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Fall Camp 2025
October 20 – 23

Fall Camp is a four day adult conference sponsored by the Tri-Diocesan Council on Aging, which represents all three Episcopal dioceses in Virginia — the Dioceses of Virginia, Southwestern Virginia, and Southern Virginia. It is held on a Monday through Thursday in late October each year at Shrine Mont Conference Center, in Orkney Springs, Virginia. More information on Shrine Mont itself is available at shrinemont.com.
 

Fall Camp is an opportunity to relax in the mountains of Virginia with other, mostly retired, seniors (But we don’t have an age limit!) from across the Commonwealth and  beyond. It can be an oasis on your spiritual journey by providing a break from the busyness of modern life. It can broaden your spiritual horizons through the insights of our keynote and other speakers. It can stimulate your spiritual imagination  through workshops, worship, and private conversations.

A typical day at Fall Camp includes worship, fellowship at mealtimes, sessions with speakers that challenge and entertain us, opportunities to participate in one or two workshop sessions on a wide variety of topics, and informal late evening get-togethers for conversation and the occasional card game. The “happy half-hour” before dinner each evening is a time for greeting longtime friends and meeting new ones. Part of the fun of this half hour is sampling the delightful finger foods donated by participants for enjoyment with wine or non-alcoholic beverages. Giving us an idea of what you might bring is helpful to avoid excessive duplication.

Folk theologian Ed Kilbourne, a Fall Camp institution, entertains us, leads us in song, and tells amazing and occasionally irreverent stories.

In addition to the scheduled activities, there is plenty of time to sit on the porches, visit with friends, relax, enjoy the amazing scenery, and explore the area.

The cost for attending Fall Camp 2024 is $390.00 per person for single occupancy and $300.00 per person for double occupancy. The cost for non-resident (commuter) campers, which includes every session and all meals but not lodging, is $300.00 per person for all of camp or $100.00 per day for partial attendance.

Attendance at Fall Camp 2025 will be limited to 200 campers. Registration will begin August 1 for returning campers and on September 1 for people who have not previously attended Fall Camp. Please visit the Register page on this site to learn how to register.
 
Registration will end October 13 or when 200 paid registrations have been received if that should occur first. If you would like to receive email notifications about Fall Camp, please use the form at the bottom of this page.

Keynote Speaker and Chaplain:
The Rt. Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde, Bishop of Washington

Bishop Mariann serves as spiritual leader for the congregations and Episcopal schools in the District of Columbia and four Maryland counties that comprise the Episcopal Diocese of Washington. The first woman elected to this position, she also serves as the chair of the Protestant Episcopal Cathedral Foundation, which oversees the ministries of the Washington National Cathedral and Cathedral schools.

A passionate believer in the gospel of Jesus and the Episcopal Church’s particular witness, Bishop Budde is committed to the spiritual and numerical growth of congregations and developing new expressions of Christian community. She believes that Jesus calls all who follow him to strive for justice and peace, and to respect the dignity of every human being. To that end, Bishop Budde is an advocate and organizer in support of justice concerns, including racial equity, gun violence prevention, immigration reform, the full inclusion of LGBTQ+ persons, and the care of creation.

Read more about Bishop Mariann at https://edow.org/about/bishop-mariann.


Folk Theologian: Ed Kilbourne

We will be entertained once again by Folk-Theologian ED KILBOURNE. Ed is known for
his collections of moving music, quirky humor, and insightful monologues. He has earned a reputation as one of America’s cutting edge religious communicators, a folk-theologian if you will, offering his teaching in story and song. Ed combines acoustic guitar, singing and commentary. Ed also offers a half hour devotional each morning before breakfast.
 
To read more about Ed, go to www.edkilbourne.com.


2025 Outreach Project: Capital Area Food Bank

The Fall Camp 2025 outreach project is the
Capital Area Food Bank, which leads the Capital region’s efforts to provide equitable access to food and opportunity to people struggling with hunger and food insecurity. Each year, they source and distribute the food for more than 60 million meals.

Go to the Outreach page for more information.

To Learn More About Fall Camp:

 Click here  to request email notifications about Fall Camp. When you are finished and click Submit, a reCAPTCHA puzzle will prove that you are not a robot.