A Historic Winter Retreat

A few old-timers sat at my table in the Camp Cedar Cliff dining hall. Stories from retreats gone by inspired more stories from veteran campers. Almost thirty years of history passed in the time it took for us to finish dinner. They covered a lot of ground. Food quality was the most passionate and puzzling topic. What is a plate of soup? The food stories ended in unanimous opinion—this year’s cook deserved the ‘best ever’ award.

The Youth Winter Retreat was historic in other ways too. For starters, this year’s retreat straddled the equinox—starting on the last day of winter and ending on the first day of spring. Thirteen degree January weather was replaced by days warm enough for shorts and sandpit volleyball. It just wasn’t right. Not to worry though— I have it on good authority that next year we’re retreating back to January. Winter is coming.

The biggest and most exciting change to this year’s retreat was the rekindling of an historic alliance. FUMC Waynesville joined with Grace Church in the Mountains—fifty youth (25 first-timers) and thirty adults—braved the extreme temperatures and the ever-present threat of being pranked by a gang of sixth-graders. Grace’s rector, The Rev. Joslyn Schaefer, was a main session speaker, and Madison Owen, Grace’s director of parish programs created and implemented the small group curriculum. This ‘new’ partnership triggered some cool memories from days gone by—about 167 years worth of days gone by! In 1855, three congregations shared The Methodist Church building which sat on top of Green Hill (now the Green Hill Cemetery). The small frame building was used on alternate Sundays by the Methodists, Presbyterians and Episcopalians. Years later, as an expression of their gratitude, the Episcopal congregation presented a pulpit Bible to the Methodist Church, which is still being used at FUMC. In the 1880’s, that small frame building was moved from the top of Green Hill to Pigeon Street, and is now home to Jones Temple AME Zion Church. I’m still waiting for an old-timer to tell me exactly how that happened!

Joslyn shared this note found on the inside cover of their pulpit Bible:
“This Bible presented by the First Methodist Church of Waynesville to Grace Church in the Mountains in recognition of her achievement in completing the new Sanctuary and Parish facilities, and in happy recollection of Grace Church’s gift of the Pulpit Bible now in use in the Methodist Church, made Christmas 1879, and in token of the Good Will and Fellowship that has existed for nearly a century and continues to flourish between the two congregations.” -December, 1957.

It continued to flourish at Camp Cedar Cliff—a delightful reminder that we always have been and always will be better together.

“All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their possessions and goods and distribute the proceeds to all, as any had need. Day by day, as they spent time together in the temple, they broke bread at home and ate their food with glad and generous hearts, praising God and having the goodwill of the people. And day by day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” —Acts 2:44-47