Past Events

We live in a time when our children have less and less direct experience with the living earth. But for most of our evolution as a species, our children grew up with their hands in the clay earth, their ears filled with the sound of wind and storm, their eyes filled with the movement of clouds, sun and moon.

If our children today grow up with less and less direct experience of God's creation, what will they know of God?

This 24 hour retreat is designed especially for pairs of one adult and one child (ages 6-12)

This retreat will include:

• A campfire time of stories and songs celebrating the living earth
• Star gazing in the open field
• Time for adults to reflect together on selected readings on this theme
• Time for children to explore the land as a small group
• Time for each adult/child pair to choose their own experience/adventure in the forest, streams, or ponds
• A reading nook for nature books, stories, field guides etc.

Lodging will be at the Retreat House and Pinestone House. There is an option to camp, if you would like. The leaders are Jim Hall, Cheryl Hellner, and Vivan Headings.

The cost of the retreat is $50.00 for adult and child together ($30.00 if tenting).

If you would like to stay over Saturday night (optional), there is an additional $10 charge.

Contact Vivian Headings at 304.725.4172 for more information

Come away to Rolling Ridge
for a day of winter retreat, solitude and silence

Jesus said to them,
"Come away to a deserted place and rest a while."
Mark 6:31

In this winter season, when nature lies dormant, you are invited to Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Community for a day of Sabbath rest and reflection.

We will begin the morning with brunch at the Retreat House and a reflection on the soul nurture of solitude and silence in the Christian journey. The rest of the day will be available for participants to be with God and self in solitude and silence--inside the Retreat House and/or outdoor in the winter woods. A meeting with a spiritual director may be arranged, if desired. The day will conclude with shared conversation over supper.

Overnight stays at the Retreat House on Friday and/or Saturday evening are optional and can be arranged upon request.

Retreat fee for the day is $25. Scholarships are available. Optional overnight stay is $10 per night. To register or for more information, contact Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach at 304-725-4301 or rachelleas@juno.com.

Come away to the wilderness for 24 hours this Advent season. Walk the winter woods, spend time in prayer, and prepare to be transformed, perhaps in surprising ways.

There will also be an opportunity, for those who wish, to use their imagination in creative endeavors.

The cost of the retreat, including lodging and four meals, is $35 per person. To register, make checks payable to RRSRC and send to the address below. Let us know if you have special dietary needs. For more information, contact Rachelle Lyndaker Schlabach at 304-725-4301 or rachelle@juno.com.

The Heart of Christianity
in Dialogue With
The Heart of the Earth

Co-Sponsored by Dayspring Earth Ministry
and Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Community

How can we re-envision the Christian story in ways that make room for, and welcome, the insights of modern science, and all that cosmologists are calling, "the new story of the universe?" How will this enlarged understanding affect the way we preach, use scripture, and live on the earth? In this gathering we will reflect together on these questions, guided by the wisdom of Thomas Berry, Marcus Borg, and Barbara Taylor.

One of the foremost voices for reclaiming the sacred dimension of the universe in our time is Thomas Berry, Passionist Priest, and author of Dream of the Earth, The Universe Story, and The Great Work. A few of the key principles he finds embedded in the universe are the following:

• The universe is a contiually evolving drama of which the human is a recent part, not a once-created stage on which the human drama takes place.
• Creation around us is a communion of subjects, not a collection of objects.
• The role of the human is to be in a mutually-enhancing relationship with the rest of creation, not in an exploitive, destructive relationship.

Marcus Borg, biblical scholar and popular speaker, in his recent book, The Heart of Christianity, describes two ways of being Christian -- the "earlier paradigm" and the "emerging paradigm". Can this emerging paradigm help us integrate the insights of Thomas Berry into our faith? In The Luminous Web by Prof. Barbara Taylor we will read personal and moving essays relating science and religion.

Through conversation, silence, prayer, and listening to the earth at Rolling Ridge, we will engage head, heart, and soul in considering how our deep concern and passion for God's creation may speak through our faith to the needs of the planet and depen our intimacy with earth and its creator.

To register, or for more information, contact The Rev. Arthur ("Pat") Underwood (phone: 410-329-9097, e-mail: ahun@starpower.net. The retreat is co-sponsored by Dayspring Earth Ministry (contact Jim Hall, e-mail: jimhallmd@yahoo.com) and Rolling Ridge Study Retreat Community (contact Verle and Vivian Headings, e-mail: vvatrr@juno.com). Registrants will be sent readings in advance.

Cost of the retreat (including lodging, 6 meals, and study materials) is $110 ($65 if tenting).