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Dear Friends and Supporters,
As the seasons turn, we are ever reminded by the forested sanctuary here that our mission is to provide a place for rest, reflection, and renewal along the journey, with all the chapters that come. As always, we appreciate your financial and prayer support.
Our retreatant numbers are up (524) compared to last year at this point (336). More importantly, retreatants’ qualitative experiences seem to be deepening, especially for individual retreatants. A wide range of groups are also returning to Cedar Cross following the decline of those retreats during the pandemic.
The Cedar Cross Mission Group remains organizationally light, relying on bottom-up energy rather than top-down structure. New initiatives among us this year include John Hilpert responding to opportunities to listen and offer support for small emerging communities of faith; the revamping of the studio space and establishment of a library in the studio loft; improving our systems for scheduling cleanings between retreats; and scheduling our own visioning retreat for the mission group to imagine, covenant, and plan for the future.
We welcomed three new members this year – Julie Purcell Hilpert, Jane Williams, and Dustin Williams. Their arrival is a much-needed answer to prayer as they bring new ideas, questions, perspectives, and energy. We are continuing our practice of monthly Community Days when we share 24 hours together to accomplish various indoor/outdoor tasks as well as share meals and prayers. You are always welcome to join us for these times to connect tangibly with Cedar Cross.
Financially, including donations from retreatants and your ongoing contributions, we continue to break even. This is very rare since most retreat centers get large denomination grants and are still closing or struggling to stay afloat. We have received a few larger donations, such as those following the death of co-founder Margaret Hilpert (and her presence is still felt by us all). These were dedicated to a capital fund that will be used to cover major expenses such as replacing aging roofs and HVAC units. Because the capital fund allows the ministry to cover major infrastructure needs, your donations can be focused on providing and enhancing our operational needs in providing a simple retreat space set in the beauty of nature. We will also be reviewing our suggested donation rate for retreatants, and there likely will be a modest adjustment to cover increased costs.
We are clear that we are meeting an essential purpose of revitalizing faithful journeys. As a Mission Group, we continue to allow our work to reveal God in our midst, and what we are to do next. We are deeply honored that you are part of this journey, ask for your continued support, and hope you will allow this space to enrich your journeys and ministries.
Gratefully,
John, Julie, Butch, Vickie, Jimmy, Ginger, Mac, Dustin, Jane
(Those of you on our mailing list will also receive a copy of this letter in the mail. If anyone wants to be on our mailing list, please let us know. Send an email to cedarcrossregistrar@gmail.com.)
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Jimmy Allen
Ginger Allen