What's in a Sign?

Individuals and businesses across the land display signs or hand out business cards to inform the public of their mission in life.  Some peddle useless junk, or at best the unnecessary.  Others offer the very essentials of life.  Of course, what is essential & what is unnecessary will always be treated preferentially.

If today you created a life sign or business card to declare your mission in life, what would it articulate?  King's Fold staff have carried a desire for two years to create an inviting welcome sign at the entrance to our lodge.  It must clearly state our reason for existence - what is our mission - our ministry?  What is the experience we invite guests to enter into while at King's Fold?  And what would best prepare them for re-entry into the world in which they live every day?

During an envisioning session on staff retreat, we created our Welcome to... sign.  What began with twenty some words finally merged into eight distinctive expressions which clearly articulate our invitation to guests.

As you approach the lodge at King's Fold, pause a spell - contemplate the sign - reflect a moment - and enter carefully into what we offer you - it could change your life forever.

Welcome to... Simplicity - the peeling away of those unnecessary trappings in life that encumber.  Solitude - intentional isolation from the outside influences that disrupt the inner self, and allow for the sacredness of aloneness with God.  Silence - on the exterior, the absence of noise; on the inside, the cessation of inner distractions; at the center of one's being, the relinquishment of one's self-will to the will of God - "Not my will but Yours be done," Jesus declared!  Rest - sleeping, "wasting time" without guilt, living outside of life's demands, letting my child side come to the surface, or being quietly non-productive.  Community - to be cared for, blessed, supported and listened to by others, all in a safe, inviting, and sacred environment.  Hospitality - an exchange of self with another, where both are enriched, renewed and affirmed as valuable persons.  Prayer - that sacred dialogue with the Almighty, in solitude or in the company of others - expressing my heart to Him and listening to His heart for me.

Welcome to... Renewal.  In the end, retreat is all about renewal; the repair, refreshing and building up of the inner self - renewed and rekindled for the pilgrimage ahead.  My friend, our welcome sign says it all; we offer you all of the above at a sacred place - King's Fold Retreat and Renewal Centre.  Come soon to rest awhile.

Virgil Stauffer, Director