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Copyright © 2006 The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee | February / March 2007 |
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Board of managers progresses with chapel plans, thanks donors for gift
Grace Point ETE Correspondent Two longtime supporters of Grace Point Camp and Retreat Center have given $100,000 to the diocese for capital expenditures at the facility. The donors wish to remain anonymous, but they hope their gift will inspire others to make contributions. “As my wife and I see it, Grace Point’s greatest need is for sleeping and dining accommodations. Hopefully, this money will help realize that goal,” the man said. He said the contribution “will barely make a dent” in what is needed to make Grace Point a regional – and even national – camping and retreat destination. But he said he and his wife hope it will help others realize the magnitude of the center’s needs. “The infrastructure of Grace Point must be built up to attract the visitor groups needed,” he said. “I’m not sure if this means all-new construction of an inn-type facility, or cottages, or not. It’s also uncertain if the Retreat House can meet the needs. It has both great promise and great problems. “On the plus side, there is the location with its outstanding views. But the site lacks sufficient parking; it is not accessible for many people. Other issues include the pool – it is not really camp-suitable. After all, it and the house were not built for [their current use].” The donation, which is the largest individual gift since the center was established, was announced at the Jan. 10 meeting of the board of managers. The board enthusiastically thanked the donors. “It’s a great nest egg,” said Norma “Butch” Mills, board chairwoman. Camp director: In other business, the board’s ad hoc committee in charge of searching for a new center director reported that a “promising” field of about 20 applicants had been narrowed to “a very good” selection of three to five candidates, and interviews will be conducted following background checks. Budget: Mary Berl, diocesan administrator, presented the center’s 2007 budget. She said the totals represented a slight increase in expenditures but no significant changes. Following a discussion of the need to improve summer camp amenities, the board voted to increase session fees by 10 percent, from $250 to $275. Grace Point Vicar “Bo” Lewis emphasized that “the policy still will be that any child who can’t afford the fee and wants to come to camp can do so through scholarship help.” The board unanimously approved the budget, which totals $72,550. Most expenditure increases were in the areas of food service, development and promotion. Berl also reported that gifts totaling $2,115 have been received as a result of mailing donation envelopes with the year-end center newsletter, an increase over last year’s appeal results. Master Planning Committee: John Woody, committee chairman, reported that work on the Retreat House roof has been completed. The committee is discussing with the architect the projected addition to the Commons Building porch. Ongoing work seeks to resolve accessibility issues with the planned chapel; a moveable ramp is under consideration. Tree house No. 2 is officially complete following a walk-through, Woody said. Programs Committee: The Rev. Paige Buchholz said her committee has set a goal to offer a program at Grace Point every Saturday of the year. Alex Haralson suggested a Music Leadership Training Day might be held, perhaps in late spring. Environmental Stewardship Committee: The Rev. Pat Cahill, chairwoman, said her committee recommends that sewage facilities be built to prevent contamination of the pond on the back of the ridge before the board pursues a long-term proposal that would construct a camping site – fully accessible to those who have disabilities – near the pond and featuring a pavilion or a shell. More quail have moved into the area around the hayfield now that the fescue grass has been eliminated, she reported, and Lewis continues to add wildlife species counts to the list compiled by University of Tennessee-Knoxville Fish and Wildlife students. (See Dec.’06/Jan’07 ETE). Executive director’s report: Lewis said the staff has produced a more detailed map of four maintained trails and three additional marked trails. To counter erosion on the Ridge Trail, runoffs have been cut into the slope, and the flatter, top areas have been seeded. He said a new maintenance building is needed to house equipment and tools – “all camp directors I have spoken with said this is a must.” He discussing replacing the aging skylights in the Retreat House and installing commercial-grade convection ovens in the kitchen when it is renovated. Retreat House bedrooms also need better lighting, he said. n Grace Point on the Web: etdiocese.net/gracepoint/ Vicar honored at diocesan convention By Emily McDonald and Sharon Rasmussen One of the emphases in the 2007 diocesan convention theme, “Grace and peace to you and to the world,” was the many ministries and experiences people around the diocese share through Grace Point.
On the second afternoon of the convention, the Camp and Retreat Center Board of Managers was slated to deliver a report about the activities through the past year at Grace Point. Mike Keene, a board member and parishioner at Resurrection, Loudon, launched a story — complete with sound effects by a chorus of Grace Point stalwarts — that had convention-goers rolling in the aisles.
The light-hearted presentation got just a bit more serious (though not much!), when it segued into a celebration of Grace Point’s vicar, the Rev. Bo Lewis, who started work before the property had a name and who will retire when his replacement is hired.
“We need somebody to run the place,” the chorus sang, recalling the center’s origins. “Who you gonna call? Bo Lewis!”
At the end of the story, Bishop Charles vonRosenberg called Lewis to the front.
“Bo and [his wife] Jan have been the face and spirit of Grace Point for the past five years,” the bishop said, noting the couple’s “spirit of hospitality.”
The bishop presented Lewis with a hand-thrown pottery baptismal bowl that will be placed near the entrance of the future St. Paul’s Chapel at Grace Point, when its construction is complete, and he said the bowl will be inscribed “in honor of its first vicar.”
“I had no idea I was going to be given that,” Lewis said. “I’ve done two baptisms in the river since I’ve been there.”
Lewis recalled looking at property for a possible camp and retreat center during the tenure of the first East Tennessee bishop, the Rt. Rev. William Sanders. “Thank you for getting us started,” he said in acknowledgment of Bishop Sanders, who was seated on the convention floor.
Bishop vonRosenberg “got serious about all this and appointed a committee,” Lewis said, then asked those former committee members who were in the audience to stand.
“Everyone has to know how frugal we have been” as the camp has developed, he mused. Much that came to Grace Point has been donated, not purchased.
Lewis said a fellow camp and retreat center director told him at a conference that a camp “peddles delight in God’s creation, in encounters with one another,” many of whom are initially strangers.
“I have found a new reason for living – peddling delight,” Lewis said.
And since he and his wife are building a house just across the cove from
Grace Point, “I will continue to peddle delight.” Camp and Retreat Center availability Did you know anyone may reserve facilities for their use at Grace Point, the camp and retreat center of the Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee? In addition to events such as vestry and youth group retreats, Grace Point has hosted study and hobby groups, family weekends and day meetings. Grace Point overlooks Watts Bar Lake near Kingston, Tenn. Nearly 270 acres of woods, hills, fields and two miles of shoreline offer plenty of space for activities including boating, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, picnicking, games, sports, reflection, meditation and worship. Rates are as follows:
A $50 deposit is required within 10 business days of making a reservation. To make your reservation, contact Rosemary Davenport at rdavenport@etdiocese.net. or 865-966-2110. Grace Point pages on the Web include more facilities information and directions to the camp and retreat center: etdiocese.net/gracepoint/ Two ‘tree houses’ will be home to summer campers The second “tree house” at Grace Point is complete and ready for use, so both boys and girls will enjoy the experience of sleeping in the trees during the 2007 summer camps. The “Giganto Packet O’ Forms” — which includes camper and counselor applications and all the information both groups will need — should be available in parishes and has been posted to the Grace Point Summer Camps Web page at etdiocese.net/gracepoint/camps/. The board of managers nudged the price for full-week camps up a bit to $275 this year, but reminds campers and parents that scholarships are available. In another change, the popular three-day Session V — for rising 1st- 2nd- and 3rd-graders with a parent — will be offered twice. It enables youngsters to get a taste of camp and to share an important formative experience with a parent or other adult guardian. “Often I tell people camp is about kids (whether they are children or adults), a place for kids to be kids – to act goofy, dress up like pirates, try things they’ve never done before (whether they try and fail, or try and succeed), or relax under a tree and do absolutely nothing,” Mike Keene, the summer camps director, has said. “I think there’s something about letting a 10-year-old act like a 10-year-old (and letting grown-ups act like 10-year-olds too) that is healthy and healing and holy. Camp is about the last place that doesn’t just tolerate that behavior, but really nourishes it.” Mark your calendar now for summer camp at Grace Point! 2007 SUMMER CAMP SESSIONS Complete camp details and all required forms are posted to etdiocese.net/gracepoint/camps/ Quiet Day structures time apart, to reflect By Elizabeth Johnson The weather was frosty, as we drove up to the Retreat House at Grace Point for an Advent Quiet Day, a time for looking inward and reflecting on our relationships with God. The house sits atop a hill overlooking the lake, with the mountains in the distance – a beautiful setting. We met the rest of the group, put lunches aside and got coffee and tea. There were several small altars set up around the living room for meditation. Books were available too. We gathered near the fireplace, did introductions and heard the plan for the day of quiet. There would be three quiet times, with a gathering and a sharing after each. We listened to music, then a short story. The leader gave us a short reflection to begin the quiet time, then we could sit, walk, read, write or walk the portable labyrinth downstairs. A facilitator was there for anyone who needed instruction about the labyrinth. I sat on a balcony looking into the woods. A few leaves were hanging onto a tree limb, fluttering in a light breeze. It was quiet and peaceful. After about 45 minutes, music summoned us back to the fireplace area for a second brief meditation and music. With our short reflections in hand, we got refreshments and separated for another quiet time. I watched the water for a long while. It was very still. A bird flew over the water and then caught a fish. As I watched, it skimmed across the water into the distance. The woods were very quiet. As I watched from the windows, a small boat appeared across the lake. The driver wore a bright orange vest, making it easy to follow the boat as it went from place to place. Music brought us back to the circle. Once again, we shared ideas, thoughts on what we had experienced – or just listened. Now it was lunchtime. We sat together visiting and sharing ideas and experiences as we ate the lunches we had brought. After things were cleaned up, we came back to the fireplace for the last reflection and music. This time, we each were given an icon to use as a meditation aid. We sat together quietly, then shared what we saw or felt about the icon. We took our last reflection and separated for the final quiet time. It was warmer, so I went outside and walked around for a while. I walked down the drive to the lake, then back up and around the outside of the house, seeing the covered swimming pool and the flowerbeds resting in the cold weather, waiting for spring. I went back inside to walk the labyrinth. Back together for the last time, there was more sharing. We thanked the leaders, helped clean up the kitchen, pick things up and put the furniture back where it had been. Many hands made fast work. It was a good day “apart,” in preparation for what was to come.
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The Episcopal Diocese of East Tennessee The Right Reverend Charles G. vonRosenberg, Bishop 814 Episcopal School Way Phone: 865.966.2110 Web Editor: editor@etdiocese.net |
