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| Koiné's bringing all the great music from their NEW CD |
- Your Friends! (There will be prizes...)
- Sheets, pillows, blankets, comforter or sleeping bags for single beds
- Towels and washcloths
- Personal items and toiletries, soap, shampoo
- Bibles, pen or pencils
- Life jacket, any water safety materials.
- Swimwear, beach shoes
- Cameras and recharging stations
- Flashlights
- Insect repellent, sunscreen
- Rain gear, or an umbrella for shade
- Recreational items you enjoy: baseball gloves and bats, balls, tennis rackets, hiking boots, rollerblades, sketchpad, binoculars, cameras, reading, board games, crafts, etc. The Retreat has bikes you may ride, so please remember to bring your helmet!
- Lawn chairs or seat cushions may be useful, optional.
- Any snacks you enjoy.
- (Note: Food Service at the camp is able to accommodate for peanut allergies only, but there will be refrigerated space to accommodate special dietary restrictions.) The menu at the Retreat may include: eggs, sausage, french toast sticks, pancakes, hash browns, home fries, cereal; hot dogs, hamburgers, pasta with meatballs, meatball grinders, grilled cheese, fried chicken with potatoes and corn, stir fry chicken/beef. There will be a salad bar with in addition to the greens and tomatoes, potato salad, macaroni salad, tuna fish salad and more.
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| Monument Mountain, Great Barrington, MA (image courtesy of "digitally" on Panoramio.) |
Participation will require a basic level of fitness to handle the 720-foot elevation rise and the hike itself will take up to 2 1/2 hours. The trail is moderately strenuous. Bring plenty of water. You may also wish to pack pop-up seating or a lightweight pad (or a lightweight blanket) on which to rest during the mountain-top worship service. Sign up for this hike when you register for the Retreat, and for any questions, please email welslabordayretreat@gmail.com.
For this unique 1.5 mile worship adventure, we will pause three times to contemplate how God guides us along life's journey. We'll be pausing roughly every 25 minutes/every half mile. At the first worship point, we will pause (5-10 minutes, standing) for Psalm 121: “Life’s Upward Journey” and we will sing a hymn. We’ll hike another 20 minutes to the Devil’s Pulpit, where we will have our main worship service (10-20 minutes) on Psalm 18: "How God Strengthens us on Life’s Journey." There are challenging passages along this portion of the hike, so special attention must be paid to the trail. There are beautiful views at the top and we'll head along the top ridge before making our descent. After about 20 more minutes, we’ll come to Inscription Rock where we will pause again to contemplate the truth that all through life’s journey, the Lord is our Solid Rock. (The worship portions will be led in English, but all are welcome.) At Check-In, you'll have a chance to confirm your participation in the hike.
PLEASE NOTE: It can be cool at night in the Berkshires. Please be sure to bring ample blankets, bedding and clothes for cool weather. We have had temperatures down to low 50's high 40's. Of course there has been weather that has had temperature highs as well, so it's best to prepare for both extremes. Check the weather report here before you go!
