Greetings!
May is a month for turning and returning.
Migratory birds have returned to the Railroad Creek Valley and are busy nesting. Holden's annual Spring Work Weekers returned to help us turn winterized buildings into places for gathering, playing, sleeping, eating and worshiping. Many hands transformed the Village to welcome students from Roanoke College, May Youth Weekend, and Manson Middle School.
The gathering of new people from many places and backgrounds reflects the account of Pentecost, when people of every land and tongue come together to proclaim God’s wondrous acts and be filled with the Spirit. Every day, Holden Village is inspired to live out its mission of hospitality and welcoming all to the wilderness.
Come, join in what the Spirit is doing as we immerse in the summer theme Becoming Courageous Community. Together we can be open to what is only possible in community. With the words of the new Vespers service, Bless this Night, we exclaim together, "The world is ever turning; turning toward love, toward hope, toward justice.” Whether in the Village or in your own home, May it be so!
Blessings,
Stacy Kitahata, Mark Bach, and Kathie Bach
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THANK YOU to everyone who helped de-winterize the Village during Spring Work Weeks! |
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Work Weekers got the Village ready for the coming summer season by moving furniture, opening the Snack Bar, and getting buildings ready for the summer. Holden can’t wait to welcome you into its summer rhythms!
Fall Work Week will take place in October. Stay tuned for dates and details!
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Visit Holden This Summer! |
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Summer 2024:
Becoming Courageous Community
This summer, we boldly seek new connections with community and planet by exploring the sacredness of all creation, beginning with our own bodies. We strive for spiritual abundance through relationships with one another and the Beloved. This summer, we will be engaging in these practices together!
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As you dream of engaging programming, check out the links below to learn more about this summer's sessions. The Teaching Faculty page has a brand new search feature, making it easier for you to plan your visit around programs that interest you.
We hope to see you at bus arrival!
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The Aurora Borealis (or Northern Lights) put on a spectacular show at Holden during the recent solar storms! See additional photos on the Village’s social media.
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God calls us to care for the earth and each other, using our gifts and power on behalf of the vulnerable. Lately, we have been learning about the plight of Oak Flat, which is in danger of being destroyed.
Oak Flat (known in Apache as Chi'chil Bildagoteel) is a sacred site in Arizona’s vibrant Tonto National Forest where Indigenous people have gone to worship, pray, and conduct religious ceremonies since time immemorial. In a questionable deal, the US government transferred this land to Resolution Copper, a mining project that plans to obliterate the sacred site into a nearly 2-mile-wide, 1,100-foot-deep crater. Apache Stronghold — a coalition of Apaches, other Native peoples, and non-Native allies — filed their initial lawsuit in January 2021 seeking to halt the proposed mine at Oak Flat, citing federal laws protecting religious freedom. After a Ninth Circuit court ruled that Oak Flat is not subject to such protections, the coalition is preparing to take the case to the Supreme Court to protect Oak Flat.
Holden resists the erasure of Indigenous people and stories by claiming the connection between our lives and stories and theirs. The Village is positioned on what was once one of the world’s largest copper mines, and many remember years of billowing orange tailings dust, the orange stained rocks, and lifeless Railroad Creek. Returning this land to its once-flourishing life will take another 100 years.
We pray: "O God, you made the earth and all peoples, calling us to care for creation and to love one another. We pray for Oak Flat, Chi’chil Bildagotee, which is sacred to the Apache people. Open the hearts of the owners of Resolution Copper, as well as US lawmakers, that they may hear and honor the voices of Native leaders and act with justice. Empower us to stand together and show us where we may take meaningful action. We pray all this, trusting in your mercy and power, in Jesus' name, Amen.”
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Whether you’re interested in joining the team for two weeks or two years, Holden has a place for you!
High-Need Positions:
Narnia Head (3-4 months)
MS/HS Head (3-4 months)
Procurement Coordinator (1 year)
Heavy Equipment Operator (1 year)
Food Services Lead (2 years)
HR Manager (2-3 years)
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The Holden Kitchen has a new floor and dishwasher!
After moving pots, pans, and kitchen tools into the Dining Hall during the floor remodel, everything is finally back in its place. The new floor is SO much easier to clean and the community is once again gathered for delicious meals in the Dining Hall together!
Thank you to all who made this project possible, including those of you who cheered the Village on from afar!
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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: Berit Kirkegaard, Elli Vegdahl-Crowell, Paul Thorson, Soren Sackreiter
SUMMER 2024 LOGO: Hannah Johnson
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