Hospitality
ARC offers a quiet place and a
reflective atmosphere for individuals and groups who seek to slow down the pace
of life, restore balance, and deepen relationships with self, others and God.
The ARC retreat community is committed to
welcoming all persons who are on spiritual journeys of search and renewal.
ARC strives to live out a creative, yet simple
lifestyle with a focus on peace and justice, unity and ecumenism, and
environmental concerns through the integration of action, reflection, and
celebration. A small resident community offers hospitality, manages the house and grounds,
tends the garden, plans worship, facilitates retreats, prepares meals and
performs the other services of ARC's ministry.

The ARC kitchen is well known for
its wholesome, homemade food. The simple yet tasty meals respect the global view
that invites us to live more with less.
Part of our understanding of what it means to live a
simpler lifestyle includes trying to consume less and to eat a more
wholesome diet. We cook and bake with whole grains, use less sugar, and rely
more on vegetables and legumes as a primary source of protein. Meat is used
occasionally in main dishes rather than as a principal menu item. ARC also
has three published cookbooks.
If you have any special dietary needs, please
inform us at the time of your reservatoin.
Meals are important times of sharing. However, if you choose to be alone,
you may elect to take a tray to your room, or have a basket delivered to
Cottage or Hermitage.
Retreat
Retreat is an intentional time set apart for
silence, attentive listening, and for opening oneself to the movement of God's
Spirit in our lives. Time apart helps one gain new perspectives, be healed, reestablish
priorities, or move beyond superficiality. Personal renewal comes through a
deepened self engaged in a widened world. The journey inward (personal renewal)
and journey outward (social justice) are inseparable aspects of the spiritual
life.
Also, facilitated retreats are offered by ARC on a
range of topics announced in the quarterly newsletter, website or planned together with a
scheduled group. Other groups may bring
their own leadership, and, of course, we serve individuals in private retreat.
Spiritual companioning (spiritual
direction) and massage can be arranged upon request. A Spiritual Companion
provides a sacred space in which to accompany a person in listening, exploring
and discerning the presence of the Divine in one’s life.
". . . without silence
words lose their meaning; without listening, speaking no longer heals." ~
Henri Nouwen