Valle Crucis Conference Center - Good News

Good News ... Valle Crucis Conference Center ... Fall/Winter 1998 ... Deeply Rooted on Sacred Ground.

Let all guests who arrive be received like Christ, for He is going to say, "I came as a guest, and you received Me."

- Rule of St. Benedict

The Director's Column

What is the simple truth about fund raising? The simple truth is that it's hard on all of us. It's hard on you because you have to listen to my pleas and it's hard on me because I have to ask and ask and ask again. I know at this time of year, your mailbox is filled with requests for many causes, many worthy causes. And in this newsletter, you will find our request for your help, too.

I was heartened by the Gospel reading in late October about the value of being persistent. Just as we must be persistent in our prayers, I feel that I must also be persistent in my repeated requests for funds for the Valle Crucis Conference Center. I ask because I believe in our ministry here. I ask because I know we need your support to continue to grow and thrive, to continue to serve those who come knocking at our door for hospitality. And the simple truth is that I ask because I have faith that we shall receive.

Our Board, our guests, and I can all have endless wonderful ideas of how we'd like to renovate the Apple Barn (historically appropriate renovation, of course), add more bathrooms, create a retreat house, and more - and this doesn't include the pressing must-do needs like the replacement of our sewer and septic system - but without the funding, all these ideas remain just paper dreams. It takes money (the results of fund raising) to make those dreams become reality. I feel that helping raise those funds is part of God's call to me - and to you.

So yes, it's hard. You have to listen to me and you have to decide with whom you will share gifts God has given you. And it's hard on me because I have to ask. But I believe that all the challenges God calls us to are not easy. So I pray - and yes, I ask - that you will be called to contribute to the good work we do here in Valle Crucis. Thank you.

- Tom Eshelman, Executive Director

Finances, Computers, Adding Machines, Phone Systems, Reservations . . .
He's Our Man!

Wendell Seaver

The friendly, helpful voice you hear when you call the Center is most often our business manager Wendell Seaver. Not only does he handle dozens of incoming daily phone calls, Wendell is responsible for the Center's financial operations such as payroll, billing, supplies, and financial reports. Working in the front office, he works amid a myriad of interruptions - a guest in need, a phone call, a visitor walking in the door - and he does it with care and with a great sense of humor. Wendell helps with reservations and sending out information packets to inquiring parties. Every other weekend he serves as weekend manager so he's likely to be the one that waits up to greet your group late on a Friday night. Wendell wears many, many hats and wears them all well!

Grant Received From The Janirve Foundation

The Valle Crucis Conference Center has been awarded a $25,000 grant from the Janirve Foundation to assist with the costs of replacing the sewer and septic system. We are delighted to receive the Foundation's support with this generous grant towards the cost of this much-needed project. The Center is now waiting for the final plans from the engineers and required State approval of the plans. We continue to work to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the installation of the new system.

Young guests enjoy our rocking chairs.

Every good and perfect gift is from above.

- James 1:17

Over 400 people have walked the Labyrinth at the Valle Crucis Conference Center since its arrival 4 months ago. The Center has hosted both open walks and quiet days with the Labyrinth, as well as offering special programs for both local groups and groups staying at the Center. The Labyrinth was also featured at the annual Convention for the Diocese of Western North Carolina.

In late October, the Center hosted a special program to train volunteers to work with the Labyrinth. Some will be working with the Labyrinth here at the Center while others are preparing to work with Labyrinths being built at their own parishes and communities.

Since the Apple Barn does not have heat, the Labyrinth is now being scheduled for travel to other locations. St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Burnsville hosted the Labyrinth in early November.

The Labyrinth will be presented by All Soul's and Grace Church in Asheville February 26-27 and in Highlands by the Church of the Incarnation on March 20. If your group would like to schedule the Labyrinth to travel to your community, give us a call.

For more information on the VCCC Labyrinth, please visit our Labyrinth page.

Towel Ministry Youth walk the Labyrinth.

Wish List

If you would like to donate any of these items, we'd be very grateful. We do ask that they be in good condition and in working order. Thanks!

Fireplace andirons (2 sets)
Slide projector
Small display case
Crosses

One of the additions we would like to make at the Center is to have cross to hang on the wall of each room. If you have a cross, we would appreciate its donation. Or if you are a talented woodworker or craftsperson in another medium, we would welcome handmade crosses.

Thank You! Thank You!

The Center is truly blessed to have friends who continue to support our ministry through their generous contributions. Our sincere thanks for these gifts we have received over the last few months.

Contributions

Anonymous

Janice & Ken Asel

ECW of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany

ECW of the Diocese of Western North Carolina

ECW of St. Mary of the Hills, Blowing Rock, NC

Jean Hughes

Patsy & Albert Hummel

Julia & Robert Keely

Betty & Tracy Lamar

Polly Laubinger

Margaret & Dennis Lehmann

Muriel & Jim Moore

George H. Nusloch

Roberta S. Rupp

Mr. & Mrs. Wright Sherrard

Mr. & Mrs. James S. Smitherman, Jr.

Mr. & Mrs. Charles Steineger, Jr.

Mrs. Sue Vail

Geraldene & Robert Ward

Septic/Sewer Replacement Fund

The Janirve Foundation

Carolyn & Richard Schneider

Labyrinth Ministry Contributions

Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous gift of a CD player for Labyrinth music
	The Reverend Jim Dannals, St. Luke's Episcopal Church, Boone, NC
Julia Morton
Diana White

Memorial Gifts

In memory of Margaret Shirley Taylor
	by Margaret & Ernest Caudill
In memory of Jack Finan
	by Mary Finan
In memory of the Summer Youth Work Program (1975-1977)
	by Julie & Cecil Gurgannus
In memory of Mrs. Emily Toll Hopkins
	by Shirley & John Hyland
In memory of Henry Kenneth Clark
	by Dorcas & Sandy Jones
In memory of Jack Finan
	by Roberta Kelly

Honorarium/Thanksgiving Gifts

In appreciation for Tom Eshelman
	by The McCrea Foundation
In honor of Tom Eshelman and Jody Finan-Eshelman
	by Evelyn Scruggs
An anonymous gift in appreciation for the cross country track

Rocking Chair Memorials

In loving memory of Dr. Margaret Wishon Linn, PhD
	by Eugene & Rosalind Czajkoski
	by Jackie Rose
	by Shayna & Elliot Stein
	by Lee Gurel & Zing Jung
	by Rachel Harris
	by Louise & Wilson Greene
	by Barbara & Michael Janner
	by Glenn & Vickie Johnson

The Fan Fund

This special fund was initiated by Dorcas & Sandy Jones in the summer of 1998 to purchase ceiling fans for all the rooms at the Center. Sixteen fans have been sponsored to date.

Charles & Cathy Barkley
Dana H. Chamberlain
William P. Dubose III
Jeanne Finan & Tom Eshelman
Alfonso Gonzalez & Marie Del Castillo-Gonzalez
In honor of Sandy Jones
	by Margaret K. Hoover
Dr. John D. Johnston
Sandy & Dorcas Jones
William L. Logan
Richard & Barbara McGraw
Henry & Betty McQuade
Larry & Marianne Simpson
Dr. & Mrs. White Wallenborn
The Rev. Robert T. Copenhaver
Eugene & Vera Hammer
Arthur & Anne Korff

Other Gifts

Creation & installation of directional signs to the waterfall
	by Boy Scout Troop #160
Consultation for VCCC Nominating Committee
	by Jeanne Finan
Couch, chair, and filing cabinet
	by Larry Byerly
Filing cabinet, 2 fans, and assorted tools given in memory of John Sanders
	by Laurie Sanders
Herbs
	by Meg Shelton
Piano
	an anonymous gift in memory of Jack Roberts
Sewing machine
	by Mr. & Mrs. Charles Steineger, Jr.

Grants Received

The Janirve Foundation

Our Heritage

From The Hillbillet, Thanksgiving, 1938:

The Reverend and Mrs. J.P. Burke

The Visit of the Bishop and Mr. Burke

At the recent visit of Bishop Gribbin and the Rev. J.P. Burke on Thursday, November 17, an impressive service was held in Holy Cross Church. The special occasion being the Dedication of the lights given in memory of Miss Mary Ellen Horner, Miss Susan Isabel Graces, and Miss Hedwig Marie Maul.

Added to the service of dedication was a Baptism and Confirmation. Lacy McCord was baptized by Mr. Butt. As her witnesses she had Mrs. Hopkins and Mary Wright. After the baptism, she and Joan Schell were confirmed by Bishop Gribbin. Both girls wore white dresses and veils.

The Rev. Mr. Burke, former priest-in-charge of Holy Cross Church and Rector of the School, preached the sermon. As his text he used Moffat's translation of the familiar text from Proverbs: "Reverence for the Eternal is the first thing in knowledge."

Bishop Gribbin read the service for the dedication of the lights.

The Hillbillet was a student-written publication of the Valle Crucis School for Girls. Recently, we had the pleasure of a visit from the Reverend Burke's daughter, Elizabeth Burke Farrar, and granddaughter, Marian Farrar. The Church of the Holy Cross was built during Reverend Burke's service as priest here. We spent some time talking about her memories of the days when she lived here in Valle Crucis and also looking through the Center's archive of photos. She was delighted to find several photos of her parents and has promised to write down some of her memories so that we might add them to our archives.

. . . To work, pray and give for the spread of the Kingdom of God.

- Book of Common Prayer

As 1998 draws to a close, we hope you will consider a gift to the Valle Crucis Conference Center. There are several ways you can contribute. To honor friends and family in a special way this holiday season, send us your Christmas list with names and addresses (minimum $20 donation per honoree) and we will send a card featuring a pen and ink drawing of the Center acknowledging our gift to your honorees. You can also donate a rocking chair in someone's memory or honor for a donation of $125. Add a ceiling fan to one of the rooms by joining the "Fan Club" with a donation of $125. Contributions of all sizes, large, and small, are also welcome for our Labyrinth ministry, the sewer/septic system replacement fund, or our general operations fund. There is a giving card and an envelope inserting in your mailed newsletter for your convenience. Thank you for your prayerful consideration of a gift to the Center. Please keep us in your daily prayers as we continue our work in this sacred valley. Thank you.

Bits & Pieces

Cross Country Track: This fall the Center worked with the Watauga High School cross country track team to cut a track around the edge of several acres of our property. We will continue to maintain this track so our guests can use it for their own runs and walks. The track offers a pleasant, easy walking path in the valley where we also grow our hay.
Fresh Vegies: Our guests enjoyed fresh peppers, squash, cucumbers, and other vegetables right from the garden this summer. We plan to increase our garden offerings next year to make our dining room choices even fresher and tastier!
MMMM . MMMM . MOLASSES: Thanks to the hot, dry summer, the Center had its best ever sorghum molasses crop this year. We produced over 58 gallons of pure sorghum molasses. We serve molasses daily at breakfast with our hot biscuits and also offer it for sale (while supplies last).
www.highsouth.com/vallecrucis: Check out all the new additions to our website. You can order books and gifts, get the latest information about programs, and explore the archives which has back issues of our newsletter. Our webmaster Pete Montaldi continues to do an outstanding job for us!

Celebrating Young Mothers

In July we hosted our first Mother-Baby Camp, "Celebrating the Lives of Young Mothers." Working with Beth Turner, Program Director for the Diocese, and a staff of counselors from the Mountain Area Perinatal Substance Abuse Program, the Center welcomed young teen mothers and their children for a three day retreat. Our special thanks to all those who volunteered: John Goodrich, Louise Hatch, Sally Hatch, Tom Eshelman, Tosh Sims, and Diane Oxford from Holy Cross Church, Valle Crucis; Paula Benton from St. Phillip's, Brevard; and Dr. Marshall Murrey, from St. Luke's, Boone. Thank you also to Faye and John Cooper and Susan Smitherman for loaning the center cribs for this event. We look forward to hosting future Mother-Baby Camps here at the Center.

Volunteer Louise Hatch enjoys playing with Tyler at the Mother-Baby Camp.

Towel Ministry

Once again this summer, the Center hosted young people attending the Towel Ministry work camps. For four weeks, over 120 youth from Connecticut to Alabama to Texas stayed at the Center while they worked to help local people in need of home repairs. They repaired roofs, painted, built wheelchair ramps, added on porches, and installed new screen doors. These enthusiastic and dedicated young servant-leaders also learned from those they helped. During their stay at the Center, they were also the very first groups to walk the newly arrived Labyrinth. By providing discounted accommodations, the Valle Crucis Conference Center underwrites over $12,000 of this important outreach ministry. Our special thanks go to the Reverend Cris Greer and to Ken Kelley for their leadership this summer. If you're interested in bringing a youth group for Towel Ministry either during the summer or a school vacation, contact Cris at Holy Cross Church, 828-963-4609.

"The facilities were excellent, the food was excellent, but what made the place extra good was the staff. Everyone was helpful, very polite, friendly. Can't say enough good about them."

- Claude Courbois, Alexandria, Virginia

	The mission of the Valle Crucis Conference Center is to inspire, by loving example and service, those who break bread with us and share in the quest for spiritual renewal, Christian community, and stewardship of the sacred place.

	The Right Reverend Robert H. Johnson Bishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina Valle Crucis Conference Center Board of Directors John Goodrich, President Sally Hatch, Vice President Margaret Lehmann, Treasurer Lawrence Byerly, Immediate Past President The Rev. Ken Asel John Cooper Tom Eshelman (ex officio) The Rev. Randolph Ferebee John Huie The Rt. Rev. Robert Johnson The Rev. Scott Oxford (ex officio) Harper Thayer David Yates Valle Crucis Conference Center Post Office Box 654 Valle Crucis, North Carolina 28691 Telephone 828-963-4453 Facsimile 828-963-8806 E-mail vccc@highsouth.com

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