Hi! Immediately after I returned from 6 weeks in England this summer, I started a new volunteer job, hosting a monthly retreat day at Starrette Farm Retreat Center in Statesville, NC.
This is a daytime retreat called Quiet Space Friday. It has been held for about 13 years on the second Friday of the month. I am very honored to host this now, for the owners, Ann and Tom Starrette. I am grateful for this wonderful opportunity for ministry that God has opened for me.
The idea for this retreat is to set aside a day to get away from everything that distracts us, like noise and TV and phones and media. We all stay so busy these days and are surrounded by so much stimulation, that intentionally setting aside an occasional day for silence helps to re-calibrate us back to our center. Our goal is to provide a gentle, refreshing day so our guests can rest and enter silence, and connect with God.
Many people bring a notebook for journaling. Lots of reading material is available in the Retreat House.
The private Starrette Farm Retreat Center is beautiful, spanning 50 acres of rolling woodland just outside Statesville, NC.
Guests can settle in to a chair by a window
or write at a desk, take a walk outside in the woods to be immersed in nature, sit on the decks in the sun,
walk our 7-circuit labyrinth, sit on a bench in the shade, or relax beside the pond.
Starrette Farm is also a member of the worldwide Quiet Garden Movement.
I feel a connection with my friends in England because the Scargill Community is also part of this association. The Quiet Garden Movement nurtures access to outdoor spaces for prayer, contemplation, rest, and inspiration.
My job as hostess is to manage the registrations each month, contact the guests by email before arrival, and be present at the retreat center to help everyone get settled in, answer any questions that might come up, and pray for the guests during the day. And generally be quietly available as needed.
Everyone loves coming to Starrette Farm. You can feel yourself begin to relax as soon as you turn onto the gravel drive that winds past the white fence, and down through the woods. We are so fortunate to be able to experience this beautiful place that Ann and Tom Starrette have so lovingly designed and generously planned as a quiet place of sanctuary for their guests.
You can read more about it and even register online at this website: https://www.thelydiagroup.com/quiet-space-fridays/
There is also a downloadable brochure you can link to from that website.
If you want to contact me directly about Quiet Space Fridays, you can email me at QuietSpaceFridays@gmail.com.
Till next time,
Deep Peace to you,
from Audrey Brendel in North Carolina
