When I came upon this quote at the beginning of Wendell Berry's book, A Continuous Harmony, I knew it resonated with the vision we are developing for the Valle Crucis Conference Center. I speak and write often about our ministry of hospitality here, but this quote offers a new twist to that theology. The Valle Crucis Conference Center does not just welcome other guest; we are a guest ourselves. Yes, we, too, are a guest in this sacred valley, this holy place. We are God's guest here and we have been entrusted with a beautiful, spiritually rich and historic piece of God's creation. Every decision we make here, especially in regards to land use, must reflect that we are using the earth with gratitude and a thoughtful vision for the future.

We can glibly say that we are "deeply rooted on sacred ground" or we can truly take it to heart and live that as our vision. Hard as it is with pressing financial needs and encroaching development, I vote that we not only welcome guests but that we also live as one. Thanks be to God!

- Tom Eshelman, Executive Director

• Spirituality & The Arts - June 18-20, 1999 - Join us for one of three workshops during this special program weekend featuring the arts. All start with dinner on Friday night and end with lunch on Sunday. There will be opportunities to view the work of the participants in the other workshops as well as shared slide presentations by the instructors. The workshops are as follows:
  • Discovering the Artist Within - instructed by Noyes Capehart Long;
  • Journals & Journaling - instructed by Benares Finan-Eshelman and Amy Cook;
  • Honey in the Heart (Drum Building Workshop) - instructed by Tom Harris.
• Summer and Fall Retreats for Caregivers - July 26-28 and October 4-6 - Rest, art, writing shared reflections, music, and play will be the significant dimensions of this experience designed to renew heart, soul, and spirit.
• Labyrinth Programs
  • New Year's Eve Retreat - December 31, 1999 - January 2, 2000;
  • Quiet Days With The Labyrinth - May 24, 1999 and October 11, 1999;
  • Labyrinth Volunteer Training - June 13-15, 1999;
  • Open Walks - June 11, July 28, August 21, and September 24, 1999.

More information on all of these programs may be obtained on our Schedule of Events.

The Valle Crucis Conference Center has been awarded a $10,000 grant from the Pearl Dixon Balthis Foundation to assist with costs of replacing the sewer and septic system. We are delighted to receive this support and truly appreciate the continued friendship and support of the Balthis Foundation. We persevere to finalize the system's engineering plans and to raise the remaining funds needed to complete the installation of this new and much needed system.

As a joint ministry with the Diocese, the Center takes the labyrinth to other parishes and their communities during the winter months. This year we traveled to Burnsville (hosted by St. Thomas, Burnsville and Trinity, Spruce Pine); to Asheville (hosted by All Souls Cathedral and Grace Church); to Gastonia (hosted by First United Methodist Church); and to Highlands (hosted by the Episcopal Church of the Incarnation). Our special thanks to these parishes and their outstanding volunteers who helped host the labyrinth. Over 400 people have walked the labyrinth "on the road" - plus another 125 walked it in November at our Diocesian convention. It is not too early to book a labyrinth presentation for next winter as several churches have already don this. Contact us for available dates. For more information on the Labyrinth, please visit our Labyrinth page.

At the November annual meeting, new board members and officers were elected and began serving their terms of office in January 1999. New board members are: Ralph Tilden, Church of the Holy Cross, Valle Crucis; Ann Holtz, St. James, Knoxville, Tennessee; Billy DuBose, St. Martin's in the Fields, Columbia, South Carolina; Nina-Jo Moore, Church of the Holy Cross, Valle Crucis; and Diana Mast White, Church of the Holy Cross, Valle Crucis. The new officers are: President, John Goodrich; Vice President, John Huie; Secretary, David Yates; and Treasurer, Sally Hatch.

At the December meeting of the VCCC Board of Directors, four board members, whose terms ended with this meeting, were commended and presented with gifts thanking them for their dedicated service. Each one received a handblown glass oil lamp crafted by a North Carolina artisan.

Executive Director Tom Eshelman, thanking these board members - Larry Byerly, John Cooper, Morgan Gardner, and Margaret Lehmann - for outstanding service, said, "You are like these lamps - unique, one-of-a-kind. We give you a gift because you have shared your gifts through your service on our Board. And you, like these lamps, have truly been a light to the Valle Crucis Conference Center. We are truly thankful." The Board also presented a rocking chair to the Center in honor of Larry Byerly for his outstanding service as Board President.

We receive many compliments about the beautiful flowers and herbs in the various beds on the grounds of the Center. The talent and green thumb behind all this colorful and fragrant beauty belongs to our gardener, Ramsey Knight. Ramsey has gardened professionally since 1996, but has been gardening for the joy of it since the early 1980's.

She keeps very busy here at the Center. She planted over 1,500 bulbs - crocus, daffodil, and grape hyacinth - in 1997 and then planted an additional 1,000 in 1998. She completely redid our meditation garden and planted an herb garden going up the stone steps which is used by our kitchen staff. She added to our St. Francis garden, started by Dorcas Jones and Mary Kick, which is right outside the Center's office. Ramsey created a butterfly garden in the park by the small waterfall and also keeps the area around our Conference Center sign adorned with an array of seasonal flowers.

When she is not busy tending our gardens, she stays active with her delightful family: husband Richard and sons Ezra and Liam. We are blessed to have Ramsey as part of our staff family.

The renovation of our newest meeting space, Crab Orchard Hall, is finished except for one area: the library. We are working to transform the smaller room in this building into a library that can be used both for our conference center guests and by the local community. The maintenance staff at the Center are constructing built-in bookshelves, but we would like to have some furniture to make this room really welcoming both as a library and as a small group meeting room. We are hoping for two wing chairs, a small desk with chair, and possibly a small loveseat. We do request that the furniture either actually be new or look new. We would also welcome your donation of books of religious and spiritual themes for the library.

Our thanks to all of you who contributed crosses for the rooms at the Center. We can still use additional ones. We hope to have a cross in every room by the end of this year.

• Furniture (new or almost new): Two wing chairs, loveseat, small desk (with chair), lamps;
• Books for the library;
• Crosses (to hang in each of the guest rooms);
• Birdfeeders, birdhouses, and birdbaths.

Recently the Center received a generous bequest from the estate of Miriam Glovier Rabb in honor of her father Mont Glovier to be used for maintenance of the red barn in the hay field and other farm projects. We felt it would be of interest to our readers to tell you more about the important role the Glovier family played in the history of the Valle Crucis Conference Center. Please Click Here.

No matter how much we value our heritage here at the Valle Crucis Conference Center, there are some things we just don't want our guests experiencing again!

Most of you have heard that we are in the process of replacing our aging septic and sewer system. We have been working with the North Carolina Department of Health, the engineering firm of Davis, Martin, Powell, and Associates, and the Diocese of Western North Carolina, preparing to replace our system this spring or summer. In truth, it needs to be done as soon as possible.

What will make it possible is raising the needed funds: $200,000. Thanks to generous grants from both the Janirve Foundation and the Balthis Foundation, we are on our way. We are also fortunate that both our current board members and several of our former board members have already made very altruistic contributions. We are truly grateful for these gifts, as they were in addition to the board's gifts to our annual fund.

There is nothing glamorous about a sewer and septic system. No matter what angle you look at it, there's just no way to make it pretty - though it is predicted that our hayfield which will be planted over the system will be exceptionally green!

We hope that you, as a friend to the Center, will consider a gift to this totally unglamorous but absolutely essential project. If you'd like to make a large gift, God bless you! But remember all gifts are appreciated. In fact, for only $15 you can sponsor your very own square foot of the septic field. If each person on our mailing list of over 3500 individuals and organizations, buys one square foot, we will raise over $50,000. If each person buys 3 square feet for a contribution of $45, even better. And better yet, maybe your youth group, your choir, your vestry, or your family would like to go in together and buy multiple square feet! Just think, the next time when you visit the Center, you can sit in the rocking chairs on our porch, gaze out, and say, "See that square foot over on the left side of that field? That's my little piece of septic system!"

Feel free to make your gift in honor of someone. One of our donors made his gift in honor of a friend that he says truly deserves sewer recognition! Whether you honor friends or enemies or just make a gift in your own name, we are grateful. Please forward checks to

Don't forget to write "Septic System" on your check. Thank you!

We thank you for your continuing support of our ministry here in Valle Crucis.
It's true: we couldn't do it without you!

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

John Goodrich, President
John Huie, Vice President
Sally Hatch, Treasurer
David Yates, Secretary

The Rev. Ken Asel
Billy DuBose III
Tom Eshelman (ex officio)
The Rev. Randolph Ferebee
Ann Holtz
The Rt. Rev. Robert Johnson
Nina-Jo Moore
The Rev. Scott Oxford (ex officio)
Harper Thayer
Ralph Tilden
Diana White