Greetings from The Trees! It has been an exciting year for us. In November, we compiled a report on our first five years: a time of discernment and exploring community engagement.
Today we want to highlight what’s come to us this year and look ahead at what’s coming in the new year:
Some highlights…
We hosted 295 events this year and we have a few more on the calendar before year’s end! As a special part of all those events, and the many groups we’ve been delighted to host, we are immensely grateful to be in relationship with our four regulars who come out weekly. These groups are helping to co-create the spirit of The Trees with their life and presence:
The Beloved Community joined us in the spring and is thriving. Coming from Episcopal tradition, this community welcomes those who want a worship space without being in a church. The group meets Sunday afternoon/evenings with worship following rotating support groups for those who’ve experienced religious trauma and for family and friends of queer youth. Worship is followed by dinner together.
You are welcome!
Check out their website for more info or to pass to someone who could use this community:
Olynda Smith also joined our weekly schedule, leading yoga classes on Thursday mornings. Her work pairs beautifully with practice among the trees. We are very excited to announce that she will continue, hosting a new series beginning in January. Sign up while there’s still room!
Winter Yoga Classes
January 9 – March 12 (10 weeks)
9-10:15AM
$160 for full session/
$20 drop in as space allows
Email Olynda at [email protected] to register http://olyndasmith.com/winter-yoga-classes/
Our remaining two regulars: LEAP and Prayers & Poetry continue to be a source of joy, regularly pouring into the life of this place during the week.
Prayers & Poetry gathers weekly for noonday prayer, sharing poems, and lunch. Come join Fridays at noon!
We also want to give two special shout outs:
First to Naghmeh Taefi who led a number of beautiful (and fully packed!) sound healing sessions before leaving to continue her education in healing and medicine. She inspired us with her leadership and her hope for the possibilities of this space — we wish her well and for her return!
And finally, in October we welcomed Duke Hospice for a series of retreats they held for their care providers. As Jackie, who gave The Trees to St. Philip’s, was cared for by Duke hospice in her last days, the team went up on their first day to visit her grave. They saw that it was her birthday.
Returning after their last retreat, the team left heart stones on Jackie and her dogs’ graves. All of our hearts were full!!
Thank you to our volunteers!!
The central relationships that allow this place to grow are our incredible team of volunteers.
Alexa McKerrow has been with us since the beginning. Serving on the Discernment Committee, lending her expertise and hands to countless efforts, she is irreplaceable. If you can think of any job that could be done at The Trees, she has probably already done it. We are also grateful to her husband Milo Pyne who has also come out to offer the gift of his knowhow and hard work when we need it.
Bob Kellogg and Alexa McKerrow next to our new wood stack Bob constructed! He and Alexa filled it with wood they split.
Bob Kellogg has also actively joined the team, having already contributed gorgeous works of art and craftsmanship over the years (in addition to supporting Gaige Miller’s Eagle Scout project). He is now busy all over the house and grounds using his hands and mind to bring us up with maintenance work and exciting new projects.
Josh Miller completes the outdoor team that kicked into gear in response to some large trees falling after a storm this summer — also if you’ve enjoyed a fire at The Trees this winter, you can probably thank him for the wood, too!
Alec Motten, who has led naturalist hikes and assisted with summer camp as a nature expert, has also incredibly offered his time to pick up our weekly trash — we are truly held up by the service and arms of our community! You can catch him pulling in and out of the driveway with excellent music on, serving with a smile. We are so grateful for his gift.
Liz Sappenfield and Amy Sharon, who come out regularly for a quiet morning of creative, meditative work, have also provided invaluable assistance helping to host our monthly Quiet Days. Liz also created some exceptional works of art at The Trees, which we will soon begin to offer as cards. Some of her pieces below…
Interested in volunteering somehow? on the land.. ..splitting firewood ..folding clean hand towels?
Let us know! We’ll find something that fits your gift.
Email: [email protected]
Some upcoming open events:
A Midwinter God: Encountering the Divine in Seasons of Darkness
Led by Laura Kirby
Feeling like the darkness is particularly heavy this year? Are post-holiday or post-election blues, shorter daylight hours, and the deep cold starting to affect your mood?
Using Christine Valters Paintner’s newest book as a guide, we will tread slowly to uncover all the gifts that can be found in the winter seasons of our lives. Join us by the fire at The Trees retreat space as we explore such concepts as shadow work, archetypes, as well as stories from the Bible. This session will incorporate creative expression, contemplative prayer, gentle movement, and centering exercises as we enter into holy darkness together. The book, A Midwinter God, is recommended but not required.
Midweek in the midwinter…
Wednesdays 11am - 12:30pm
January 15, 22, 29, and February 5th
Cost for the 4 week series is $65
Sign up HERE
Series limited to 12 people
“Darkness is, by its nature, an uncomfortable and uneasy place, but also a place of profound incubation and gestation, a source of tremendous and hard-wrought wisdom.” – Christine Valters Paintner
Laura Kirby, spiritual companion and contemplative retreat leader who herself has mined the depths of dark seasons, is the guide for this journey. Laura has trained at the Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation as well as the Haden Institute and spent her “first half of life” as a psychologist with children and families.
Quiet Days
We are continuing to offer Quiet Days on the first Tuesday of the month. This is an opportunity to come out free of charge to spend an hour or several in our space or on the land, reading, praying, writing, reflecting, or going on a walk on our trails. This is open to the public and there is no registration required. We serve a free, light lunch at noon. 9am-5pm
Book your group’s next meeting...
As of 2025, we will be charging a sliding-scale fee for use at The Trees. Click here to head to our website and get signed up or pass it along to a friend!
(contact us for pricing while we update our website with the new rates)
And now to close this letter and our year with a meditation from Thich Naht Hahn...
(try the full practice here)
Contact us:
Email: [email protected]
The Trees is a community project of St. Philip's Episcopal Church
