Beulah Retreat Center is in Jeopardy
Today, I have been in deep conversation with Randy Mills who is now looking after our Beulah Retreat Center. It seems that I have good and bad news.
The Good News
Beulah Retreat Center is in good condition and ready for any group that wants to use the facility.
- 4 beautiful cabins in a wooded setting that can accommodate up to 40 people.
- A pavilion and outdoor amphitheater to host all your outside events.
- Dining hall with fully equipped kitchen.
- Historic church to conduct worship services as well as meetings.
- Large and small meeting spaces.
The four cabins are now equipped with heat and air conditioning and our pavilion that is stocked with outdoor games of every kind. This lovely setting accommodates 10 to 100 for worship, retreats meetings, social events or almost any group need.
Beulah Retreat Center is ready to be used.
The Bad News
Beulah Retreat Center has received very few people over the last few months and at this time there is no one scheduled to visit. Because the expenses continue and there is little income we will soon have to consider other options.
A Task Force
We are putting together a group to take a hard look at what we are doing now at Beulah Retreat Center and how we could do better. I’m asking this group to make recommendations at our District Conference. If you are interested in being a part of the group please call our office or send an email.
Staying Connected to College Students: Main Street UMC in Bedford and Carol Ellis
Congratulations to Carol Ellis and Main Street UMC in Bedford. Carol was quoted in an article written by Renee Elder, “Churches Struggle to Stay Connected to College Students” featured in United Methodist Newscope. Here is a portion of the article.
Congregations routinely celebrate college-bound youth with farewell gifts and parties featuring slideshows of pre-school Christmas pageants, high-school mission trips, and almost everything in-between. But youth leaders and pastors who want to extend the relationship into the months and years ahead often struggle to find the right approach.
“It’s hard,” says Carol Ellis, director of Youth and Children’s Ministries at Main Street United Methodist Church in Bedford, Va. “Each church comes up with its own strategy, not only in terms of resources but within the context and culture of that congregation. Some congregations find there is a great deal of interest in engaging with college-age students; others don’t.”
Snail-Mail Care Packages, Cards Are Good
Ellis’s church sends care packages containing food, pens, pencils, sticky notes, and such to its college students at exam time, and offers The Upper Room devotional booklets to those who request it.
“On communion Sundays, we put the names of our youth, service persons, and other young adults on slips of paper. As people leave the communion rail they are encouraged to take a name from the basket and to pray for that individual in the coming month,” Ellis says.
These time-honored and caring approaches are valuable, and college youth especially appreciate regular mail, says the Rev. Bridgette Young, assistant general secretary for Campus Ministry and College Chaplaincy, General Board of Higher Education and Ministry.
To read the entire article you can click on the link below:
http://www.gbhem.org/site/apps/nlnet/content3.aspx?c=lsKSL3POLvF&b=3527165&ct=8579033
Important Dates to keep on your Calendar
September 9: 10 & 7 - Charge Conference Orientation, Court Street UMC
September 7: 7:00 PM - Common Table, Fort Hill UMC
September 14-15 - Clergy Workshop and Training, Blackstone, VA
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