Loving Freely in Christ — Gleanings from the 2025 KRC Spring Retreat

Story: Lin Yu Images: Lien Pinwen & Ma Luyao

In mid-April, Paradise, Pennsylvania was touched by light rain in the early mornings and evenings. Yet a closer look at the estate surrounding the Servant Training Center revealed: hills draped in fresh green, Amish farmers turning the soil with hoes, and tender buds emerging at the tips of the trees.

The 2025 KRC Retreat opened just as winter gave way to spring. Over the course of four days and three nights, KRC family members from both the East and West coasts of the U.S. gathered for a time of rest and renewal.

Rediscovering the Freedom to Love God and Others

The retreat speaker, Rev. Cecilia Yau, has served for over forty years with the Chinese Christian Mission (CCM) in the United States. A veteran in Chinese Christian publishing, she is the author of several influential books, including All in Love, Restoring the Glory of Eden, and Handling and Rebuilding Church Conflicts. She is also one of the founders of the “Christ's Glory Fellowship,” where she previously served as president and chair of the board.

In recent years, she has focused on providing training in spiritual formation and direction for both churches and individuals. Her online course, Cultivating a Culture of Peace in the Church, has received an enthusiastic response. Her personal website, ceciyau.org, offers videos, sermons, and a variety of written resources.

This time, Pastor Yau led the KRC family in exploring the theme: Restore My Freedom—to Love God and Love Others.

In Galatians 5, the Apostle Paul reminds believers: “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. … You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” The Lord Jesus said that the greatest commandment is: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” And the second is like it: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But do we truly live in that freedom? How can we love God, love ourselves, and love others—and serve one another in love?

“What do you want?”—Jesus asked this of several disciples who wished to follow Him. Rev. Yau opened her message with this very question. God-given desires, she explained, have the power to shape our sense of identity and worth, generate motivation and energy, lead to action, and even become the driving force of love. However, when desire becomes excessive or misdirected, it can turn into obsession, addiction, or unhealthy attachments and fixations—ultimately becoming idols. When desires spiral out of control, they produce sin, as the book of James warns, and become a yoke that robs us of our freedom.

Rev. Yau invited everyone to reflect: What do you truly want? Examine the desires of your heart—are they born out of love for God, or love for the world?

She then turned to Matthew 6:25–30, highlighting two key phrases: “Is not… more important” and “Seek first.” These point to an important truth—love also has an order. Life is more important than food or clothing; people are more important than possessions. God, people, and things all need to be loved—but in the right order. When love falls out of order, it builds walls that separate—damaging relationships between people and between humanity and God.

The “dark night of the soul” in spiritual formation is a season in which the senses and the soul are purified by the Holy Spirit. Through this refining process, disordered desires are surrendered, freedom is restored, and the heart is made pure—free to love God and others anew.

Rev. Yau once again invited participants to reflect: What has caused the disorder in your love? Can you allow God’s light to shine into the dark night of your soul, bringing growth and a deeper capacity to love?

Rev. Yau pointed to the example of Paul—because he had learned contentment, he experienced true joy and freedom even in chains. She also encouraged everyone with the perfect love and unity shared within the Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. She then described four expressions of love: Loving others out of love for self; Loving God out of love for self; Loving others out of love for God; Loving self out of love for God. When we truly love God, we gain the freedom to love others and ourselves. And at times, for the sake of love, we freely choose to give up our own freedom.

The retreat’s Sunday fell on Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Holy Week. Rev. Cecilia Yau drew from John 17—Jesus’ High Priestly Prayer before His suffering—to encourage participants to follow the example of unity within the Trinity: mutual respect, mutual edification, shared responsibility, and mutual submission.

The selfish desires of the self, the schemes of the evil one, and the values of the world are all forces that hinder and destroy unity. Yet the Lord Jesus has already provided His disciples with all they need: the gift of eternal life, the Word of God, His own intercession, and the love shared within the Trinity.

Communion, as part of worship, invites us to receive the bread—representing the body of Christ—and the cup—His blood. Through this sacred act, all who were present at the retreat, along with believers everywhere, once again experienced unity with Christ and with one another. It became a fitting response to the spiritual insights of the past few days: If we long to love God and others freely— If we seek true unity among ourselves— Then we must remain in Him, And He must remain in us.

Bringing Together Gifts to Reveal the Richness of the Kingdom

“Resources” are given by God, and the process of discovering and equipping them—so they may be rightly used in God’s Kingdom—is at the heart of KRC’s vision and passion: Kingdom Resources for Christ. The worship at the retreat was a beautiful example of this in action.

KRC founder Lily Kao played the piano, led worship songs, and shared messages; new board member Carrie Verrocchio led the singing of The Joy of the Lord Is My Strength; pianist Lena Chen accompanied; and KRC’s digital media staff member, professional photographer and video editor Pinwen Lien, led the worship and praise sessions. On Sunday, vocalist Kathy Ho offered a solo performance of The Lord Is My Light. It was the convergence of these diverse gifts that beautifully revealed the richness and glory of God’s Kingdom.

Across two morning devotions and the Sunday worship, the messages repeatedly invited reflection: What is standing in the way of my connection with God, with others, or with creation? Where in my life do I still need more of God’s grace? And what does the perfect love and unity within the Trinity reveal—and inspire—in you and me?

Beyond spiritual nourishment, a hallmark of KRC retreats is the abundance of meals lovingly prepared by coworkers and family members. The snack table was lined with Taiwanese rice crackers, American trail mix, Korean shrimp chips, and fragrant fruit teas. For lunch and dinner, attendees enjoyed Taiwanese favorites like zongzi (sticky rice dumplings), ba-wan (meatballs in chewy dough), fish ball and daikon soup, along with Amish fare and other Chinese dishes. Throughout the retreat, it wasn’t uncommon to see participants quietly sharing personal burdens with the speaker, or reconnecting with old friends and getting to know new ones, exchanging reflections and stories. Whether over a cup of tea or across a steaming bowl of soup, food became a bridge of fellowship—nourishing both body and soul.

KRC’s English ministry, Project Arctos, hosted a game night—where a new Wii bowling star was unexpectedly discovered. Brandon Morgan, a professional leadership facilitator, guided participants in practicing empathetic listening by asking open-ended questions—encouraging them to resist the urge to offer quick advice or platitudes. His approach helped “communication” truly become a bridge to deeper connection. Several Arctos team members also shared their ministry vision, telling stories of how, through workshops and support, families facing deep challenges found reconciliation. These powerful testimonies continue to inspire the team to remain committed to one another and to the mission.

Treasures to Take Home

As the retreat drew to a close, participants shared the insights and blessings they would be taking home:

“These past few days, I reconnected with God and with others. I experienced personal renewal—and a deeper awareness of the need to share the gospel.”

“Through conversations with many people, I received help in learning to use new technology—and experienced what it means to love God, love others, and love myself.”

“I witnessed the unity of the Body of Christ.”

“I’m no longer afraid to love—because the love shared within the Trinity now lives in me.”

“I see that what KRC is doing is caring for those who belong to God and are deeply loved by Him—yet are often overlooked by others.”

“Thank you, KRC, for welcoming me—a newcomer and ‘outsider.’”

“I came with doubts, but through the sharing of KRC coworkers, I heard God speaking to me: ‘Don’t you trust Me?’ and ‘Just keep showing up.’ Now when I wake up in the morning, I’m filled with new ideas for serving with KRC.”

Just as farewells were being exchanged, the thick clouds over the sky were swept away by the spring breeze, revealing sunlight. The tender buds at the tips of the trees seemed to stretch a little farther—ready to unfurl fresh greenery and freely praise the greatness of the Creator.

Looking forward to seeing each other again at next year’s retreat! Until then, let us love God, others, and ourselves—freely, in Christ.

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