“Reach for the Stars” is the theme of our 2011 Parish Retreat at Kanuga, a cozy lodge and conference center in the beautiful mountains of western North Carolina, Nov. 18 – 20. There’s even a discount for early birds and first-timers! Details on the registration form.

Registration Form          Scholarship Form

Moon over Kanuga Lake.

Our 2010 Parish Retreat was all about “making connections that last.” From our parishioner-led workshops to Saturday evening’s “Enchantment by the Sea” themed “prom,” St. Luke’s members reconnected with old friends and made new ones in a setting that was informal, relaxing, spiritual and, at times, silly.

The Parson's Pickers

Building on the success of the previous year, our 2010 retreat featured classes taught by our own church members and clergy. Here’s a sampling:

Astronomy: Introduction to the Night Sky with John King

Have you ever looked up at the night sky and wondered what was up there, how it got there and what it was doing there? Come to “Introduction to the Night Sky” for answers. You’ll leave with some basic assignments that will have you looking at the night sky in ways you never have before!

Eating is About More Than Food-Just Ask Your Kid! with Kate Silvis

Learn all about children’s dietary needs and how to encourage healthy eating habits from registered dietician Kate Silvis. You’ll get lots of tips on healthy snacks, cooking with kids, packing lunches, and trouble-shooting mealtime challenges.

Faith and Film with Claire and Gordon May

Come join with others who love to watch movies and also love to discuss them from a spiritual perspective. The film “Joyeux Noël” (2005) dramatizes the true story of German and Allied troops during WWI who enter into an unofficial temporary truce at the front lines in order to celebrate Christmas together. A brief introduction will be provided to the film – and we’ll have time following the film for discussion.

Carlton Burke of Carolina Mountain Naturalists is always a favorite among the children at our retreat.

Ground Yoga with Leslie Muscarella

So much of the tension in our bodies comes from our physical reactions to stress. We will focus on releasing tension applying specific principles to the way we align our bodies, building a strong foundation to help improve our balance and focus. We will use the entire body to breathe deeply and slowly, transforming rapid, shallow, and incomplete breathing patterns. This deliberate approach will change your outlook on life! All levels of yoga experience welcome; please bring a yoga mat with you if you have one.

Interpreting Our Dreams with Katherine Avery

We all have dreams whether or not we remember them. Dreams have been explored since Biblical times. Some believe them to be messages from our Creator — God’s forgotten language. Dreams can give us insight to parts of our lives that need attention, healing, spiritual growth, or show us the best paths we should take on our journey. This workshop will help dispel some of the myths associated with dreams and their meaning. Participants will learn techniques for reviewing their own dreams, as done in Jungian psychology. We’ll also talk about dream groups and what they have to offer.

Knitting with Amy Doyle

A relaxing and creative activity in a beautiful setting. If you are a beginner, please bring 1 pair of knitting needles size 7, 8, or 9, preferably made of wood or plastic, and one ball of your favorite color of smooth textured worsted weight wool (the lighter the color, the easier it is to see the stitches). If you are an intermediate or experienced knitter, just bring your current project.

St. Luke's children have a "wild encounter."

Our Musical Heritage with Arlan Sunnarborg

A crash course covering 1000 years of Classical Western Music and how the major style periods relate to hymns and anthems you sing and hear in church. Handouts and plenty of listening to musical examples will make for a fun, illuminating, and fast-paced session.

Rising Phoenix Tai Chi with Donna Church

Relax, Refresh, and Reinvigorate! Using gentle, yet highly effective, movements designed to help release tension all through the body, and breathing patterns designed to relax and refresh your heart and spirit, this class will help to build your energy and improve your health! With moves that stretch the body softly, and at the same time build strength and balance, this is a gift to give yourself, and one that keeps on giving! You’ll be able to take home the skills you learn to help let go of stress or to re-energize. Just wear comfortable clothes and shoes that allow free movement of the ankle. You may find yourself laughing joyfully, breathing deeply, and embracing the quiet — all in one class!

Take Better Pictures Instantly! with Dan Matthews

Come learn some of the basics of digital photography as well as simple techniques that are guaranteed to improve the quality of your photos. Be sure to bring your camera. (If you still have it, bring the manual for your camera as well).

Tennis clinic with Bill Nicholson

Fun outdoor exercise–let’s play tennis or learn to play tennis. Bill Nicholson will be waiting on the courts. All you need is a racket and an interest in having fun. Bill has played tennis for many years and is ready to teach ground strokes, volleys, overheads, serves, as well as hit and giggle. Depending on attendance, you can have a one on one lesson or some lightly surveyed doubles. Weather permitting. Be sure to bring your racket.

Playing checkers in the lodge.

Tour the Solar Power Structure of Kanuga

A member of Kanuga’s property staff will lead a tour showcasing the many ways the center conserves energy, focusing on the solar panels that heat most of the hot water used on the campus.

General Information:

Our parish retreat traditionally falls on the weekend before Thanksgiving and makes a relaxing transition from hectic fall schedules to preparing for the holidays.

Directions to the Kanuga Conference Cente:

• North I-85 to US 25 Exit, “White Horse Road” , just outside of Greenville, SC (approx. 138 miles)

• Turn left onto US 25 North

• Follow this highway into North Carolina

(this road becomes a divided, limited access and scenic drive to the SC/NC border, then continues in NC as US 25 North)

• Once in North Carolina, take Exit 5 to Flat Rock – US 225

• Turn left off the exit and follow the two lane road to the second traffic light, which is Little River Road (there are signs here for the Carl Sandburg home and Flat Rock Playhouse)

• Go approximately 4.2 miles until you reach Kanuga Road.

• Take a right onto Kanuga Road, then a very quick left onto Kanuga Lake Road

• Follow Kanuga Lake Road until you see the “Kanuga Conferences Sign” (about 2 miles)

• Turn right at the sign, at Kanuga Chapel Road and follow the road to the Lodge.

St. Luke’s Annual Parish Retreat at Kanuga draws a diverse crowd — young, old, parents, grandparents, grandchildren, couples, singles, 8 o’clockers, 9 o’clockers and 11 o’clockers. This year’s retreat encouraged us to meet our church “brothers” and “sisters” outside of our normal “tribes.”

This year, rather than facing forward to hear a guest speaker, we spent a lot of time facing one another. A number of clergy and parishioners led workshops on various subjects, including golf, fly fishing, knitting, photography, astronomy, line dancing, memorizing the stories of Genesis through song, faith in film, tai chi and interpreting dreams. There was even a class entitled “The Big Necessity,” which took parishioners on a tour of the waste water facilities at the Kanuga conference center.

The subject matter was almost as diverse as the members of our parish, and provided a great opportunity for people to meet, to reconnect, to deepen relationships — all while learning from each other. The photos here are just a few of the highlights from our 2009 Parish Retreat at Kanuga.

To view more even more photos from our 2009 Parish Retreat at Kanuga, click here. If you have any photos of your own you’d like to share on this blog, an essay or short video, please email any files or links to: stlukeskanuga@gmail.com

This year’s retreat featured nationally renowned storyteller Sheila Kay Adams and concluded with a big 1950s-style dance. For highlights, click on the video below.

Strumming a banjo, Adams sang traditional Appalachian ballads and told tales handed down from her Scottish and Irish ancestors — often engaging members of the audience to illustrate her points.

This weekend of tales was also a weekend of tails. Naturalist Carlton Burke was back with an assortment of furry, feathered and scaly critters. The animals are always a big hit with the children (and any parents or grandparents who happen to accompany them).

Saturday night’s activities concluded with a 1950s-style sock hop. And plenty of parishioners dressed the part. Click on the video below to watch some amazing dance moves!

This blog is a work in progress. If you have any photos, videos or stories from Kanuga 2008 that you’d like to share, send them to: stlukesgetaway@gmail.com.

Kanuga 2007 also featured a presentation by Jungian analyst Jerry Wright and live music performances by singer and songwriter Fran McKendree.