Teacher Residencies (Preschool through 5th Grade)

Member for

5 years 2 months
Photo
Cover Photo
bergamot blooms in a summer field
First Name
Deborah
Last Name
Haak-Frost
Biography

If you make a reservation for a retreat at GilChrist, you will most likely see my name on the email signature, talk with me on the phone, or see my face when you arrive. I’ve always delighted in being able to connect people with the natural world in ways that allow them to experience their environment deeply and meaningfully. My undergraduate degree in psychology and environmental studies paved the way for this beautiful integration of two passions of mine. The principles of permaculture – earth care, people care, and fair share – also shape my approach to my work. Making rest and retreat more accessible for all is something I try to work toward.

I also do a lot of the behind-the-scenes logistics and administrative work at GilChrist: working with group retreat facilitators, handling billing, managing social media, keeping the website up to date, cataloging the library, and also pitching in with cabin cleaning and feeding the goats.

When I’m not at work, you can find me volunteering in my Three Rivers community, cooking and baking in my kitchen, taking in thought-provoking television and movies with my husband, or daydreaming about grand garden plans for my backyard.

Job Title
Caretaker for Community Engagement
Cover Caption
Bergamot blooms in this summer view from the GilChrist office
Engagement Results Display
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Staff Department
Department or Org
GilChrist
Email
dhaak@fetzer.org

Note from the program sponsor: We are deeply saddened to share news of the passing of our founder and inspiration, Douglas M. Yeager, on December 24, 2022. While we continue to navigate the loss, we are committed to carrying on this work and building upon the legacy he initiated to honor the memory of his wife and our mother, friend, and grandmother.

 

Reserve your retreat for 2023!

Member for

5 years 2 months
Photo
Cover Photo
bergamot blooms in a summer field
First Name
Deborah
Last Name
Haak-Frost
Biography

If you make a reservation for a retreat at GilChrist, you will most likely see my name on the email signature, talk with me on the phone, or see my face when you arrive. I’ve always delighted in being able to connect people with the natural world in ways that allow them to experience their environment deeply and meaningfully. My undergraduate degree in psychology and environmental studies paved the way for this beautiful integration of two passions of mine. The principles of permaculture – earth care, people care, and fair share – also shape my approach to my work. Making rest and retreat more accessible for all is something I try to work toward.

I also do a lot of the behind-the-scenes logistics and administrative work at GilChrist: working with group retreat facilitators, handling billing, managing social media, keeping the website up to date, cataloging the library, and also pitching in with cabin cleaning and feeding the goats.

When I’m not at work, you can find me volunteering in my Three Rivers community, cooking and baking in my kitchen, taking in thought-provoking television and movies with my husband, or daydreaming about grand garden plans for my backyard.

Job Title
Caretaker for Community Engagement
Cover Caption
Bergamot blooms in this summer view from the GilChrist office
Engagement Results Display
Off
Staff Department
Department or Org
GilChrist
Email
dhaak@fetzer.org

"Welcome to GilChrist, a place where natural beauty strengthens our human capacity for compassion, gratitude, reverence, and creativity." So states our home page, which invites you to explore a

An App Helping to Build a More Loving World Through Meditation

Member for

12 years 6 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
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Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

One of the ways that people deal with the stress of their everyday lives is through meditation. Globally it is estimated that 200 – 500 million people engage in this practice. In the United States, more than 14% of adults have tried meditation at least once, and since 2012, the number of people that has embraced this practice has more than tripled.

Writing From the Body

Member for

5 years 2 months
Photo
Cover Photo
bergamot blooms in a summer field
First Name
Deborah
Last Name
Haak-Frost
Biography

If you make a reservation for a retreat at GilChrist, you will most likely see my name on the email signature, talk with me on the phone, or see my face when you arrive. I’ve always delighted in being able to connect people with the natural world in ways that allow them to experience their environment deeply and meaningfully. My undergraduate degree in psychology and environmental studies paved the way for this beautiful integration of two passions of mine. The principles of permaculture – earth care, people care, and fair share – also shape my approach to my work. Making rest and retreat more accessible for all is something I try to work toward.

I also do a lot of the behind-the-scenes logistics and administrative work at GilChrist: working with group retreat facilitators, handling billing, managing social media, keeping the website up to date, cataloging the library, and also pitching in with cabin cleaning and feeding the goats.

When I’m not at work, you can find me volunteering in my Three Rivers community, cooking and baking in my kitchen, taking in thought-provoking television and movies with my husband, or daydreaming about grand garden plans for my backyard.

Job Title
Caretaker for Community Engagement
Cover Caption
Bergamot blooms in this summer view from the GilChrist office
Engagement Results Display
Off
Staff Department
Department or Org
GilChrist
Email
dhaak@fetzer.org

“Imagination is evidence of the divine,” wrote poet and visionary William Blake more than 200 years ago. And yet we experience the world, imagine, and create through our very human bodies. In this retreat designed for artists and dreamers of every ilk, we will drop into the body and connect to the deepest parts of ourselves.

Just as You Are: Fall Yoga Retreat

Member for

5 years 2 months
Photo
Cover Photo
bergamot blooms in a summer field
First Name
Deborah
Last Name
Haak-Frost
Biography

If you make a reservation for a retreat at GilChrist, you will most likely see my name on the email signature, talk with me on the phone, or see my face when you arrive. I’ve always delighted in being able to connect people with the natural world in ways that allow them to experience their environment deeply and meaningfully. My undergraduate degree in psychology and environmental studies paved the way for this beautiful integration of two passions of mine. The principles of permaculture – earth care, people care, and fair share – also shape my approach to my work. Making rest and retreat more accessible for all is something I try to work toward.

I also do a lot of the behind-the-scenes logistics and administrative work at GilChrist: working with group retreat facilitators, handling billing, managing social media, keeping the website up to date, cataloging the library, and also pitching in with cabin cleaning and feeding the goats.

When I’m not at work, you can find me volunteering in my Three Rivers community, cooking and baking in my kitchen, taking in thought-provoking television and movies with my husband, or daydreaming about grand garden plans for my backyard.

Job Title
Caretaker for Community Engagement
Cover Caption
Bergamot blooms in this summer view from the GilChrist office
Engagement Results Display
Off
Staff Department
Department or Org
GilChrist
Email
dhaak@fetzer.org

Underneath the routine of doing and expectation, a gracious joy for simply being awaits. Fall is a glorious time to slow down and revel in the beauty of being enough, and GilChrist echoes that sentiment back to you. Open landscapes, cozy cabins, and sounds of nature are a balm to busy-ness, affirming that you are enough -- just as you are. With this retreat, you are invited to reflect and relax into who we are the hustle and bustle melt away. Poetry, nature, solitude, and togetherness will cocoon this special time of unwinding and unfolding layers to bask in your inner light. 

Yin Yoga & Meditation Retreat: Supporting the Winter-Spring Transition [FULL]

Member for

5 years 2 months
Photo
Cover Photo
bergamot blooms in a summer field
First Name
Deborah
Last Name
Haak-Frost
Biography

If you make a reservation for a retreat at GilChrist, you will most likely see my name on the email signature, talk with me on the phone, or see my face when you arrive. I’ve always delighted in being able to connect people with the natural world in ways that allow them to experience their environment deeply and meaningfully. My undergraduate degree in psychology and environmental studies paved the way for this beautiful integration of two passions of mine. The principles of permaculture – earth care, people care, and fair share – also shape my approach to my work. Making rest and retreat more accessible for all is something I try to work toward.

I also do a lot of the behind-the-scenes logistics and administrative work at GilChrist: working with group retreat facilitators, handling billing, managing social media, keeping the website up to date, cataloging the library, and also pitching in with cabin cleaning and feeding the goats.

When I’m not at work, you can find me volunteering in my Three Rivers community, cooking and baking in my kitchen, taking in thought-provoking television and movies with my husband, or daydreaming about grand garden plans for my backyard.

Job Title
Caretaker for Community Engagement
Cover Caption
Bergamot blooms in this summer view from the GilChrist office
Engagement Results Display
Off
Staff Department
Department or Org
GilChrist
Email
dhaak@fetzer.org

This retreat is fully booked. To inquire about being added to the waiting list, please reach out to Kristin Fiore at kristin@downdogyogacenter.com

September Practice: Noticing the Silent Lives Around Us

Member for

10 years 4 months
Engagement Results Display
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Email
mroselle@gmail.com

This month we share two practices that our social media community members found helpful in the early months of the pandemic. We return to these practices with the hope that they continue to be helpful to you as you help others in your life and work to savor the only moment we really have: now.

What’s Next for the Spiritual Care Providers Network?

Member for

12 years 6 months
Photo
Amy Ferguson
Cover Photo
Book stack
First Name
Amy
Last Name
Ferguson
Biography

I am part of a web of writers, editors, videographers, communicators, and ambassadors who help shine a light on how we can all contribute to a loving world. For me this comes through in three simple words: reveal, serve, and inspire. It means researching, listening, sleuthing, writing, connecting, and conspiring for good. 

Our teachers in this work are numerous. I have learned so much from others' fine "translations" of the need for love in our world--epidemiologists, neuroscientists, and public health specialists, artists, clergy, and various lifelong practitioners of compassion--who carry this work into realms of our social life like schools, prisons, and law enforcement circles.

My background is deep in the humanities, and my family tree is of full Catholics (faithful and lapsed), skeptics, and librarians. I have a master's degree in literature and am drawn to volunteer with arts-related organizations and projects. 


 

Quote
Quote

“We are all born with 200 bad poems in us.”  —Billy Collins

Job Title
Internal Communications Officer
Cover Caption
Selections from the We the People Book Club.
Engagement Results Display
On
Staff Department
Email
aferguson@fetzer.org

This fall, the Chaplaincy Innovation Lab will release an online reader focused on the work of African American chaplains. The online reader is envisioned as a reference for chaplains, students, and educators interested in examining the interplay between race and the history of chaplaincy in the United States.

July Practice: Play at Work

Member for

10 years 4 months
Engagement Results Display
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Email
mroselle@gmail.com

Play touches and stimulates vitality, awakening the whole person—mind and body, intelligence and creativity, spontaneity and intuition. —Viola Spolin

Do you shy away from “play” as something frivolous--not to be part of your work life? In the video below, Bill Vendley, our senior advisor for world religions, reminds us of the importance of play, and this from someone who dedicated his life's work to conflict resolution!