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Matt Woodcock, Church of England Pioneer Minister and Mission Supporter in the Diocese of York:

I recently led my first proper weekend retreat. Took away a group of unlikely spiritual explorers to the glorious Yorkshire East Coast. I was apprehensive. Prolonged times of silence, stillness and fasting are not my strong point. Especially silence.

So on this retreat I decided we’d seek spiritual refreshment in noisier, livelier - less hungry ways.

At sunrise we did press ups, star jumps and burpees on the seafront. By sunset, there were deafening party games and a race to The Smugglers Arms. Oasis singalongs followed our songs of praise, and Saturday night prayers morphed into a disco dance off.

As I drove home - ears ringing from too much Wonderwall - I wondered if the weekend had done any deeper good amidst the fun and revelry. And I conceded I might need to put ‘leading retreats’ on my list of things never to repeat. Like pottery. Then one of the group got in touch. Shared movingly about the weekend’s impact. Described how she’d arrived as a stranger but left with beautiful new friends.

Said we brought confidence and joy to the way she saw herself.  Adding: ‘You never really know the true impact on those around you.’ I’ve thought a lot about that since. Reflected on those people who’ve deeply impacted my life without realising it.

Like my old English teacher who gently encouraged me to introduce some punctuation into my stories. My late aunty whose home and casseroles had healing qualities. And the midwife who helped bring our twins into the world. It was just another shift for her at York Hospital.

For us it felt like divine intervention. Her effortless knack of controlling the breathing and calming the frenzied panic was a God-send. My wife found her helpful too.

As a Christian, I’m increasingly aware of the importance of acknowledging the impact of others.

Striving to make the time and effort to actually tell them. It’s what I think the Biblical writers meant by ‘honouring’ those around us - be it friends, family, or saintly midwives.

The retreat also reminded me to never underestimate the big impact our seemingly small acts of generosity, encouragement and compassion can make.

As we fight the spread of Coronavirus, I think we’ll perhaps never know a time when that is more true, or those acts are more needed.