5K on Oct 31

Chestnut Ridge is hosting a Family Fun Halloween 5k Run on Sunday, October 31st. Check in is 7:30am and the run starts at 8:30am. Worship will be held at the Outdoor Chapel at 10am. For the little folks, we'll also host a mini-race in Main Camp. Cost is $20 and participants will get an awesome t-shirt. We encourage you to come in Halloween costumes, prizes will be awarded for the best! You can register online here.

Wendy is the newest addition to the Leadership Team at Chestnut Ridge. As Program Director her role includes Summer Camp, SSA (Slip Sliding Away) Camp, coordinating retreats and special events, as well as year-round Outdoor Education programming. Wendy is extremely excited to be partnering with the staff, campers, and students at Chestnut Ridge.

"Working at camp is not a job, it is a lifestyle," she says "and it's a lifestyle that I have enjoyed for many years of my life."

Wendy has been involved in numerous summer camps and her experience also includes working in the guest programs department at the Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta. "I really enjoy helping people make a connection to the natural world that God has created for us. Once that connection is established, people want to help care for our home, planet Earth."

Hillsborough has been home to Wendy and her family for the past two years. They were anxious to come back to North Carolina after ten years away. She lives on ten peaceful acres with her husband, Evan, and their two sons, Ian (21) and Reilly (13). They call their hobby farm Crooked Creek Farm which borders Forrester Creek and includes pastures, meadows, swamp, and hardwood forest. The family has three hens, two alpacas, a big vegetable garden, an orchard, and lots of honeybees! Evan works as a regional manager with Whole Foods Markets, Inc. For fun, the Geises enjoy camping, sea kayaking, snow skiing, bicycling, reading, and travel.

"My whole life has centered around teaching, especially in an outdoor setting," Wendy says. She started teaching at the age of 16 at the Annapolis Sailing School in her hometown of Annapolis, Maryland. Wendy has also taught swimming and SCUBA, as well as elementary and middle school grades in public school. She is a NC certified teacher for grades Pre-K through 6 and grades 7-9 Science. Wendy has a Bachelor's degree from UNC-Asheville and a Master of Education degree from Mercer University. Wendy has also worked as Director of Christian Education at two United Methodist Churches.

"I feel God has called me to Chestnut Ridge to collaborate with the amazing team of dynamic people already in place. I feel extremely blessed to be able to combine my passions for environmental and outdoor education to create programs for children and adults to grow closer to God in such a beautiful, natural setting.

Buy Coffee, Send Kids to Camp

Raleigh coffee roaster Larry’s Beans and Chestnut Ridge have teamed up to improve the lives of children near and far.

Here's how it works: You purchase great-tasting, organic, shade-grown fair trade coffee from Larry's Beans. Larry's donates a percentage of each purchase to a scholarship fund. Kids with financial need get to come to camp. Learn more...

Just the other day I was thinking… "What if we took on the world as our own responsibility? What if we took ownership that the orphans and widows were ours to take care of - truly ours? What if we took total responsibility for the land and animals that God has entrusted us to care for? What if we truly wanted everyone to succeed and wanted the best for everyone we come into contact with? What if we took care of each other's needs together? What if we served each other how Christ taught us to serve - out of the true, genuine love that comes from only Him?"

What would the world be like if we began our days by thinking … "How am I going to serve my family today? How will I serve my community today? How will I reach out to the world today?" What if we begin the day by thinking about others far before thinking about ourselves. What if we neglect thinking "What am I going to get out of the day?" and think about "What am I going to give today?"

What if we looked in the mirror and asked, "Who does God see me as?" - instead of "Who do I see myself as?"

Our minds would begin transforming and our thoughts would be focuses on creating space so God’s Kingdom can come…

Christ says, "Love your neighbor as yourself." Matthew 19:19 … And after all, our neighbor is not merely the person living next door, but rather the next person you encounter in life. Therefore, we are ALL neighbors…

As 2010 emerges before our eyes, I challenge our community to reflect on these questions and allow our minds and lives to be transformed by the living and true God, the Creator of both heaven and earth.

As a kid, I loved Christmas because I loved 'stuff.' Video games. Candy-filled stockings. Countless toys. Every year I would unwrap a boatload of "cherished" gifts, only to abandon them in boredom a few days later. Today, these trinkets rot at the bottom of some landfill. Fortunately, Christmas Past left me with a memory more lasting than my "stuff." Every Christmas Eve, my mom managed to suspend her kids' consumerist cravings with a simple tradition. She sat us down on the couch, handed us each a glass of eggnog, and turned down the lights. For just a few moments, our lust for stuff receded, and we could look one another in the eyes, laugh and remember together, and be genuinely present to each other as a family.

How strange that our culture celebrates the birth of a peasant savior by buying expensive junk! How strange that we remember Love's arrival by erecting walls of stuff that drive us apart! How strange that we mark God's good news for the poor by giving to the rich! This Christmas season, recover more faithful (and more live-giving) traditions for your family. Give gifts that build relationships rather than gifts that add to others' piles of stuff. Care for those who face genuine need. Worship the naked babe of Bethlehem with simplicity.

For more on this sort of counter-cultural Advent celebration, visit adventconspiracy.org!