December 2020 Newsletter

#Advent2020 #RetreatLife and Our Confirmed Charism

In this year of Covid19, a divisive election, and many other stresses, it seems that the whole world needs a good Advent.  One priest has said that only three things are required for Advent: Rest, Prayer, and Silence. The church, her saints, and the Lord, Himself, show us that we humans need time for rest, prayer, and silence.  God even gives us a whole day once a week to intentionally seek these--in fact, He commands it.  We see this plea for rest from all sources, even those outside of the church.  Some are calling it part of responsible self-care. 

Advent is a great time to follow this advice.  It is a season to slow down--not add to our normal activities-and simply rest.  
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At Heart Ridge, we've labeled this good of taking time to rest as #RetreatLife.  It is our hope that when people come to visit or stay at Heart Ridge, they will experience #RetreatLife.  Rest takes on many forms.  It could literally be a nap, but it could also be sitting on a bench reading.  What about fishing? or kayaking? Sure.  But also knitting, painting, writing, studying, meditating, praying, conversing, or playing cards with your kids.  We want Heart Ridge to be a place where people can come and experience rest in ways such as these.  And when your time at Heart Ridge is over, we want the good of #RetreatLife to stay with you.  We hope you'll discover ways to put more rest into your days and your weekly Sabbath back home.  

We have a lengthy mission statement that mentions bringing beauty, truth, and love to people, and these certainly can be a part of resting, but at the heart of all of these (Is that a pun?) is our desire for hearts to rest in Christ.  "Come unto me all who are weary and heavy-laden," Jesus beckons, "and I will give you to rest."  The Holy Spirit seems to be nudging us toward the conviction that providing rest truly is our mission at Heart Ridge.  

Staying true to this mission will direct our future plans for the retreat center.  For example, we probably won't be putting in a waterpark in the back field, instead we may get sheep and donkeys. Look for more benches and trails coming soon; also in the future an extensive library and art gallery.  Our hope is that Heart Ridge is place where you can come to find your rest for your soul and body.  

We still desire a powerful summer program for families, and we think we can do it without having to offer four wheeling or parasailing on our property.  We think that with what we have available and with what's nearby, we can make it an awesome, fun time for all, and send parents home well-rested and at peace. 

So yes, live #RetreatLife #Advent2020 and may you and your family have a Blessed Advent and a Merry Christmas!

A Reminder of Our Lady of Guadalupe Celebration

Our Lady of Guadalupe is one of our retreat center patrons, so we wanted to have a celebration in her honor on her feast day.  With recent Covid19 cases rising, we understand that folks might want to celebrate from their own homes.  For anyone who wants to come to the retreat center on her feast day, we will be having all the festivities outside, asking everyone to stay 6 feet away from all non-family members, and most importantly, asking everyone to wear masks while at Heart Ridge that day.  It will be a little chilly, so the masks might be welcomed!  We will have a bonfire, some live music, a short presentation by Spencer Williams, and Tacos and Cookies and Coffee for $1 each.  To cut down on trash, we ask everyone to BYOWB.  (Bring Your Own Water Bottle.)  We will have water filling stations.   If you could RSVP on the Facebook Event page, that would be helpful.  ​https://www.facebook.com/events/200639971644243/

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Gifts and More Gifts: The Bishop Delivers

We've been busy collecting beds and furniture from Facebook Marketplace so that we can furnish our new building when it is ready in a few months (see the last article).  Instead of buying new, cheaply made furniture, we decided to purchase quality, sturdy used furniture in warm wood tones.  We love what we've been able to find so far. Some are little mismatched and even scratched, but we are loving the eclectic look! Plus, we feel like we are being better stewards of our property--these beds will be put to good use instead of going into a landfill.  We've been blessed to receive a recent large donation of furniture from our new friends, Lisa and Tom. (Thank you!) If you are getting rid of a bed, dresser, or nightstand, please send us an email.  We will even come and get it.  

But beds aren't all we need!  Having our first retreat in October, helped us realize just how many items are needed to be able to say Mass in our chapel.  We'd been looking on eBay, but the prices for these items were too high.  A couple of weeks ago, we had the chance to sit down and talk with Bishop Guglielmone about the retreat center.   We shared our vision and asked for his support.  He couldn't have been more receptive and supportive.  We mentioned our need for Mass and church items.   Two days later, we got a phone call from Fr. Bruce Barnet who was newly assigned to Sacred Heart Parish in Gaffney and was cleaning out the extra items that the parish had collected over the years.  He invited us to come and take what we could use.  Needless to say, we felt truly blessed by Father and the parishes generosity to be able to have these beautiful and much needed items.  

The Bishop is also planning to come in person to visit the retreat center sometime in the near future.

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A D.I.Y Individual, Couple, or Family Retreat

In addition to providing group retreats, we know that individuals, couples, and families need time to get away, even more so during stressful times.  That is why we want invite individuals, couples or families to  to come to Heart Ridge for a self-directed retreat.   

For example, we are offering a Do-It-Yourself Family Retreat in a bag that is available to any family that comes to stay.  The DIY Family Retreat is totally flexible and adaptable to each family's needs and desires.  We provide suggested schedules and activities, but the whole thing is just that:  suggested.  You decide as a family how much or how little of the proposed schedule you want to follow. 

Each retreat bag has activities in seven different categories: Prayer, Communication, Family Matters, Play, Service, Healing, and Exercise.  Of course, there are many overlaps in these categories. We encourage families to try a variety actives and be willing to try things that might push them a little out of their comfort zones in order to, for example, learn how to communicate better.  But like we said, it's totally up to each family to craft a weekend that best suits their needs.  We simply provide the beautiful location and some ideas.

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Updated Calendar for Heart Ridge (with real events scheduled!)

We've had many groups express an  interest in booking retreats at Heart Ridge, in fact we have commitments from three of these groups.  We've also scheduled our first in-house retreats and the 2021 summer family vacation camps.  We will begin taking reservations for these events at the beginning of the new year.  Look for the announcement in January's newsletter.
GO TO OUR CALENDAR PAGE

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Progress on Lakeside Lodge and The Stone House

This may not look like progress, but we think it is.  As you can see, we are literally rebuilding parts of it from the foundation so that it will have the look, feel, and smell of a completely new building when it is finished.  Construction was started at the beginning of November, and it's on track for completion by the end of February.  This building will offer 16 individual rooms (and total sleeping capacity of 36).  The individual rooms will make it possible to do socially distanced retreats if Covid19 continues, please God no!  The building will also have a library with fireplace, a family room with toys for small children, and a large indoor/outdoor meeting space all overlooking the lake.   We can't wait for you to see it when it's finished!  

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Help Wanted:  Looking for a Cook, Housekeeping, and  Maintenance Staff

Once retreats start this spring, we will definitely need to hire some part and full-time help.  To that end, we are beginning to accept resumes for a cook, housekeeping, and maintenance staff.  The ideal situation for us would be to hire a couple who could do all three and live in one of the houses.  Short of finding the right couple, we'd welcome resumes for weekend help.  Please email a cover letter outlining your desire and a resume listing your skills and experience to [email protected].