Greetings!
Together, we journey through the grief and hardship of winter into the new beginning of spring. Like the land around us, we are transformed through the challenges faced and endured, gaining wisdom and resilience along the way.
The season of Lent invites us to explore mortality and the precious joy of fragile life. We honor our grief and loss, entering struggles of the past for the love, healing, and hope of resurrection. We live differently, humbled and inspired by having lived through death. We honor the seasons of dying, and welcome the seasons of rebirth and renewal.
The way is long - let us go together.
The way is difficult - let us help each other.
The way is joyful - let us share it.
Faithfully,
Stacy Kitahata, Mark Bach, and Kathie Bach
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The Porch Project continues into its third year! This important historic renovation project ensures that all Villagers can enjoy gathering on Holden’s 80-year-old porches for generations ahead.
Last summer, the Chalet 1 porch was completed and the Chalet 3 porch began construction. Stay tuned for more information on what new life this summer’s work will bring to the Village’s porches!
Volunteers are needed to help with milling lumber and construction, especially during the summer. Join in this unique opportunity to learn new skills in carpentry or to share your experience!
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Come Volunteer at Holden this Summer! |
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Spend the summer working in the mountains and living in intentional community. If you want to experience something new, we have a place for you!
Current Summer Seasonal position openings:
...and many more!
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It’s not too late to register to visit Holden Village this summer! Registration for summer visits are open now, and filling up fast!
Join us July 16-21 for Cohort 6 and engage with the most salient issues of our time with esteemed theologians, poets, environmental activists, and more. Teaching sessions are scheduled Monday-Thursday.
Learn about the intersections of the Bible and ecology with Rabbi Ellen Bernstein, a pioneer in the field of religion and ecology and founder of the first national Jewish environmental organization, Shomrei Adamah, Keepers of the Earth (1988). She has been teaching and writing about Judaism, the Bible, and ecology for over 30 years, and is is an advisor to the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology. For more information visit www.ellenbernstein.org, and visit during Cohort 6! |
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In the past, it was a Holden tradition to do the polar plunge on New Year's Day to start off the new year with a splash. In recent years the Village has celebrated the chilly practice in the early days of spring. Villagers brace for the shock of ice cold water as they jump into Lake Chelan, plunging bravely into the depths and emerging with squeals and laughter. The brave of heart are rewarded with feeling of reset and refreshment (and hot cocoa + warm blankets, of course!)
The event's proximity to Easter reminds us of baptismal waters. Along with the first day of spring this past Monday, taking the cold plunge reminds us of the new life awaiting the thaw of spring, and the thrilling shock of jumping into new life. Plus, it's good for you! Check out this article about the benefits of cold plunging!
Villagers will be participating in this year's Polar Plunge this Saturday, March 26th! Join in the Holden fun by taking a polar plunge wherever you are and tagging us on social media!
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Support Holden Village with Thrivent Choice |
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If you are a member of Thrivent Financial, you may be eligible to recommend where Thrivent donates a portion of its charitable giving.
The deadline to direct Thrivent Choice funds to Holden Village is March 31st.
Simply visit the Thrivent Choice website, click on the tab that says “Direct Choice Dollars,” log in to your account, and select Holden Village as the organization to which you would like to direct Choice Dollars.
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Help Us Prepare for Summer |
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Preparations are underway for summer 2023! Join in the effort by checking out our Wish List and purchasing supplies for the Village. Help Holden get ready to welcome all into the wilderness this summer with supplies for the art studios, kitchen, children and youth programming, audio/visual needs, and more! |
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In March, we move through honoring limits to facing death, one of the biggest limits in our finite lives. The accounts of Jesus’ own death give us insight to navigate what it means that God dies, and returns to life again. This central tenet of Christianity invites us to explore: how can embracing mortality empower me to live a more full and faithful life?
Unhealthy expressions of theology label death as disgusting, separating us from an essential aspect of humanity. We are immersed in a culture that tries to deny death with cosmetic products, surgery, and attempts to convince us that immortality is possible. Paradoxically, avoiding death, or relentlessly pursuing immortality, undermines our ability to truly live.
Immortality and salvation have become conflated in contemporary western society. We do not follow Jesus because he promises to make us immortal. Rather we follow Jesus because he shows us how to embrace mortality, live the life to which God has called us, and have hope beyond death.
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Reference herein to any specific commercial products or services does not necessarily constitute or imply its
endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by Holden Village.
PHOTOS: Hannah Lauber, Annika Berntsen
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