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Greetings!
As Autumn is upon us and the world is changing in response, we're making some changes here at Walter Scott too! We have had a lot of dedicated volunteers this fall helping to care for and improve this sacred space. Our first fall work day saw the beginning of new signage installation and a whole lot more. Christian Campus House at EIU helped start painting the caretaker's residence while weeding and trimming and landscaping and another group of volunteers began more permanent goat fencing and grading for a concrete ramp around the main building. Walter Scott is the place it is because of the love we put into it together, and the way that love multiplies.
We still have a full upcoming fall as we're expecting more volunteering, fishing trips, family reunions, retreat groups and other life giving events. We already hosted the CCIW Women's Retreat and Christian Campus House from EIU for their fall retreats, as well as Labor Day Family Camp. From now through Thanksgiving, we have near continuous usage on weekends as many people from many walks of life take time away at this sacred space.
Looking to the horizon, we are creating more opportunities for us to live into a mission of planting wild seeds for the future of Creation in people. Behind the scenes administration continues on new programmatic offerings. Some of these are aimed at young adults, some are target long-term financial wellbeing, and yet others look at ways we can partner with other Disciples and Disciples organizations throughout the denomination and beyond. The grounds themselves will also continue to grow and change as we live into our Strategic Plan and its upgrades and care for our facility. We are grateful to be able to continue to care gently for gently for God's Creation as we go towards this horizon together, one step at a time.
Peace on the Journey,
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Resident Minister and Caretaker
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November 2 will be our final workday of 2024 (though we always welcome volunteers at other times via our Adopt-a-Project program)! Walter Scott flourishes because of the care and love we invest in it together. If your schedule allows, consider helping us winterize portions of the campground, finish installing some new signage, paint, stain, and do a variety of indoor tasks as well. If you are willing, we have ways you can contribute! As always, breakfast and lunch are provided and overnight accommodations are available as needed. We hope to see you here! |
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Since Last Time @ Walter Scott...
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Since our last Newsletter, we have hosted three separate Disciples events! The first event was a new offering, a Social Justice Weekend Retreat, called our "Compassion & Empowerment Retreat" where youth and their adult sponsors talked about how their voices could make their communities better, no matter their age. Next was our annual Fall Family Camp where we were grateful for community, old friends, and Mac Beadles who led Sunday worship. To wrap up the month, just this past weekend, we welcomed women from all over Illinois for CCIW's Fall Women's Retreat with Rev. Jennie Churchman as their keynote speaker. It has been a busy but meaningful month as we provide connection and community for Disciples near and far. |
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One of the most visible change at Walter Scott this fall will be the completion of a graded ramp around our main building. Starting from the front deck and wrapping around to the basement walk-out doors, this ramp will enable accessibility to all floors of this building (excluding the loft), provide a level path back to the main campfire ring, and continue in one of our roles as an example of Christ's hospitality. While religious entities are exempted from ADA requirements, this doesn't look like the welcome of Jesus. We affirm our faith calls us to be a place of welcome to all of Creation, and this project helps us move closer to this goal. |
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Conservation Conversation
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Prior to European colonization, Illinois was home to 21M acres of tall grass prairie (or 2/3 of the state) of which only 0.01% remains or has been restored today. Native tallgrass prairies are vital ecosystems which sequester carbon, prevent erosion, help avert flooding, support thousands of species (including crucial pollinators), and so much more. We at Walter Scott started restoring native prairies in 2022 under our road frontage with a grant from Faith in Place and are expanding on this work today with unused grassy areas of the land. We learned from our first foray into this work a lot of important lessons that are lessening our work in restoring more of this important ecosystem today. To learn about what native plants you can put in your yard, check out the link below, or read more about our original native prairie restoration project on our website. |
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Mark your calendars for our core youth camps next summer! Registration will be opening Fall of 2024. Stay tuned for more information and potential discounts! |
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| Photo Gallery...Follow us on Instagram for more! |
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This next section is a recurring article about the theme of Creation Care. Each article is written by a different member of the Disciples diaspora who are linked to Walter Scott. The topics, views, and focuses will vary, but the connection with faith and practice will remain constant. |
You have enough. You are enough. By Rev. Danny Bradfield
We brought nothing into the world, so that we can take nothing out of it; but if we have food and clothing, we will be content. 1 Timothy 6:7-8
I recently moved from California to Illinois. If you’ve ever moved, you know what a hassle it is to get all your stuff to your new home. How did I get so much stuff, anyway? I thought I knew better. Numerous experiences throughout my life have taught me that more stuff doesn’t make one happy…
It’s a lesson I learned when I was a boy scout. Every summer, I’d...
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The Land Beneath Our Feet
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Did you know that the adage "Reduce, Reuse Recycle" actually is meant to convey the order of actions we should take? Recycling is great, but reusing things first is better. And reusing is great, but the best action overall is to reduce what we need in the first place. Start small with this practice, anytime there is a "Buy Now" button on a website, opt instead to put a wanted item in a cart for 24 hours first. You may not find you want it the next day, and this reduces the fuel that would be used to ship it and the waste that goes into manufacturing it and its packaging. - Rev. Clayton Summers |
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