Give yourself some Space to Create!
Whatever you’re working on, you could probably use a weekend to focus on it! Whether you have a hobby project or work project, whatever medium or subject, maybe you’re working on yourself! Come to some beautiful surroundings with delicious food in a setting where you can relax and create!
Book some time and space to create
Friday, September 9 thru Sunday, September 11
Sky Lake Retreat Center, Windsor NY
ages 16+
Accommodations starting at $200
Space is limited, register by Thursday, Sept 1st
For only $200, treat yourself to a restorative and creative weekend this fall. Imagine a whole weekend devoted to your work, exploring nature, and spending time in solitude and/or meeting others looking for connection. Imagine having a table or space where you can leave your supplies out and return to your work-in-progress whenever you want.
Your meals will be prepared, and some select activities will be offered that are completely optional. Lodging, linens, six meals, snacks, and activities are included. Please bring your own art or craft supplies and tools. Standard rooms are spacious for 2-3 guests sharing a room with 5 beds and a full bathroom. For $40 more you may reserve a single room.
Sky Lake is a United Methodist Camp and Retreat center located in Windsor, NY. Sky Lake’s rustic charm and comfortable surroundings await your arrival. Retreat to a chair overlooking the picturesque lake or go for a leisurely stroll on one of the trails that meander through the bountiful forests with over 900-acres of woods, fields, and water are yours to explore. Our year-round facilities offer the perfect setting for a retreat away from the distractions and demands of everyday life.
Sky Lake is an alcohol-free facility and has access to Wi-Fi. Due to the altitude and the lake, Sky Lake may be 10 degrees cooler than surrounding area – plan accordingly. Click here for additional information about accommodations (we will be housed in Riley Lodge; click to advance to additional photos).
For questions or accessibility requests contact the Sky Lake office at 607-467-2750.
Meet the Retreat Guides:
Lilace Mellin Guignard is a former professor of creative writing at Mansfield University of Pennsylvania. Her memoir When Everything Beyond the Walls Is Wild: Being a Woman Outdoors in America was published by Texas A&M University Press in 2019, and her chapbook Young at the Time of Letting Go was published by Evening Street Press in 2016 and won a 2015 Helen Kay Chapbook Poetry Prize. Her poetry has appeared in Calyx, Ecotone, and Poetry magazine. She speaks and leads workshops, most recently one on climate change poetry for the BTS Center in Maine.
Lilace will lead a Saturday evening activity, Poetry as Survival Skill, that will include listening to poems and writing prompts. This activity will ask you to engage with poetry as a process, not a product, the receiving and creating of which can be a powerful coping strategy in difficult times. It will immediately be followed by a guided hike a short way along the lake.
Cheryl Lyon is an experienced life coach, spiritual director, and retreat leader who delights in providing creative and contemplative experiences that give people an opportunity to connect with their deeper selves and with the larger All-That-Is that some name God.
Cheryl seeks to open conversations and create experiences where women and men can hear themselves think, move through their emotions, and listen for the voice of Wisdom – places and times where individuals can find that clarity and peace of mind we all seek; can be open and trusting enough to listen for where Life (God) may be leading; and can find enough emotional safety to boldly step forward onto the path that is always unfolding before them.
Cheryl will start off the retreat Friday night with a fun right-brain exercise. She will also offer a centering practice each morning and will be available for spiritual direction and/or life coaching at various times throughout the weekend.
On her website, Cheryl offers a free self-guided retreat called Peace Like a River. To get the retreat and receive notification of future events, sign up here: https://wingedlifecoaching.com/#retreat If you would like to receive notification of future events but are not interested in the retreat, simply sign up for the retreat and ignore the 4 retreat emails.
Corey Turnpenny is an ordained pastor leading Church in the Wild, an alternative spiritual community that worships at Sky Lake. Church in the Wild is committed to helping people connect with and care for Creation as well as working for environmental and social justice. Part of their work includes providing retreat opportunities that bring people back to Nature to connect with the Divine. Corey will be available throughout the weekend as she coordinates the schedule and needs of participants. You can find out more about Church in the Wild at www.churchinthewild.org.
Schedule Overview (all activities are optional):
Friday, September 9th
4:00-7:30pm Check-in, set up your space
5:30-7:30pm Supper available
7:30pm Welcome and Campfire
Saturday, September 10th
7:30am Early Morning Centering with Cheryl
8:00-9:00am Breakfast
12:30pm Lunch
5:30-6:30pm Supper
6:30pm Mocktail hour
7:30pm Night Hike Experience
Sunday, September 11th
7:30am Early Morning Centering with Cheryl
8:00-9:00am Breakfast
12:30pm Lunch
1:00-2:00pm Sharing Work & Closing
You are welcome to stay for worship with Church in the Wild at 4:00pm
Church in the Wild 