If you’ve been to the Alton L. Collins Retreat Center at any point over the past 25 years, you’ve likely encountered this scenario: A quick turn off of Oregon Highway 211 at our sign brings you up our gravel drive and into the towering trees that surround the retreat center. The barrel-vaulted main entrance provides a dry respite from the rain that is present much of the year, and then you come into the lobby to be greeted warmly by staff and event leaders. But it hasn’t always been this way. Methodists have been active on this site since 1941 and it looked quite different back then.
In 1941, the Methodists of the Portland District were offered a good opportunity: they could buy the 68 acres of property near Eagle Creek for $25 an acre, but the catch was that they would need to commit in just two weeks. The farmer who owned the land had offered it previously to the district, but there had been a delay and he now had a cash offer from an interested buyer at that price. Thankfully, the people of the district leapt into action, put out the news, raised the funds, and made it happen.
District leaders at the time spoke about the property as a proposed “Retreat Camp Site for the Methodists of Portland District,” and that dream became a reality not long after in the form of Camp Leewood. There was a “modern, graveled highway” that provided access to the land. And regarding the trees on the property, they wrote:
About half of the site is in big trees. The half nearest the road has been cleared and has some second growth timber on it. Enough property is open for camp and playground sites.
It is interesting to note how the trees were thought of as valuable, but also as a potential hindrance to the ministry of the land.
Camp Leewood operated for many years on the portion of the property that is on the north bank of Deep Creek. Many songs were sung there, much faith was nurtured, and many life-changing experiences were had by children, youth, and adults. Meanwhile, on the south side of Deep Creek, the land was left to grow largely unmanaged and unused, just waiting for the right time for the right ministry to emerge.
We will hear more about that emergent ministry on the south side of Deep Creek in our next article.
In peace and joy,
Dan Benson
Director of Alton L. Collins Retreat Center
*PHOTO: The original Camp Leewood sign.
The long-postponed quadrennial gathering of United Methodists from around the world is still happening in Charlotte, North Carolina, through May 3. There are a number of camp and retreat ministry folks from across the denomination in attendance. In yesterday's action, the body voted to approve full communion with The Episcopal Church! It still must be approved by the Episcopalians, but this is an important step toward a closer relationship with the denomination whose Diocese of Oregon is our partner in Camp and Retreat Ministries here in Oregon-Idaho.
We are praying for the delegates, church leaders, and many volunteers who are engaged in this work of holy conferencing on behalf of our denomination. Plenary sessions are live-streamed so you can tune in from wherever you are. There is inspirational daily worship in addition to the business sessions addressing legislative issues. Learn more and follow the action
May Day flowers
Signs of grace and hope at General Conference
Early camp supporters
Please send your blessings to share in future issues of the e-news.
The flyer pictured above is from 1941, advertising the exciting potential of this new piece of property just outside of Portland. As we now know, that land would eventually become the site of the Alton L. Collins Retreat Center, which is now serving an amazing variety of groups of people in many different ways. You'll read more next week about the Retreat Center's history, but this week you have the chance to get a sneak preview of the Center's future. We're dreaming about the day we can finally fulfill plans for a second sleeping wing that would allow more than one or two groups to meet simultaneously but separately at Collins. Just as the early Portland Methodists rallied to the challenge of raising funds to purchase the land, we invite you to come on board to help us with the new sleeping wing. Click the green button and select, "Alton L. Collins Development Fund." You can direct your gift to "new sleeping wing" in the special notes section. And you can become part of the long legacy of support that dates back to 1941!
|
© 2014 Camp and Retreat Ministries:
A partnership between The Oregon-Idaho Conference of The United Methodist Church
and The Episcopal Diocese of Oregon