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Copyright © 2004 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee | May / June 2004 |
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Grace Point Camp News |
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Board adjusts fee structure, affirms Diocesan Day set for July 17 |
By Tim Grindstaff The Grace Point board of trustees held its quarterly meeting May 7 at the Retreat House at Grace Point. The Rev. Hugh Jones, chairman of the board, began the meeting with the announcement that Bishop Charles vonRosenberg had appointed Jean Lomino to serve as the 12th member of the board. A communicant of St. Paul, Chattanooga, Lomino has a doctorate in environmental education and is program director for the Chattanooga Nature Center. She has 20 years’ experience teaching a range of ages. New members who joined the board in March are the Rev. Lee Schaefer, St. Timothy, Kingsport; the Rev. Rob Henley, St. Joseph, Sevierville; and Michael Keene, St. Stephen, Oak Ridge. The board discussed the need for a more simplified and user-friendly fee structure for the camp and a unified method of handling cancellations and fee refunds. All groups, diocesan and non-diocesan, now will have a minimum deposit of $50 required within five business days of making a reservation. |
 photo
by the Rev. Bo Lewis
From left, spiritual directors Jeanette Cureton, the Rev. SuZanne Seavey, Mary Bartholomaus, Pat Larson, Pam Park and the Rev. Paige Buchholz work diligently to complete a new portable labyrinth for use at Grace Point. The group decided to make one of a size to be used in the Retreat House or elsewhere on the camp property, particularly during Quiet Days. Intercessions were penciled onto the canvas to steep the material in prayer, and the group painted the design “Prayer Book red,” Buchholz said.
 photo
by Sharon Rasmussen
Callie Van Koughnett, Resurrection, Loudon, waits her turn to place material in a pickup truck for transfer to a barn on the Grace Point property during the May 8 workday while MacKenzie Hardt, St. Stephen, Oak Ridge, and Callie’s father, Cal Van Koughnett, adjust the truck’s load. The cleared building will become a recreation center. She said it also will serve as the summer camp center for arts and crafts, which she will direct.
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The deposit
will be fully refundable if the reservation is cancelled four or more
weeks prior to the scheduled arrival date. More information about fee
structures can be found at the Grace Point Web site. A
Diocesan Day is scheduled for July 17; it is intended primarily
as a day of relaxation for swimming, boating, fishing, hiking, and lots
of fellowship for the people of the diocese. Dinner will be catered, and
a small fee will be charged to cover costs.
Because it will continue to serve as summer camp dormitory space for the next few years, renovations are being
|  photo
by the Rev. Bo Lewis |
Nearly
20 members of the Foothills Quilters Guild spent two nights at the Grace
Point Retreat House, working on items to show and sell at their May 2
exhibit in Maryville. It’s their third such annual retreat. A photo of
the first morning’s sunrise over the lake was transferred to T-shirts
for quilters, said Peggy Rogers, a communicant at Resurrection, Loudon.
“It’s such a wonderful, peaceful place,” she said. “They’re already asking
me, ‘can we go back in the fall?’”
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| done to the Commons Building. Vicar Bo Lewis, Grace Point executive director, said the kitchen enlargement and renovation had been completed for less than the $3,500 budget. The board voted unanimously to purchase two new 24,000 BTU air conditioners to replace existing units and budgeted $5,000 for immediate construction of additional restroom and shower facilities on both floors, to be completed by the June 8 start date of the summer camp program.
Discussion of the Master Plan Committee’s report on planning for the first “treehouse” dormitory generated excitement among board members. The level of pledges and donations may soon reach the point that construction on the first of these buildings can proceed. The committee planned to make a full presentation to Bishop and Council at its meeting on May 28. The Rev. Hugh Jones, Camp and Retreat Center chairman of the board of managers, 423-843-3864.
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photo courtesy
St. Christopher, Kingsport
The
Rev. Howard Hess, rector of St. Christopher, Kingsport, celebrates the
Eucharist beneath the large wood cross the church recently presented to
Grace Point. Alpha course participants spent a weekend in the Retreat
House discussing the nature and work of the Holy Spirit. |
Alpha course participants from St. Christopher, Kingsport, held a weekend retreat at Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center at the end of April.
The retreat centered on the nature and the activities of the Holy Spirit. Grace Point provided a wonderful setting, and participants enjoyed the spacious Retreat House, the beautiful grounds and the gracious hospitality of Vicar Bo Lewis. St. Christopher’s first Alpha Course was offered this spring, and it drew approximately 70 participants. Alpha guests and staff have included people from the community and from other parishes as well as St. Christopher’s parishioners. The course presents the basics of Christianity in a straightforward, open manner and encourages participants to respond in small group settings. Topics such as “Who is Jesus Christ?,” “How Does God Guide Us?” and “What About the Church?” are among the 15 talks presented over a 12-week period. Alpha originated at Holy Trinity, Brompton, in London and has been offered in thousands of churches throughout North America, Europe and other parts of the world. For more information about the Alpha Program at St. Christopher, call the church at 423-239-6751 and ask to speak with the Rev. Howard Hess, rector, or Senior Warden Jeff Davis. |