Listen Online to Sessions from Earth Ministry's Retreat at Holden Village!

When we were on retreat at Holden Village during July, we learned that they were in the process of building an audio archive of all the sessions ever recorded at Holden Village - which is a lot!

The audio archive went live at the end of August and includes four of the five sessions provided by Earth Ministry staff, all the sessions provided by our board members, Brian Naasz and Kevin O'Brien (Energy and Ethics, Food & Fuel, Nuclear Power), as well as teaching by Alan Storey, who provided the Bible study that week, plus so much more.

So if you were unable to make our retreat, you can relive the experience in part. Unfortunately, we can't provide an online experience of the hikes, views, conversations, food or fresh air, but you can get caught up on the teaching material!

http://audio.holdenvillage.org/

Worshiping By the Waters

By Deanna Matzen

This was my second visit to Holden Village. But this time, there was an added depth to my experience. As part of the Earth Ministry teaching staff, I was in charge of holding a Caring for All Creation, By the Waters worship service. At first, I was intimidated. The church I worship in today, and have worshipped in for the last 10 years, is not liturgical. So I just didn't even know how to structure a service of that sort. With the Caring for All Creation By the Waters module in hand and God bringing people along to help me, a beautiful creation-honoring service came together.

First, I got a lot of help from the Earth Ministry staff: LeeAnne gave me a copy of her church bulletin so I could get a sense of liturgical structure, Mikaila helped me refine the order of service and musical selections, and Beth and LeeAnne prepared a flute duet for the special music. To lead worship, God brought me Kathy, one of our members who attended the retreat. She emailed me about carpooling and mentioned that she played instruments and wanted to make her skills available. We coordinated over email and practiced at Holden. I have to say, I was so blessed to have her help!

I thought we were set until Brian Naasz, an Earth Ministry board member, told me that Jens, a young man from his church and another retreat attendant, had his cello with him and asked if he could help with the service. The answer was an emphatic, "Of course!" So Kathy played guitar and led singing while Jens accompanied on his cello. His cello brought just the right sound to fill out the music. Not only that, but Jens played a solo with his mom accompanying on piano and it was the perfect fit for the special music during the blessing of the water ceremony. I could not have picked a better song! It was majestic, meditative, and moving! As I reflect on that service, I am in awe of how God brought all these components together.

Part of the service was a Blessing of the Waters ceremony. Almost everyone had brought a sample of water from a nearby body of water whether a stream, a lake, a pond, or a rain barrel. People came up in a line, like communion, and poured their water in a large communal bowl. I especially loved how the couples held each others hands as they poured the water together. After everyone finished we sat and soaked in the song that Jens was playing. I wish I could have stopped that moment in time and held it for eternity.

The other challenge and blessing for me was giving the sermon/homily/message. It was only the second "message" I've ever given, but the first one was rather informal for a childern's retreat. I have to tell you that I was very stressed out about that sermon for several weeks before going to Holden. I just couldn't get my thoughts together. I knew I had the sermon helpers in the By the Waters module, and they were really helpful, but I still had to construct a thoughtful and organized sermon. But again, God showed up and as I rose early and went to the Holden labyrinth in the early morning, my thoughts began to come together. I prayed and studied that passage over and over again as I walked the path. The sermon passage was the story of the Samaritan woman at the well. And I tell you, I have never read that passage with such clarity and excitement for the revelation of God through that story. But I won't give away my sermon now. You'll have to wait til August when it will be posted on Holden Village's website.

What amazes me the most is the way the story, the liturgy, the music, the people, the entire week, wove together in a beautiful tapestry. I heard the same messages with slightly different flavors all week long. There was an amazing synergy at Holden that week. I would venture to guess that there is synergy every week at Holden as people gather together in community and wilderness in the name of God. I am so blessed to have been a part of that week. I will carry it with me for a very long time.

Holden, Home!

After a beautiful week at Holden Village, the staff of Earth Ministry is home.

Sixty-five members, friends, board members and staff of Earth Ministry came together last week for a wilderness retreat. This was officially the second retreat Earth Ministry has held at Holden Village and by far the largest. People came from as far away as Maryland and Wisconsin and they were as warm and friendly as our friends here in Washington.

The staff led five teaching sessions: Toxics and Environmental Health, Greening Congregations, Movement Prayer, Advocacy for all Creation, and a By the Waters Worship Service. Two of Earth Ministry's board members, Brian Naasz and Kevin O'Brien, led a series on the Ethics of Energy. In addition to the sessions provided by Earth Ministry staff and board, teaching staff from around the world were at Holden that week and provided incredible teaching that filled the heart, mind, and soul.

Recordings of all the teaching sessions should be available on Holden's website sometime in August. We hope you will check out Earth Ministry's offerings and we highly recommend the Bible study provided by Allen Storey (a methodist minister from South Africa) - he will blow you away!

In addition to a great time of learning, the staff enjoyed getting to know new members and friends as well as reuniting with old friends while hiking, eating, resting, making music, travelling, and playing. Holden is a unique intentional community and the mix of work and play makes for a dynamic time together. Thanks to all who made the long trek to Holden; you enriched our lives and our work.

You may be wondering, "will there be another retreat"? We have not committed to that yet, but we are seriously thinking about it. Stay tuned... In the meantime, you can enjoy the forthcoming blogs from the Earth Ministry staff as they personally reflect on their time at Holden.