The Family Ministries Department of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Nepal organized a family retreat from October 10–12, 2025, under the theme “I Will Go with My Family.”
Seventeen pastoral families, totaling 45 participants, joined the weekend gathering to strengthen Christian homes and reaffirm the role of the family in God’s mission. The theme emphasized that mission is not an individual calling alone; the family itself is the first and most enduring mission unit established by God.
The program featured NEWSTART health education, Sabbath School study, music, testimonies, and family participation activities. On Sabbath afternoon, all families went on a nature walk. In the evening, the organizers presented each family with a certificate and a token of appreciation for their commitment to their home and church.
Shanti Pokharel, Family Ministries Director of the Nepal Section, reminded the attendees that “the family was part of God’s creation from the very beginning,” adding that “a healthy marriage is built not on what we receive but on what we are willing to give.” She emphasized that “raising children in faith is a mission entrusted by God to the parents.”
Umesh Pokharel, President of the Nepal Section, urged participants to step away from daily pressures, saying, “When we leave our busy and polluted cities and spend time in nature, we experience a foretaste of heaven and restore our spiritual connection with God and one another.”
The retreat ended with renewed spiritual commitment as families “rededicated their homes to God” and expressed a desire for such gatherings to continue regularly. Participants said they “hope programs that strengthen faith as a family will continue regularly,” and the Nepal Section recognized that this retreat served as a valuable opportunity to redefine the direction of family ministry in the region.