staff through an era of transition and growth. Angel also served in several key positions during that time.
Their love for SonScape and its vision of helping pastoral and missionary singles and couples grew year after year. Through that time they have sent a dozen other ministry couples to a retreat. Along the way, God began to grow a vision for serving at SonScape. A vision that has now begun.
Larry and Barbara Magnuson will continue to be a part of SonScape. They will guide the overall transition process and train Giles and Angel to lead retreats. Larry and Barbara will also lead retreats themselves and support Giles and Angel on into the future.
As the Board sat with Giles and Angel, it became clear that they valued both the history and the mission of this ministry. A ministry that was born in the service and sacrifice of Bob and Sandy Sewell, grew under the leadership of Larry and Barbara Magnuson, and now enters a new and exciting era under Giles and Angel Armstrong.
Introducing Ray Zuercher
Our New Director of Development and Marketing
The Board is equally excited to introduce Ray Zuercher as our new Director of Development and Marketing.
In 2017 Ray and his wife, Janell, attended a SonScape retreat. It had a significant impact on their lives and birthed a sense of God’s calling to SonScape. Having experienced SonScape firsthand, Ray’s desire is to help extend its reach to more places and to more ministry leaders.
Ray brings a wealth of experience in ministry and development to his new role. After 25 years serving with Youthfront in a variety of positions, including Director of Camping and finally as Chief Development Officer, Ray became the Executive Pastor of Journey Bible Church in Olathe, Kansas from 2012 to 2017. Since then he has been the Vice President of GenerousChurch, a ministry dedicated to serving pastors and ministry leaders.
We are convinced Ray is the right man, for the right job, at the right time. We are thrilled to welcome him to the team!
The New Staff Gathers
Last month:
The entire staff of SonScape met for a two-day retreat. It is the largest staff in the history of the ministry. It was a time filled with laughter, fun, praying, and beginning to dream about the future.
SonScape’s International Reach Grows
by Rob and Shini Abraham
What began as a dream many years ago and was consistently covered with much prayer, planning, and hard work, has now grown into the international retreats arm of SonScape Retreats! Here’s an update on the exciting doors God has been opening for us internationally!
Colombia:
While we also lead retreats in Argentina, Colombia has become our center for South America. This is mostly because we now have a team there. The Mendezes and Arangos (our Spanish retreat leading couples) and the Peñas (our translators) help organize and promote retreats, recruit guests, and deal with the many logistics that surround each retreat.
While we serve local Colombian pastors, we also serve missionaries from North America and Europe serving in the Latin world. It is humbling to meet some heroes of the faith in our retreats, including:
- the first person to take the gospel to a lost Andean tribe translating the Bible into their language;
- the pastor who has shepherded a congregation for 35 years in one of the largest slums in the world; and
- the couple that live in a drug neighborhood and consistently love its people into the kingdom.
It’s been a special privilege to serve pastors from Venezuela these past two years who persevere in their calling in the midst of political turmoil and difficult living conditions. In our May retreat, we had two couples from Venezuela who faced incredible hardship and danger just in getting to the retreat.
“All of the incredible sessions seemed designed specifically for me!” said one of our Venezuelan pastors. “We came exhausted – this was a vital time of rest and renewal for us. We were loved and cared for. We start life anew.”
India:
After a retreat in South India in 2017, we experimented with leading a retreat in Northeast India in November of 2018. We served medical missionaries, church planters, and even a couple from the neighboring nation of Myanmar. We came to understand the significance of having a second retreat in the part of the country that is hostile to the gospel.
Brazil:
Another exciting milestone is our pioneering of a Portuguese SonScape retreat in Brazil this year. Along with leading the first retreat in Sao Paolo this November, we will also explore sustainability and invest in training Portuguese retreat leaders.
Our Staff
Front Row (Retreat Leaders): Shini and Rob Abraham, Giles and Angel Armstrong,
Becci and John Wood, Jeanne and Bob Blahnik, Barbara and Larry Magnuson, Ken and Sandy Moore
Back Row (Operations Staff): Ray Zuercher, Becky VanHook, Jeanien and Perry Meyer
