Welcome to Highland Retreat
Highland Retreat is a welcoming Christian camp that features a beautiful retreat setting and exciting summer youth camps. Located in northwestern Virginia, Highland serves the Shenandoah Valley, Northern Virginia, the Eastern West Virginia panhandle, and beyond.
Guest Testimonials
The retreat at Creekside helps tremendously in hearing from God, gaining a sense of direction for the season to come. Hiking trails are outstanding.
Pastoral retreat at Creekside Cottage, August 2023
We love the mission and outreach of Highland Retreat! Thanks so much for your service!
Couple staying at Mountain View Retreat Center, August 2023
We love Highland Retreat! It is a peaceful, beautiful place to enjoy God’s creation and connect with one another!
Church retreat in the Tabernacle area, July 2023
Staff was great, super responsive and accommodating. Thank you!
Family Reunion in Mountain View Retreat Center, June 2023
This week is exactly what I needed. I was able to rest up, connect with the Lord, and take a few hikes! Thank you for investing in pastors. This helps us to better invest in our people. God bless you all!
Pastor Stay in Dogwood Cottage, June 2023
Thank you for this valuable time to retreat. Creekside Cottage was just what I needed. I noticed how well the property is cared for and maintained and how intentional you are about providing a place for groups and families to rest and be renewed together. I appreciate your generosity in allowing pastors to retreat here for free, to come away with God and rest. May God bless you abundantly.
Pastoral Retreat in Creekside Cottage, May 2023
Everyone we interacted with was extremely kind and cheerful. Our group had a beautiful weekend in your well kept facilities and we hope to be back sometime soon. The kitchen was extremely well stocked and far beyond our expectations; rooms were very clean and orderly. Looking forward to returning!
Church Retreat in Mountain View Retreat Center, May 2023
What an amazing cabin! Thank you. The hiking trails are wonderful and well marked. It was nice to get away for some prayer and reflection time.
Individual retreat at Creekside cottage, April 2023
We had a great time! Very nice, restful weekend without the kids. Particularly enjoyed the hiking trails, beautiful weather!
Couple staying at Creekside cottage, April 2023
The pine trees and mountains are as beautiful and peaceful as ever! Your last-minute hospitality was the warmth we needed. Thank you so much.
Family stay in Mountain View Retreat Center, April 2023
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If your youth group, men`s or women`s group, Sunday School class, or friend group is considering a retreat, don`t forget our lodges! Red Oak Lodge and Mountain View Retreat Center each offer sleeping spaces and meeting spaces that can accommodate groups of 20-50 with ease -- and at the moment we have a lot of weekend availability in January and February. Imagine gathering around a fireplace on a chilly winter Saturday with your friends for a worship service, a good chat, or some games. Sounds nice!
For more info on what we offer for group retreats, check out our website: highlandretreat.org/retreats
Save the date! This year`s Annual Meeting and Banquet will be held on Thursday, November 16. Get that on your calendars, and watch this space for another announcement in a few weeks when we are ready to start accepting your RSVPs. In the meantime, if you are interested in being a table host, send us a message or call our office to let us know!
One of the things we get to enjoy at Highland is hosting church groups from many different ethnic and cultural backgrounds. It`s wonderful to catch glimpses of the worldwide Church through each diverse group! Last month, we had the pleasure of hosting a group of Korean church leaders who came to Highland for a retreat.
Our staff got a little more involved with this particular group than we generally do, since the group included James Rhee, one of Highland`s board members. James invited Kent and Ben to lunch one day, and they enjoyed trying some Korean dishes. Kent also learned a Korean gesture for love: a small heart made with a crossed finger and thumb (as in the first picture). James has much to share about his love for Jesus and the work of the church in Korea; it was our privilege to welcome him and his fellow church leaders to Highland!
This year`s Mennonite Jr. High Retreat will be held October 22-21 at Highland. We`re collecting RSVPs from youth groups now so we can get a rough estimate of how many people to plan for. Talk to your church youth leader about attending! The group registration form is available on our website, and we would like to have those responses in by September 25 (2 weeks from today).
More details and the group registration form can be found at: highlandretreat.org/jr-high-retreat
#highlandretreatva #mennonitejrhighretreat
We`ve shared a bit about the upcoming internship program (in partnership with @vmmissions), specifically about Green Valley House, where the interns will live. Now we`ll share a bit of what the interns may DO during their time at Highland.
Our year-round staff (some of whom are pictured here) serve guests in different ways: leading programmed activities like the climbing tower, preparing and serving meals, handling routine or emergency maintenance issues, cleaning and preparing facilities for use, and so on. There are many tasks to handle, and with our relatively small group of year-round staff, there are often times when just one more set of hands would make a huge difference in what we can accomplish. So part of our future interns` roles will be stepping into those gaps when needed!
Additionally, we will help our interns identify some personal giftings and vocational interests that can then be areas of focus for them. These may include hospitality, environmental sustainability, worship leading, marketing, food service, construction, youth ministry, programming, or pastoral care. So many great possibilities for growth and service!
Ideally, potential interns should apply to participate by mid-September. Anyone interested in learning more about the internship program can do so at highlandretreat.org/get-involved/internship
Or, go straight to the VMMissions website to pursue an application: vmmissions.org/service-opportunity/usa-highland-retreat-ministry-intern
#highlandretreatva #highlandretreatinternshipprogram
Summer is a good time for bare feet, and also, in at least this one instance, BEAR feet! The fun bear statue near the pool had one foot that was not holding up as well as the other, but Mark Showalter (pictured) and his sons Ray and Duane stepped in with a new foot for the bear. It looks great! These wonderful gentlemen have been helping us keep the bear in good shape for many years; thank you for your excellent work!
#highlandretreatva #highlandsummercamps #bearstatue
