In January I had the pleasure of listening to The Rt. Rev. William Swing, the Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, at the annual meeting of the Episcopal Camps and Conference Centers Association. While his talks were far reaching, much of his conversation centered on the United Religions Initiative and what this movement means to camps and conference centers around the world. Our world is continually fractured by the lack of understanding and respect for those of other faith traditions.

One way we as an Episcopal conference center can serve and glorify God is through our open approach to hospitality to all people, all of God’s beloved children. We are in an excellent position to set the example for others to follow. We can set that example by respecting the sacred wisdom of each religion, spiritual expression and indigenous tradition. We must live the Gospel by remembering that we are all brothers and sisters on this fragile island planet we call home.

Here at the Valle Crucis Conference Center we will continue our ministry of hospitality, to be a place of reflection and renewal that welcomes persons of all faiths. God loves all the children – and we are all God’s children – of the world. As our own Bishop Johnson likes to say, “GOD IS GOOD. ALL THE TIME!”

- Tom Eshelman, Executive Director

Keep up to date on all of the happenings at the Valle Crucis Conference Center with our Schedule of Events.

As many of you noticed with our last newsletter, we experienced a major computer virus in late 2001 which scrambled many of the names and address in our mailing list of over 5,000 names. If you have received a newsletter which is addressed to the wrong person at your address, please take the time to call or e-mail with the correct listing. Again, we apologize for this error.

In March we changed our e-mail address. The new address will be vccc@highsouth.com. Our website address remains the same at www.highsouth.com/vallecrucis.

I sing a song of the Saints of God, patient and brave and true ... Ralph Tilden provides a closer look at Father Leach and Brother Skiles ... Continue.

In August 2001 as part of our long range plan we hired Appalachian Ecological Consultants to conduct a Biological Assessment of the Conference Center property. What they found was a rich bio-diversity of terrain, wildlife species and observed plant species. They found areas of “Old Growth Forest” a former wetland (which we are in the process of monitoring for a future restoration project by NCSU), wet and dry rock out-croppings, acidic coves, and others. The report lists over 240 plant species and about 100 wildlife species, including 3 rare plant and 3 rare animal species.

A copy of this report has been provided online courtesy of Christopher R. Wilson, M.S., and may be downloaded here (PDF, 2624K). NOTE: This is a large file, so please be patient!

A copy is also available at the VCCC office.

In January our Board of Directors traveled to Kanuga Conference Center to present our long range plan to the Bishop and the Executive Council of our Diocese. This report was the culmination of an intensive year long process under the leadership of consultant Don Weyl. Our study found the number one priority for future growth of the Conference Center is the need to build a new meeting space that will better serve the varied needs of our many guests. In addition we recommend moving the maintenance shop to a new building on the lower property and an energy efficient retrofit including the addition of bathrooms to the Farm House. These projects will be funded with the money we received from the sale of In-the-Oaks Conference Center. In addition the Board is requesting the placing of conservation easements on the property in order to protect and preserve this place for our future generations.

The Conference Center will be entering into an agreement with the Sustainable Development Department of ASU to use a portion of the property for their students to use for field site projects. They will grow a variety of herbs, berries, and vegetables under different conditions in both the bottom land as well as mountain fields. As this program develops other disciplines in this department will be doing various experiments in sustainable living on Conference Center property. We look forward to a long relationship with the University and no, we will not be painting the barns Black and Gold!

Our special thanks to these individuals & organizations for their generosity in giving to the Center in recent months:

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 this sacred place.

The Right Reverend Robert H. Johnson
Bishop of the Diocese of Western North Carolina

David Yates, President
Ralph Tilden, Vice President
Diana White, Treasurer
The Rev. Tim McRee, Secretary

Brenda Binning
The Rev. Brian Cole
Billy DuBose
Tom Eshelman (ex officio)
Jaan Ferree
John Huie
Nina-Jo Moore
Judy Teele