Back to civilization from the forest primeval

This afternoon I returned to civilization from our class retreat which was located at a diocesan camp, St. Dorthy's Rest, which was situated on a hillside in a forest of redwoods.  The camp is owned and operated by the Diocese of California and is used year round by many different groups, including a residential camp program during the summer months.  We were warned before we left that there was no cell phone reception and no Internet access, so we were going to be completely free from all distractions.  So we left Friday shortly after our 8:00AM History of Christianity class.  This is my earliest class of the week so I was up nice and early.  I even made it to Morning Prayer for the first time this year.  We set up a carpool and we were to meet in the parking lot at noon.  I was running a bit late and everyone was waiting for me.  So I ran upstairs quickly packed my backpack and ran out the door.  If I missed anything I would just have to live without it.

The ride up to the camp was pretty cool because we were going to be driving to a place I had never been before so I was excited to see what was out there.  We crossed over the Richmond Bridge, which is a huge bridge that spans the northern part of the bay that drops you in Marin County north of SF.  At the end of the bridge was San Quentin, one of California's many state prisons, which was cool to see.  We drove over a ridge of hills/mountains and we were then immediately surrounded by vineyards.  We were entering Napa Valley, the heart of California wine country.  We drove for about an hour and half and we arrived at the camp around 3:00, with a few stops along the way.  The road leading up to the camp was a single lane road that wound its way up the side of a huge hill.  As we ascended the hill there were many homes built into the hill and right on the road.  There was little room for error.  We were also lucky in that no one was trying to come down the hill while we were making our way up.  I pulled up to the main lodge and stepped out of my car and I was in awe.  I was surrounded by gigantic redwood trees.  I mean these things were freaking huge and unlike anything I have seen on the east coast.  They were so tall and the trucks were so straight.  I noticed that there were no low limbs but the canopy hung over us and acted like a green roof above our heads, shielding us from the sun.  All of the cabins were made of wood and in the same style.  Even the chapel was wood, which just set the tone for the whole experience.  I knew I was no longer in the concrete jungle of Berkeley but out in the middle of nowhere.

The main lodge

The sun shining through the breaks in the canopy

The chapel

A look out over one of the many ravines on the camp property

That night's program consisted of more of the same type of getting to know you type activities.  After which we had dinner, which was excellent especially for a camp, and finished it all off with Compline and "social time."  The social time reminded me of the old adage about Episcopalians, "whenever two or three Episcopalians are gathered together, there is always a fifth."  While we didn't have much liquor there was more wine then I knew what to do with.  There was no way we were going to finish all of the bottles that weekend, but we were well supplied.  The next morning we had more activities that were intended for us to discuss various topics that got us thinking about our gifts and our hopes for ministry.  I did get to know a lot more about my fellow classmates from these exercises.

For the afternoon we were given a large block of free time.  Since we were fairly close to the coast a group of us decided to head to the beach.  We asked the camp director for directions to one of the many beaches in the area and she told us about the beach that was used in the filming of the last scene of the movie The Goonies.  We just had to get there and check it out.  Jeff was excited to go because he wanted to go swimming in the ocean.  Little did he know, or I for that matter, that the beaches of northern California were not what we had imagined.  When we arrived at the beach, it was overcast, windy, and the beach was primarily comprised of small rocks instead of sand.  Despite all that Jeff decided to go swimming anyways.  He wanted me to join him, but I knew better than that.

 A view of one of the beaches, notice the fog and mist in the distance, not a good beach day

Jeff braving the cold water, with his girlfriend Jess looking on

One last view of the beaches

That evening we had to have our class meeting and elect officers for two positions, Class President and Worship Committee Rep, and appoint as many reps to ERD, Episcopal Relief and Development, as we wanted.  Instead of a straight forward election we proceeded a little differently.  We were asked to go around and tell the groups about our leadership experiences and if we were called to any of the available positions.  Half of the group had their turn before it was my turn to go and up to that point only one person had expressed their desire to be Class President so I did my spiel and said that I would serve if hat was what the community wanted.  After everyone had their turn Ann, the Dean of Students and presider of the class meeting, asked for people to offer up names of those they thought would be good for the president job and whether we consented to the nomination.  My name was called first, and I consented to the nomination.  Several other names were called out, including Jeff, and some of them accepted while others denied the nomination.  After a few rounds of questions it came down to Jeff and myself.  After some time for prayer and some words from the community I was selected by consensus to serve as the Class President.  I was humbled for being selected, but I knew then that I had finally found my place in the community.

For the last few weeks people had begun to figure out their role in the community and where they fit in, but I hadn't really found my place.  I never thought that I would be taking on this role, but given my previous leadership experiences, (thank you St. John's and Gold Standard), I am not surprised that I was selected.  I am now able to offer my gifts to the community that until now I haven't been able to show. I hope that I can serve the community to the best of my ability and leave my mark on CDSP.