Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center nurtures the intellectual, emotional, and spiritual growth of all people through caring and creative ministries, quiet reflections, and a reverence for life. The retreat center annually welcomes over 250 groups and 7000 individuals who experience rest and healing, collaboration and inspiration, fellowship and renewal in this place of significant beauty.
As an affiliated organization and outreach ministry of Mount Olivet Lutheran Church, the retreat center affirms and joins these commitments to racial equity, justice, and reconciliation: Rooted in God’s love for the whole world made manifest in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, Mount Olivet Lutheran Church commits itself to promoting equality among all people, opposing racism in all its forms, working for the healing and health of our community, examining our own practices so they better align with Jesus’ vision for the world, and building relationships of trust and solidarity with people in and beyond our congregation so that we may grow together into the people God desires us to be.
In light of these commitments, we are taking the following actions:
- Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center will provide one complimentary 24-hour personal retreat package for an individual who is actively leading communities of faith and non-profit organizations whose mission focuses on dismantling racism and other forms of systemic injustice. These retreats can be scheduled on designated private retreat dates as well as midweek dates with available accommodations between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.
- Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center will offer free meeting space and use of all amenities for daytime retreats for churches that identify as black, brown, indigenous, or immigrant and for other communities of faith and non-profit organizations whose mission centers on racial equity, justice, and reconciliation. These day retreats can be scheduled on available midweek days between July 1, 2020 and December 31, 2021.
- Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center will sponsor a series of online retreats and, when possible, in-person events aimed at increasing diversity and cultural competency in organizations, dismantling racism in church and society, and fostering the health and healing of persons and communities impacted by systemic injustice. Full scholarships and/or discounted rates will be available for all of these events.
- Mount Olivet Conference & Retreat Center staff will participate in training in order to enhance the organization’s cultural competency, diversify its work of hospitality, expand its educational events, and host new groups.
Mount Olivet Conference and Retreat Center 