TABLE OF CONTENTS
Newsletter Article: "Living with the Presence of this Absence"
Book Recommendations
Upcoming ARC Retreats
Response Form
A Bread-Baking Testimonial
Looking Ahead--Retreats Next Spring
Private Retreats
Retreat Arrangements and Costs
ARC Announces Two Sojourns
Community News
A Poem: "In That Moment" by Jerry Belanger
ARC Needs List
Recipe Corner: Apple Cake



"LIVING WITH THE PRESENCE OF THIS ABSENCE"
On Labor Day my sister found our mother fallen on the floor of her apartment. After that, we decided to move her into assisted-care living. I could not have anticipated the empty feeling I felt as this move seemed to shout at me, “This is the next-to-the-last page of her life!” What do you do with an emptiness in your soul, a void in your heart?

I stayed with her for her first night in her new quarters in case she needed assistance. That was the night of September 10. The next morning, as her clock ticked toward 8 am, we went to breakfast in the dining room where we heard news of a plane crashing into a tower of the World Trade Center and an expert saying on television, “this was an accident waiting to happen.” Then the second crash. And the third and fourth. The terrorist attacks ripped my soul, and the souls of most Americans. We now suffer an open wound of vulnerability, our collective illusion of security crumpled into rubble leaving a void haunted by shadowy fears. What do you do with a wound in your soul, a void in your heart?

We reached for what was first and most easily available-- a shoulder for sharing tears, prayers both personal and communal, conversations the likes of which we’d never had before, candled vigils in the night, phone calls to friends distant in place and time, stars and stripes, snapshots of the missing taped to windows and walls, donations of money and blood, uncharacteristic courtesy and sensitivity to others; these offered first-aid for the emptiness we felt. As persons and as a people, what do we do with the hole in our souls, the void in our hearts?

Within a week after the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center, architects and others were already suggesting what should be erected in Manhattan’s void. Eric Darton, author of Divided We Stand: A Biography of New York City’s World Trade Center, had this suggestion: “We need,” he said, “to first live with the presence of this absence.” He understood that the attack on the World Trade Center created a breach in the souls and psyches of Americans as gaping as the breach in the landscape of lower Manhattan, and this, too, needed care. Hence his advice (wise in my opinion): “Live with the presence of this absence.”

Generally speaking, we Americans don’t do absence or emptiness. And if we must, we tend not to do it well, eager to fill it with something. What we do is abundance, action, triumph, noise. Therefore, in the days following September 11 we’ve been given, and in some instances gratefully welcomed, Washington’s medicine for the ache in our national soul: round-ups of suspected collaborators, F.B.I. investigations, warnings of military reprisals, testosterone promises to rid the world of evil, National Guard troops at airports, every citizen a vigilante, bombs hailed on Afghanistan, and sermons about evil preached by our president with the fervor of a tent-evangelist. (He used the word evil 18 times in his October 11 press conference.)

The President also tells Americans to get on with their lives. Typically we will get on with our routine business. That’s what we Americans do best after a crisis even without presidential prompting. It is a chief way we deal with a void, an emptiness. But if we dare pause, as I hope we often do, we’ll notice our sense of vulnerability, our uncertainty about the future, our confusion about how to protect ourselves, our disorientation in the overturned world this attack has created. Perhaps we will recognize in these feelings the void in our hearts, the emptiness in our souls. Can we live a while with the presence of this absence, this emptiness?

I know—it’s scary to live with the presence of absence. In it we may discover something of a terrorist within ourselves. We may discover, presidential preaching aside, that it’s not just bad people who do evil things, but good people, too. Good people like us, like us Americans. Unwelcome self-discoveries can happen in emptiness. But so, too, can transforming revelations.

Living a while with emptiness, with the presence of absence is at the heart of the Christian spiritual journey. I had a seminary professor who often said our theology of Christ must be grounded in Christ’s self-emptying (based on the Philippians verse about Christ having “emptied himself”). Clearly, then, the Christian spiritual journey must also be one of self-emptying. Of course, oftentimes it is not we who do the self-emptying but God who uses our life experience to empty us—even horrible life experiences such as this terrorist attack.

Why the necessity of emptiness? Because, as writer Dawna Markova says her devoutly Jewish grandmother used to tell her, “You can’t grab God. You just have to become empty. Then God will have a space to enter.”

Without emptiness in us, God has no space to enter since God will enter only on God’s terms, not on ours. This in itself can be frightening for it is human nature to prefer being religious or spiritual to being encountered by God on God’s terms. It can also be disturbing, for, likely as not, God will not come to us as we wish or expect God to—for example, not on trumpet blasts but on whispers in silence, nor garbed in language of religious rhetoric or political correctness, but in the slip-shod speech of the street and the “unenlightened” common person. Then, too, the patient waiting on God can be so wearying. And the changes God might work in us can also seem threaten-ing even while working wholeness in us.

Both Jewish and Christian traditions have long had a name for this empty space where God can enter. They have called it a “desert” or “wilderness.” I sense many of us, after the terrorist attack, are in a desert place. We’ve been stripped of our certainties, our securities, our safeties. Contrary to how we may feel about it, this is a good place to be. For it is a place where God can work in us to make us more whole so we can make our world more whole.

Already I’ve heard people say the September 11 attack has led them to reassess their priorities, to reevaluate their life choices. The desert moves one to do that. Ultimately it is this that gives me hope for our future, not pie-in-the-sky promises to completely rid the world of terrorism. Can we live a while with the presence of this absence? Dare we not?
--Dwayne Daehler
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BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS

New and timely in the ARC bookshop is the book, Peace is the Way: Writings on Nonviolence from the Fellowship of Reconciliation edited by Walter Wink. This volume contains sixty original and classic essays on the theory, practice, and spirituality of non-violence. From Mahatma Gandhi to Dorothy Day to Thich Nhat Hanh, Peace is the Way provides an indispensable collection of writings from the greatest peacemakers of our time. It is an inspiring chronicle of the global movement for peace for all who wish to share in building a more just and peaceful world. The Fellowship of Reconciliation, founded in 1914 and based in New York, is the leading ecumenical peace organization in the US.

For a wonderful book about a desert experience, try the classic children’s book, The Other Way to Listen by Byrd Baylor. When you know “the other way to listen,” you can hear wild-flower seeds bursting open. You can hear rocks murmuring and hills singing, and it seems “like the most natural thing in the world.” Of course it takes a lot of practice, and you can’t be in a hurry. Most people never hear these things at all. With striking line drawings by Peter Parnall. Other great books by the same author and artist include Everybody Needs a Rock, I’m in Charge of Celebrations, and The Way to Start a Day.

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UPCOMING ARC RETREATS

Silent Advent Retreat: Listening for God 7 pm Fri-Sun aft, Nov 30 -Dec 2
An opportunity to take some quiet time as Advent begins, to prepare inwardly for Christmas. There will be some optional sessions during which we will consider how to listen attentively for God in our lives. Come and enjoy the beauty of this special season.
Led by Ann Bergstrom, chaplain and spiritual director Cost: $145
and Katherine Dutton, ARC co-director

Annual New Year’s Eve Retreat 7 pm Mon-Tues aft, Dec 31-Jan 1
Come to a place where the world still makes sense. This retreat will provide an alternative celebration in a quiet, contemplative atmosphere. Join us for a time of reflection on the passing year and looking ahead in hope.
Led by the ARC Community Cost: $75

A Celebration of Winter 7pm Fri-Sun aft, Jan 18- 20
Winter can be a magical season when the woods are dressed in snowy filigrees. It can also be a sober season, metaphor of death. This is the wonder of winter—its paradoxes that play in our minds. This retreat will also have its paradoxes, a blend of playfulness and seriousness. We’ll enjoy the outdoors and talk about “wintry spirituality.” Bring snowshoes and cross-country skis.
Led by Dwayne Daehler, ARC co-director Cost: $145

Blessedness in the Void: Desert Spirituality 7 pm Fri-Sun aft, Feb 8-10
The desert is a desolate place. We think of it as geographical, but it is also emotional and spiritua1—a space of loss, disorientation, dryness. The irony is that God offers many gifts in the desert. In this retreat we will consider the blessedness in the void. We will review desert influences in Jewish and Christian theology and reflect on our own desert experiences. A fitting retreat to prepare for Lent!
Led by Dwayne Daehler, spiritual director and desert sojourner Cost: $145

Nurturing Body and Soul: A Bread Baking Retreat 4 pm Sat-4 pm Sun, Feb 9-10
It’s soul-satisfying to mix, knead, and bake your own bread. Join us for a time of creative nurturance through baking, praying, reflecting, and walking in the snowy woods. Registration is limited to the first six registrants--our kitchen is only so big! Bring an apron.
Led by Jerry Belanger, ARC community Cost (includes ingredients): $85

Couples Retreat: Partnership--The Art of Faithfulness 7 pm Fri-Sun aft, Feb 15-17
This retreat for couples will explore what it means to be faithful to one another, to oneself, and to God. There will be time for each other, time with the gathered community, and time alone.
Led by Ruth and Loren Halvorson, ARC Founders Cost: $145

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RESPONSE FORM
Print out and mail to: ARC Retreat Center, 1680-373rd Ave. NE, Stanchfield, MN 55080
Phone: 763-689-3540

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 $______.
___ I am contributing to the scholarship fund with a gift of $______ . (All gifts are tax deductible.)
___ I am moving. My new address is above.
___ I would like to volunteer on a weekend ___ or weekday ____. Please call me.

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A BREAD-BAKING TESTEMONIAL
My experience on the Bread Making Retreat was a positive one. I never usually get to make bread, so this was fun for me. I loved kneading the bread as well as adding all the ingredients together. It was the most fun I’ve had with my mom in years.
-- Michelle McFarlane, age 10 (who came with her mom, Pat, to the last bread baking retreat)
Bring your daughter, son, friend or just yourself, and come to our next one, Feb. 9-10!

There is such beauty in bread--
beauty of sun and soil,
beauty of patient toil.
Winds and rains caressed it ,
Christ often blessed it.

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LOOKING AHEAD--RETREATS NEXT SPRING (watch for announcements):

“The Art of Faith: Creativity and the Spiritual Journey” (May 15-19)
led by artists Mark Faris and Peter Rosenkvist
“Listening to Dreams” led by Katherine Dutton
“Photography and Contemplative Seeing” led by Dwayne Daehler (April 19-21)

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, skiing, or sitting by the fireplace and looking out the huge A-frame window.

The hermitage, a single-person dwelling in the woods, lends itself to a more solitary retreat. Also called Poustinia, which means ‘desert space,’ the hermitage is a bright, lofty room with a kitchenette and screened-in porch. The setting is ideal for those desiring more solitude. It is a place where one may enter into the emptiness of isolation and silence to be encountered by God.

The cottage is our newest space, a cozy but luxurious cabin available to individuals, couples, or small groups. It has a full kitchen, bedroom, bath, loft, and a living room with a gas fireplace and an A-frame window wall.
Call to make arrangements.

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RETREAT ARRANGEMENTS AND COSTS
To arrange a group or private retreat, call (763)689-3540.
Office hours: 9 am to 5 pm
e-mail: arcretreat@hotmail.com
Web-site: www.arcretreat.org

24-Hr Retreat (Sun-Thurs)...........................................$65
24-Hr Retreat (Fri/Sat).................................................$70
Weekend Retreat (Fri eve-Sun aft).............................$125
Day Retreat (9-4)................$20 Weekdays, $25 Weekends
ARC-Led Weekend....................................................$135
Hermitage (24 hrs)..............$65 Weekdays, $70 Weekends
Cottage..........................................................Call for rates

Rates are slightly higher for profit-making organizations.

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ARC ANNOUNCES TWO SOJOURNS

A Desert Sojourn, June 22 – June 30, 2002
From the ancient Hebrews to certain prophets to Jesus to the desert abbas and immas, the desert was a place of spiritual formation. This will be a sojourn to the Midwest’s own desert --the Badlands of South Dakota. There will be daily presentations, group conversations on the spirituality of the desert, and plenty of time for individual reflection. Daily worship will be based on the theme. We will travel by van and camp in the national park. Cost is $550/person and includes 2 overnights at ARC, travel, meals, and camping costs. Led by Dwayne Daehler, spiritual director and desert sojourner.

Pilgrimage to Switzerland, October 4-18, 2002
Rescheduled from 2001, this pilgrimage will include visits to Geneva (home of the World Council of Churches, the International Red Cross, and other international bodies), to Grandchamp Community in Switzerland where Ruth was inspired to begin ARC Retreat Center, to Sonnenhoff Community near Basel, and to Wengen—a picturesque Swiss village at the base of the Jungfraujoch Mountain closed to cars and busses. Cost is $2,499. Please turn to the "Pilgrimages" page on our website for itinerary and other information. Led by Ruth and Loren Halvorson, ARC founders.

Phone, write, or e-mail ARC for full information about these sojourns.

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COMMUNITY NEWS

During his first trip all the way up the North Shore of Lake Superior, Jerome Belanger was inspired to write the poem to the right. He and Mark Faris spent several days this summer at the family cabin of Dave Tidball. Katherine Dutton also likes to retreat at the North Shore and spent a week in August at Bob’s Cabins just south of Two Harbors, a place whose philosophy is very similar to ARC’s.


"IN THAT MOMENT," A Poem by Jerry Belanger
It’s in that moment...
when you leave the Shores of Lake Superior
and ascend the heights of the Gunflint Trail.

It’s in that moment...
when you pause at the overview on the Trail,
when you gaze upon Superior and it’s lofty Shores.

It’s in that moment...
When you step off the Trail,
down this meandering path into this hidden valley,
only to discover a lake set in the silence of the Forest.

It’s in that moment...
when the Sun glistens on the bluest of waters,
like fine crystal reflecting dancing rainbows.

It’s in that moment...
when day meets night and earth joins sky --
the trees of the forest stand like silhouettes,
the clouds hang like the brush strokes of an Artist,
in the finest of pastels,
and silence lays like a mantel on the land.

It’s in that moment...
when you step from your cabin into the night,
to find the universe robed in the finest of colors,
the dancing Northern Lights -- the heavens bejeweled with Constellations, Planets, Stars, and the Milky way.

It’s in that moment...
when the moon first appears, as a huge orange sphere,
and makes its way high into the heavens
and in this journey it takes on the appearance
of an elevated Eucharistic wafer --
casting an inviting path across the waters
that lap gently on the shores of the Soul.

It’s in that moment...and all the moments
when we know that we have glimpsed the face of God.

Listen, and incline the ear of your heart
and you shall know that I am God.

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ARC NEEDS LIST

window air conditioners
humidifiers/dehumidifiers
cat and dog food, bird seed
new or gently used dish towels,
dish cloths, and hot pads
colored copier paper
digital food scale
lamps, end tables, couches, chairs
flashlights, brooms
firewood, folding chairs
cordless electric drill
jumper cables, polaroid camera

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RECIPE CORNER: APPLE CAKE (An ARC Guest Favorite!)
Mix:
2 c sugar 2 eggs
1 c shortening 3 c flour
1 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp soda
1 c warm coffee 4 c diced raw apples

Combine for topping:
1 c brown sugar Can be made in a 9 x 13 or
1 tsp cinnamon a bundt pan-- put the topping
1 c chopped/ground nuts in first in a bundt pan.

Bake at 350 for 40 - 45 minutes.

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