On Saturday, July 30th, we will offer a day retreat at Lake Logan Retreat Center in partnership with covenant partner congregations Grace Episcopal Church in the Mountains of Waynesville, and First United Methodist Church of Waynesville. Titled “Restoration in Creation: Earth, Body, Mind, & Spirit,” this retreat will focus on the spiritual necessity of land, water, and time spent with one another.

Famed conservationist Aldo Leopold said “[o]ne of the penalties of an ecological education is that one lives alone in a world of wounds.” Too often, this feels like the case. But even amidst the pain of climate crisis and environmental injustice, we are not alone. So many of us care. So many of us are striving to love each other, and this world, and all creatures great and small. By coming together and remembering our collective work, we can once again find community. And by being in the world, surrounded by all that God made and called good, we can find healing. 

Our day together will provide time to slow down and fill our cups. It will also offer both facilitated and unstructured space to consider our callings and the following questions: 

How are we led? How are we fed? How does the Spirit reveal the beauty of Creation to us and sustain us? How are we nourished? How does our care of creation include our own health and wellbeing? What does it mean to love this place, and each other, and ourselves well? 

The cost of this retreat, which includes access to kayaks and lunch, is $20. If you need a scholarship, please email CCA Director, Sarah Ogletree, at sarah@creationcarealliance.org with “Retreat Scholarship” in the email subject line. 

In order to receive lunch at Lake Logan, you must register by June 30th. Register here. Below you will see a brief outline of our day together. 

Retreat Day Outline: 

• 8:00-9:00, Welcome & Gathering 
  • Bring a mug and join us for coffee, tea, conversation, or silence as we prepare for our day together and marvel at the beauty of Lake Logan. 

• 9:00-9:45, Opening to Gratitude/Setting Intention
  • Our opening ceremony will bring the opportunity to ground ourselves in place and intention, honoring indigenous peoples and the land upon which we gather for this restorative experience. 

• 10:00-11:30—Restoration & Connection—
  • Choose one or more of the following activities to engage in the contemplation, creation, or community your spirit needs. Each *staffed center* will offer two 45-minute sessions to allow you to experience more than one activity if so desired. Feel free to drop in and join any center activity as you wish. There are also unaccompanied opportunities. 
    • Center Choices: Yoga & Body Prayer, Finding Solace in Eco-Grief, Journaling & Poetry, “Painting from the Source” Art Space
    • On Your Own:  Solo or Paired Paddling on the Lake, Swimming/Floating. Hiking or “Forest Bathing”

• 12:00-1:00—How We Are Fed—
  • We will gather to share an “agape meal.” This experience will name our gratitude for, and mindfulness of, the many ways that we are fed and how our nourishment can nurture others in Creation.

• 1:15-3:00—Restoration & Connection–

• • Choose one or more of the following activities to engage in the contemplation, creation, or community your spirit needs. Each *staffed center* will offer two 45-minute sessions to allow you to experience more than one activity if so desired. Feel free to drop in and join any center activity as you wish. There are also unaccompanied opportunities. 
    • Center Choices: Yoga & Body Prayer, Finding Solace in Eco-Grief, Journaling & Poetry, “Painting from the Source” Art Space
    • On Your Own:  Solo or Paired Paddling on the Lake, Swimming/Floating. Hiking or “Forest Bathing”

• 3:00-4:00—Closing Ceremony/Story Sharing—
  • We will gather as a community to share our experiences and reflections from the day. What can we take with us and share with others? What can we take with us to keep us grounded? 

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