Fall Camp At Shrine Mont – Fall Camp info & registration

Fall Camp 2022: Spirituality and the Arts

October 24 – 27

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 game of cards. A social “happy half-hour” happens before dinner each evening. 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.

Fall Camp 2021 was successful despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. None of the participants were reported to be infected as a result of attending Fall Camp in 2021. We are taking every possible precaution to insure that Fall Camp 2022 will also be a safe experience for all campers and staff. Please check out the COVID-19 section of our Register page.

Keynote Speaker and Chaplain:
The Rt. Rev. Susan Goff

Susan Goff was elected Bishop Suffragan of Virginia and consecrated in 2012. She became Ecclesiastical Authority of the Diocese in 2018 upon the retirement of Bishop Shannon Johnston and oversees the mission and ministry of the diocese during the interim between Bishops Diocesan. She has a particular passion for justice ministries and for the full inclusion of all of God’s beloved in the faith community.

Bishop Susan is a visual artist who creates mixed media canvasses and sculptures that include found objects. She and her husband, the Rev. Tom Holliday, share their colorful, art-filled home in Richmond, Virginia, with their chihuahua, Georgia, and their Amazon parrot, Jasper.

Keynote Speaker: Angier Brock

A lifelong Virginian, Angier Brock retired from more than 30 years teaching English literature and composition at every level from upper elementary through graduate school. She has written over two dozen hymn and anthem texts that have been set to music by British and American composers and sung in churches and cathedrals in the U.S. and abroad. She has written spiritual reflections including a monthly blog and annual Advent reflections.

Angier is a mother of two, grandmother of five, a Virginia Master Naturalist, and a birder.

Keynote Speaker and Folk Theologian: Ed Kilbourne

As always, we will be entertained by 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.

Outreach Project Speaker: Dr. Pauline Muchina

Our outreach project this year is the African Women and Youth Initiative (AWYI), located at Nakuru, in the Rift Valley Province of Kenya.
Dr. Muchina is from Nakuru, and her family still lives there. Her sister Eunice is the founder of AWYI. It is a creative design company that crafts authentic, handmade African products for the global market. Proceeds from sales of these products enable women to leave poverty by earning a living. AWYI also feeds up to 60 people in Nakuru and sends 17 youth to school in elementary grades through college. Pauline will tell us more about AWYI and will offer some of their products for sale. If you wish to make a contribution to AWYI, you may do so while at Fall Camp.

Pauline serves as the Public Education and Advocacy Coordinator for the African Region at the American Friends Service Committee. She earned a Masters Degree from Yale University Divinity School and a Ph. D. From
Union Theological Seminary.