Creating SABBATH time is both needed and faithful. Yet how difficult it is to practice. Make it a priority and reap the harvest of blessings God intends for you.
Sabbath Life is an ecumenical invitation to Christian ministry professionals to practice the rhythms of Sabbath once a month over a nine month period, March – November. An eight person cohort will meet 9:00 am – 4:00 pm the first Monday of each month (2nd Monday in July and September) at Sabbath Soil, the Lutheridge home of Pastors Beth and Doug Kearney in Arden, North Carolina.
To learn more about the Sabbath Life program, click HERE, or watch a short video introduction, HERE.
To register for Sabbath Life in Western NC (on Sabbath Soil),contact Beth Kearney: bkkearney@gmail.com
Sabbath Life: Rhythm of the Day ~ Welcome + Work + Table + Silence + Reflection
This Western North Carolina cohort of the Sabbath Life ministry is a new expansion into the mountains of North Carolina, serving professional church leaders in Asheville and surrounding environs. Following the rhythm above, we offer a day that is both faithful to the mission of Sabbath Life and distinctive as well.
Welcome: Beth and Doug Kearney welcome you to their home in Arden, NC. Located on a half-acre adjacent to the woods and trails of Lutheridge Camp and Conference Center, they offer respite in the midst of south Asheville sprawl, with organic garden, small apiary, and lots of shade for hammocks, benches and chairs. Beth is an ELCA (Lutheran) pastor, recently retired, who served for twenty-five years as Assistant to the Bishop in Salisbury, NC. Doug, also a retired Luthern pastor, served many years as a certified transition pastor in conflicted congregations in three denominations and as a consultant for the Center for Congregational Health.
The heart of Sabbath Life is time spent within the healing rhythms of creation and Christian community.
Work: Our primary focus for morning work will be at The Lord’s Acre, Fletcher, a small and growing garden that produces high quality produce for clients of the Calvary Food Pantry, just a five-minute drive from home base. Doug is the garden manager. Our work is prayer with God and a witness to our, and God’s, desire that all people have access to the goodness of the created world.
Table: Lunch will be at the Kearney’s home, and will be a healthy, simple and delilcious meal, with ingredients sustainably produced and locally sourced, including produce from the Kearney garden when possible.
The blessing of Sabbath Life is God’s re-creating power found in silence and prayer.
Silence: You may sit in the shade of a tree and watch the bees or smell fresh bare soil in the garden. You can wander miles of wooded trails or sit at a bench overlooking the lake at Lutheridge Camp. Mary Canniff-Kuhn, pastor, artist, and certified spiritual director, will offer those interested opportunities for prayerful use of imagination and materials to engage with God in creative ways. We are fortunate to have Mary present with us at other times of the day as well.
Reflection: We end together as we gather learnings from the day and plan to make an intentional transition back to our daily rhythm of work and prayer. You will leave with a bag of local produce and recipe ideas for its use. You will also take a refreshed spirit and tools to grow the Sabbath habit.
Cost and Registration
For more information about Sabbath Life in Western North Carolina – on Sabbath Soil – contact Beth Kearney at bkkearney@gmail.com or 704-754-0364.
This program is offered through the North Carolina Synod of the ELCA.
If you would like to extend your stay, lodging is usually available at Lutheridge Retreat Center. Click the link for more information about options and costs.
