TABLE OF CONTENTS:

Time to Go Home
Home--a Poem by Gerhard Frost
A Book Recommendation: The Secret Life of Bees
A Quote: "A School for Spirituality"
Peace Vigil
An ARC Recipe
Volunteer Retreat
ARC Seeks Resident Community Members
ARC Director Search
Community News
Volunteers Needed
Hoped-for Outdoor Wood Burning Furnace
Remember Your Loved Ones through a Gift to ARC
ARC Needs List
Spring Retreats at ARC
Autumn Retreats
Summer Coming Home Retreats with Jeanne Cotter
Private Retreats
Wednesday Closings
Costs
Response Form


"Time to Go Home," by Loren Halvorson

I will never forget the day of Winston Churchill's death in late January
1965. Like the ominous dates of Pearl Harbor and the untimely deaths of
President Kennedy and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. when we remember exactly
where we were and what we were doing, so Churchill's death is indelibly
imprinted in my memory. I was walking down a street in New York City just
as the newspaper trucks dumped off their loads of the latest edition with
the blazing headlines, "Churchill is dead." What was so remarkable about
that moment is that the news had a palpable effect on the people in the
street. Total strangers began talking with one another. They were no
longer isolated selves in a hustling metropolis too engaged with private
preoccupations to notice others, but suddenly a community of people bonded
by grief and talking to one another. Some years later during the power
blackout in New York City the same phenomenon happened. In darkened
streets, stalled elevators, unlit stores, public discourse was ignited by a
shared adversity.

At that time I was involved with others in trying to instigate public
discussion of the critical issues of the day through Faith in Life
Dialogues, Town Meetings and a program called Communi-action. I had learned
already how difficult it was to get people to open up to one another in
public places and share their faith and convictions. Yet, under moments of
shared duress, human communication seems to happen spontaneously. "Do we
have to wait for a catastrophe before we talk to one another?" "Should we
not be having meaningful conversations beforehand and not only afterwards?"
These questions have puzzled me ever since. The lay conference centers in
which I worked in West Germany in the early 1950s were places of lively
dialogue between many factions within the national population, but they did
not exist during the 1930s when they were desperately needed to avoid the
national disaster of Nazism.

When people no longer talk with one another about things that matter,
democratic systems cannot function. Isaiah's plea, "Come let us reason
together,” is echoed today in calls for public discourse like Margaret
Wheatley's disarmingly modest idea in her book, Turning to One Another, that
we change the world by listening to one another "in simple, honest human
conversation. Not mediation, negotiation, problem-solving, debate or public
meetings. Simple, truthful conversations where we each have a chance to
speak, we each feel heard, and we each listen well. This is how great
changes begin, when people begin talking to each other about their
experience, hopes and fears." (p. 3)

Over the years such communication often takes place at ARC. In the setting
of solitude, prayer, worship and small groups, a deeper conversation is
evoked. And it is this deeper sharing rooted in faith and reflection that
is so urgently needed but so rare in America today. At the time of this
writing our nation is poised on the brink of war with Iraq perpetrated on
the citizenry with little or no public discourse, especially not of the
quality that places such decisions under the scrutiny of the consciousness
that God's world is not one where humans can act as they please.

It is time to hearken to Isaiah's entreaty to "reason" together "heart to
heart." We need conversations about what is important that are both
interior and exterior. We need an interior conversation with the Source of
our faith, the God who is present in the depths of our own lives and is most
clearly heard in times apart in quiet reflection and listening. We need
"external" (public) conversations with others in household, neighborhood,
and work place to bring to our common discourse the depth of reflection and
insight.

People who have not engaged in these deep conversations do not know
themselves nor their own minds and are potentially dangerous, loose cannons
on the tossing deck of a turbulent world. I believe America is feared today
not primarily because we possess the most powerful weapons on earth, but
because we do not know who we are or whose we are. We've become an
unsettled, "un-moored" nation and that unsettles others. We are perceived
as a people who have not come home to ourselves. And because we no longer
feel at home with ourselves we do not feel at home with others. A
generation that has become alienated from itself becomes an alien to others.
We are becoming a homeless people in our own land. America, it is time
to come home.

At the conclusion of his book on global economic issues, Inflation and the
Compromised Church, economist-theologian Charles Eliot argues that the last
and best hope seems to be small cells of people of faith “struggling to find
new life styles, new relationships with each other, with the environment and
with national and international society. It is there, if anywhere, that one
will see the activity of God and hear the genuinely prophetic voice, as
these groups go inward in radical contemplation and outward in radical
actions.” (p. 145) “Radical” means to go to the roots. I believe that if
change is to be healthy and sustainable it must come from one’s own roots
and not foreign ones.

Home is the place where you can most be yourself, where you do not have to
pretend, where you can reset your compass, where you can drink from a deep
well, where society can be re-birthed. ARC is offering a series of retreats
on the theme, "Time to Go Home” this spring and in the fall. Three aspects
of "coming home" will be explored: coming home for God's sake, coming home
for our own sake, coming home for the world's sake. See below for more
information and to register.

Whether it is in our own household, neighborhood, workplace, profession, or
in the streets of New York, we need to go home together. I hope that during
this critical time in our history small groups of two or three from the same
"homes" of neighborhood, organization, profession, or congregation might
come to one of these ARC retreats and return resolved to "turn to one
another." America, it is time to come home.
-- Loren Halvorson

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"Home," by Gerhard Frost
(a guest shared this poem with us as a description of ARC)

Home is where you are even when you’re not;
where you unbutton whatever is pinching you,
loosen whatever is choking you,
set down whatever is breaking you,
and tell whatever is bothering you.

Home is where someone is expecting you,
where your chair, your plate,
your bed are always kept for you,
where a memory, a plan, a dream, a laugh,
or a tear is freely shared with you.

Home is where you let up and let down,
where you stop hiding and let yourself be found,
where you quit being someone else
and are just your needy little old self.

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The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Book Recommendation by Katherine Dutton

I have a hard time choosing books for ARC book retreats. I have certain
criteria: the book usually has to be fiction because that’s what I read
about 95% of the time; it has to relate somehow to spirituality or religion
so it will be appropriate for ARC as opposed to a general book club; it has
to be out in paperback, fairly popular, and widely available (preferably
sold at Target, although, of course, we hope people will purchase it at an
independent bookseller!) because otherwise we won’t get enough people for
the retreat.

As soon as I discovered The Secret Life of Bees I knew it was perfect. It’s
a wonderful story, hard to put down even. It’s serious enough to provide
good content for discussion but not too heavy. And, best of all, it makes
accessible a fascinating topic few of us know much about: the Black
Madonna. It also covers a host of other topics including racism, childhood
pain, grief, the place of memory in our lives, intergenerational
friendships, and, of course, honey making!

Intrigued? Join us for a book discussion retreat of The Secret Life of Bees
on Sat., May 17th. See below for more information.

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A School for Spirituality:
"The workplace is as good a school for spirituality as a monastery. Our
work, our homes, our neighborhoods, our public meeting places, our voting
booths, our classrooms-- all are conducive to the practice of spirituality.
Our turf, our stuff, however cluttered and discombobulated, are holy ground.
The ordinary hassles of daily living are rich soil in which to grow and
bloom."
from Adventures in Simple Living
by Rich Heffern

ARC Hosted Peace Vigil:
At ARC we have a statue that is often on the altar at worship times. It is
a circle of seven people with their arms around each other looking into the
“fire” of a burning candle. On the evening of March 16th a group of 25
people gathered in such a circle first in the ARC chapel and later outside
with candles. We shared in the Global Vigil for Peace, joining arms and
hearts with 6672 groups from 139 countries around the world.

We prayed for peace, sang, read scripture and shared personal prayers and
reflections. Those attending included community members, volunteers,
guests, and persons from the local area including wonderful children. The A
in ARC speaks of action and we were faithful to that commitment.

ARC is a place where people can come in challenging times, to share with
others of many denominations in expressing their concerns about our world.
The vigil was truly a time of grace and faith shared with others.

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Recipe Corner:
Lentil Loaf -- a new ARC favorite!
from Cook Boldly, the Holden Village Cookbook
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups dry lentils 1/2 cup olive oil
3 cups cooked rice 2 1/2 tsp. chili powder
2 eggs, beaten 1/4 tsp. cayenne
1 onion, chopped 2 tsp. dry mustard
1 cup carrots, diced or grated 3 tsp. garlic powder
1 cup celery, chopped 1 tsp. thyme
2 1/2 cups bread crumbs mushrooms (optional)
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted ketchup

Boil lentils in water until soft, about 30 min. Drain and combine with
remaining ingredients. Season to taste (above amounts make a mild loaf).
Add enough ketchup to achieve a thick paste, but not enough to overpower
spices. Place in two greased bread pans. Bake at 350 for 50-60 min.
Let set for 5 min. before slicing. Serve w/ ketchup. (Web Ed. comment:
Yes, folks, you saw right. That's ketchup!--the condiment of the masses
that our resident gourmand, Jerry Belanger, suspects of having come from the
devil's own kitchen in a subversive attempt to undermine civility, decency,
tastefulness, virtuosity, integrity, liberality, thoughtfulness .... The
Ketchup Advisory Board, in JB's opinion, is a Republican conspiracy to keep
the public mellow and content. Yet, he allows ketchup for this faux
meatloaf. Go figure. ;-))

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Volunteer Retreat:
May 23-24, 7:00 pm-4:00 pm
Let us treat you to a day at ARC in the springtime as our way of saying
“thank you” for all you have done for ARC in the past year. On Fri. eve. we
will have an “ARC Trivia Bowl” and on Sat. we will have a special worship
and brunch followed by an afternoon of time to yourself. Come join us for
all or part of this day. Volunteers will be receiving an invitation in the
mail, or call Lisa at ARC for more info.

ARC Seeks Resident Community Members:
Individuals are invited to apply to join us in our ministry of hospitality
to groups and individuals seeking rest and renewal. Primary tasks include
cooking, housekeeping, office work, and indoor and outdoor maintenance. We
provide room and board, health insurance, a monthly stipend, and perks such
as community enrichment days, a woods out your door, and baking day
sampling! We ask for a one-year commitment. We will have an opening in
mid-August. More info. and the application are available at our website:
www.arcretreat.org or call us at 763/689-3540.

ARC Director Search:
In the previous ARC newsletter, an announcement was made regarding the ARC
Board of Directors' decision to move from a Co-Director model to a single
Director model. At the most recent Board of Directors' meeting, a search
committee was established and charged with seeking candidates for this new
full-time position of Director of ARC. Those interested in this position
are invited to direct their inquiries to:
ARC Search Committee
c/o Dan Garnaas
1756 Wellesley Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55105
dgarnaas@msn.com
The Search Committee also invites people to nominate potential candidates.
Nominations should include full contact information for the nominee.

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Community News:
Community member, Lisa Nilles, will be leaving ARC the end of May and
getting married in June to Mark Halvorson, son of Ruth & Loren. Yes, they
met here! We’re grateful for all the gifts Lisa has brought to ARC this
past year, especially as a fabulous volunteer coordinator, and we wish her
and Mark many blessings in their life together.

We’ve enjoyed having some longer-term volunteers recently: Don Christiansen
who was here for the month of March, and Dwight Haberman who has been here
since January, and we will soon be welcoming Lois Neve and Sarah Verke.
It’s a delight for us to have people be a part of the ARC community for any
length of stay (see “Volunteers Needed!“ below) and we’re so grateful for
their help.

In addition, two new people will become full-time community members this
summer, Debbie Ricci and Tracy Vicory, both from the Twin Cities. Jerome
Belanger, Becky Potter, and Chris Wolf will also be staying on for another
year...YEA!

Given the ARC Board’s decision to move from two co-directors to one
director, Dwayne Daehler is planning to leave ARC, sometime this summer, but
Katherine Dutton will be applying for the position.

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Volunteers Needed:
Since the departure of two community members in late 2002, we’ve been
running a tight ship at ARC and would love some help! Our first need is for
volunteers who would be willing to commit a month or more at any time. This
is a great opportunity to experience community life at ARC, and we offer the
volunteer room, board and a small stipend, if needed.

Our second need is for volunteers who could make a regular, on-going
commitment to service at ARC on a weekly, biweekly or monthly basis sometime
during the week. We have a particular need for help with cooking,
housekeeping and yard work. Currently we have a volunteer who comes every
Thursday morning to work in the office. Her dependability and commitment to
ARC help us to accomplish a lot more than we could otherwise.

If you have an interest in either of these types of volunteer positions,
please call 763/689-3540 or e-mail us at arcretreat@hotmail.com.

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Hoped-for Outdoor Wood Burning Furnace:
We would like to purchase an outdoor wood burning furnace to replace our
current indoor model. This would be our primary source of heat for the main
lodge. It would be much more efficient, safe, economical (in the long run),
and far less labor intensive than the current system. The cost is $17,000
($5,000 of which has already been contributed). We are seeking some major
donors for this project but we don’t want it to detract from other gifts
people may make which are needed for our operating expenses. If you would
like to make a special gift to this project you may send it to ARC marked,
“Furnace Fund.” Thank you.

Remember Loved Ones through ARC:
Please consider ARC as a place to make contributions in honor or in memory
of loved ones. Also, gift certificates are nice for Mothers’ and Fathers’
Days!
Use the response form below.

ARC Needs List:
large tea pot -- remember our beautiful pottery one?... it broke :(
folding chairs
chain saws
fans (any size)
bat houses
mosquito repellant
window air conditioners
dehumidifiers
colored copier paper
lamps, end tables, chairs
flashlights, brooms
firewood
soaps for guest rooms
cat & dog food, bird seed
adding machine or large calculator

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Spring Retreats at ARC:

Fill Me, Free Me
7pm Fri-7pm Sat, May 9-10
Twenty-four hours of spiritual renewal and release with open space where
people can have their own encounter with God. Retreatants will be invited
to discern those things which they should hold onto and those things which
they need to let go for personal wholeness. Time will be spent in silence
and sharing, prayer and guided meditation. This will be a time to reflect
individually and with others. Cost: $95
Led by Kathleen Shockley, a spiritual director and member of Sacred Ground.
She has an MA in Theology and Spirituality from the College of St.
Catherine and leads workshops and retreats with a special emphasis on
deepening prayer life.

Book Discussion Retreat: The Secret Life of Bees 9:30 am-4:30pm, Sat,
May 17
The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kidd, is a wonderful novel about
memories, turbulent times, the power of women, and the divine feminine.
Come for this day of conversation about a great book, a tasty lunch, and
time for a walk in the spring woods. Read more above about the book. Cost:
$35
Led by Katherine Dutton, ARC Co-director, & Becky Potter, Community Member

A Time to Go Home Two spring offerings: 7:00 pm Fri-early aft. Sun,
May 30-June 1 or 7:00 pm Sun-early aft. Tues, June 8-10
Three aspects of going home will be explored: going home for God's sake,
going home for one's own sake, going home for the sake of others. The time
has come to rebuild healthy homes and neighborhoods. The renewal of
American society requires the re-rooting of our lives, sending our roots
deep into the soil of our faith and our family history for the sake of
building healthy neighborhoods. You are invited to explore what that means
in times of solitude and sharing with a small group at ARC. Cost: $15
Led by Ruth and Loren Halvorson, ARC founders 5

Bread Baking Retreat 7:00 pm
Fri.-4:00 pm Sat, June 20-21
It’s soul-satisfying (and fun!) to mix, knead, and bake your own bread.
Join us for a time of baking, praying, reflecting, and walking in the woods.
Open to anyone, but this time . . . adults with children are especially
welcome: fathers and sons, mothers and daughters, aunts/uncles with
nieces/nephews, grandparents, mentors, you get the idea! We’ve had several
children and youth at previous bread baking retreats and decided to offer
one specifically for such a group. Bring an apron. The kitchen is air
conditioned. Cost (includes ingredients): $80-adults, $70-youth ages
13-18, $60-children, ages 8-12
Led by Jerome Belanger, ARC Bread Baker

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Autumn Retreats:

The Journey through Grief 9:00 am Sat-Sun aft., Sept. 20-21
Integrate your grief from the death of a loved one into your life’s work.
An opportunity to reflect on the passage of time (for this retreat, at least
three years since the death). More info. in the next newsletter. Cost:
$125
Led by Julie Eckman, Spiritual Director

A Time to Go Home -- two more offerings (see description above): Sept.
14-16 and Nov. 21-23


Summer Coming Home Retreats with Jeanne Cotter:

These five-day retreats are led by composer, pianist, and vocalist Jeanne
Cotter. The days include intense music curriculum, soulful retreat
activities, renewal, introspection, and fun. Unlock a creative potential
you never thought possible!
June 21-26 Your True Voice: A Retreat for Singers
(for cantors, choir members; for the
beginning through professional singer)
June 28 - July 3 With Open Hands 1: An Introductory Level Keyboard
Improvisation Retreat
(for pianists, organists, and keyboardists)
July 5-10 With Open Hands 2: An Intermediate Level Keyboard
Improvisation Retreat
(for pianists, organists, and keyboardists)
Additional dates will be scheduled. For more information visit the website:
www.mythicrain.com. For a brochure or to register, call 651/698-7362 (or
area code 888 for toll free out-of-state calls).

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Private Retreats:
Individuals are always welcome at ARC for a time of personal retreat. This
can be for any length of stay as space is available. Rooms are private.
Guests may enjoy resting, reading, walking in the woods, or sitting in the
midst of nature in our screened gazebo or deck porch.
The hermitage, a single-person dwelling in the woods, lends itself to a more
solitary retreat. It is a bright, lofty room with a kitchenette and
screened-in porch. Also called Poustinia, which means ’desert space,’ it is
a place where one may enter into the emptiness of isolation and silence to
be encountered by God.
The cottage is a cozy but luxurious cabin available to individuals, couples,
or small groups. It has a full kitchen, bedroom, bath, large loft, deck,
and a living room with a gas fireplace and an A-frame window wall.

Wednesday Closings:
ARC is now closed on Wednesdays (Tues. after supper until Weds. after
supper), unless we have a group retreat. Wednesday is ARC’s least used day
of the week and by closing then we hope to accomplish two things: 1) to
give the community members who live in the house a real sabbath day in their
own home, 2) to provide more staff coverage on the days we’re busier. For
individuals who would like a time of private retreat mid-week, the hermitage
and cottage remain open.

Costs:
24-Hr Retreat (Sun-Thurs)...........................................$70
(includes 3 meals)
24-Hr Retreat (Fri/Sat).................................................$75
(includes 3 meals)
Weekend Retreat (Fri eve-Sun aft).............................$145 (includes
5 meals)
Day Retreat (9-4)................$20 Weekdays, $25 Weekends (includes 1
meal)
ARC-Led Weekend....................................................$155
(includes 5 meals)
Hermitage (24 hrs)..............$70 Weekdays, $75 Weekends (includes 3
meals)
Cottage..............................................Call/e-mail for rates

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Response Form
Print out and Mail to: ARC Retreat Center, 1680-373rd Ave. NE, Stanchfield,
MN 55080

Name(s): ______________________________________________Phone: (____)
_____________

Street Address:
__________________________________________________________________

City: ___________________________________ State: __________ Zip:
___________________

Special Needs (diet, accessibility, etc.):
_______________________________________________

PLEASE CHECK APPROPRIATE ITEMS:
___ I am registering for the following retreat(s):
_______________________________________ __________________
___________________
Retreat Title Retreat Date Deposit Enclosed
($35 per person per night, nonrefundable)
___ I am contributing to the ARC retreat ministry with a gift of
$___________.
(in honor or in memory of a loved one
____________________________________________)
___ I am moving. My new address is above. (All gifts
are tax deductible.)
___ I would like a Gift Certificate. Please include name of recipient,
address (if you’d like it sent directly) and payment. Rates are above.

For private retreat, call 763/689-3540.
Office hours: 9 am to 5 pm
e-mail: arcretreat@hotmail.com
Web-site: www.arcretreat.org

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