Spring is on the way! Usually in March, I have my doubts that the calendar is correct. This year, the snow is already melting from all but the shadowed areas and flowers are peaking out of the dirt to see if it safe to awaken. There are times that I feel that my spirit is in the month of March. My heart feels cold, wet and still frozen in places. Thankfully the Son is there to warm my soul and encourage those shy shoots of growth to rise. Before long, He has made something beautiful out of my winter. May God bring you beauty and growth this spring and Easter season.

Spring Workday. Where can you go for a mission project for only the cost of transportation? Gove Hill will hold its’ spring work day on May 12, 2012. The manor house will be open for FREE overnight stay on Friday, May 11 and FREE breakfast and lunch will be served. Contact Bill and Bernice to reserve a place for you, your family or youth group in the manor house.
Online registration available!  Gove Hill retreat has online registration for our spring arts retreat, summer creative writing retreat, and songwriting retreat. You may also make one time and recurring donations on our website as well at http://www.govehillretreat.org/donations--registration.html

New Beds! Thanks to a generous neighbor that is downsizing, we are able to obtain two new twin beds for the manor house. These will replace two single bunk beds on the third floor. These are a wonderful addition to our rooms and complement our full and queen beds we have acquired.
An easy way to Give:
You can join Good Search/Good shop and have your donations go to Gove Hill Retreat. It's simple, after you register; use them for your search engine as well as to access coupons and participating businesses and even restaurants all over the country. A small percentage of your purchase it donated to Gove Hill Retreat without you having to find that money in your budget. Thank you for your support.

Cabin Renovation project:  The Wixson Retreat looks cozier every day. With properly studded wall and new windows, the drafts are already gone from the building. We would love skilled help with this project to move it along in a timely fashion. Does your church have a team of up to 6 people who like work projects? Speak to Bill about coming to help on a week day or weekend.  We excited to have a group from Rhode Island come in as well to help. Pastors! You can make your reservations for the summer of 2012 for personal and family retreat time at the Ray Wixson Retreat. You will enjoy a comfortable space and the 187 acres Gove Hill Retreat has to offer.

Pie sales are continuing this year as we hope to do some more upgrades in our energy efficiency. Do you have time to host a pie sale at your church? Your pies could help reduced our electric consumption! We need to replace our 50+ year old commercial refrigerator. Not only will it be more energy efficient, it will also be more space efficient for food storage as well. We are committed to a cleaner environment and a more comfortable house for you. Thank you for helping make it possible.

Spring Arts Retreat 2012 will be on May 4-6, 2012. Workshops in Landscape painting with illustration, led by Reed Prescott or Photography, led by Jim Mauchly, will be presented. Registrations have begun. It may be cold out, but spring will come fast! Register by March 30, 2012 and save $50!
Writers’ conference 2012 is schedule for July 13-15. Jeffrey Overstreet will be one of our presenters this year. He has four award winning novels and is a film reviewer for Christianity Today. He also teaches at Seattle Pacific University in Washington. Robert Siegel will be our poet presenter this year. Siegel has taught at Dartmouth, Princeton, and Goethe University in Frankfurt, and for twenty-three years at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he directed the graduate creative writing program and is currently professor emeritus of English. He has degrees from Wheaton, Johns Hopkins, and Harvard. He is married to Ann Hill Siegel, a photographer, and lives on the coast of Maine. Register by April 30, 2012 to save $100!Songwriting Conference 2012is scheduled for July 20-22. Bill and Kay Pere will be running this conference again. They are skilled teachers with a firm understanding of the creative process that will help you get started or refine your songwriting skills. Register by April 30, 2012 to save $100!

Camp needs

Gove Hill serves people from many walks of life. Some are less able to afford coming than others. We strive to make retreats at Gove Hill affordable. Your assistance makes this ministry possible. Thank you for your donations. They keep Gove Hill available to all. Donations may be sent to Gove Hill or the region office with an earmark for Gove Hill. You may also donate online at our safe and secure website. Here are a few items Gove Hill could use.

·         New commercial refrigerator

·         Donations for improving energy efficiency (insulation, refrigeration)

·         Donations for 60 KW standby generator for manor house.

·         Building materials for the cabin renovation project.

·         Skilled Volunteers for a work project (insulation installation and cabin build) on your schedule.

Weekends and weekdays are available!

Contact Bill and Bernice for details. We are here to serve you! Need to plan ahead? Winter dates are available in February, March and April. We have one lovely September weekend available and November dates if you are looking towards a fall retreat for 2012. Check out the calendar on our website, www.govehillretreat.org, for specific dates open.  Collaborate with churches near by for a weekend retreat for youth, adults or family groups. Advanced planning helps you get the dates you wish.   govehill@abcvnh.org or 802-785-4000.

Gove Hill is quickly losing its leaves, trees are becoming dormant, and the sleep of winter is ahead. Sometimes I have a hard time settling down into a “non-productive” state. I always have the feeling I should be doing something on my list. Still Jesus calls us to times of rest. It may not look productive, but it is. Just as the trees store themselves up against the winter storms, they are quietly preparing for the season of growth that will return in the spring. We too need those quiet seasons of preparing and renewal. That is what a retreat at Gove Hill is all about. Come; feel dormant for a few days. Sink your roots down deep in God’s depths and prepare for the next season to come.

Cabin Renovation project:  The decking for the new porch needs to be built to better access the structure. When we raised the foundation, we removed the old stairs and the ease of access. The next step of gutting the old fixtures in preparation for the new. Volunteers on your schedule or on our workdays are most welcome.

Gazebo project: The Gazebo is coming together. The skirt, benches and electrical fixtures are the remaining details to complete Skilled labor is welcome to help with these finishing tasks. Pictures are on facebook of the project.

Energy Audit Gove Hill has had an energy audit that strongly recommends increased insulation in our attics. Just with this improvement alone we could reduce air loss of 20%. Our budget is stretched with the purchase of the furnace, but we hope to address this within 2012 or sooner if funding becomes available. Other smaller yield efficiency projects, such as windows and doors, will come after this larger project is complete.

Spring Arts Retreat 2012 will be on May 4-6, 2012. Workshops in Landscape painting with illustration, led by Reed Prescott or Photography, led by Jim Mauchly, will be presented. Registration will be starting soon.
Writers’ conference 2012 is schedule for July 13-15. More information will be coming this fall.Songwriting Conference 2012is scheduled for July 20-22. Bill and Kay Pere will be running this conference again. They are skilled teachers with a firm understanding of the creative process that will help you get started or refine your songwriting skills.

Camp needs

Gove Hill serves people from many walks of life. Some are less able to afford coming than others. We strive to make retreats at Gove Hill affordable. Your assistance makes this ministry possible. Thank you for your donations. They keep Gove Hill available to all. Donations may be sent to Gove Hill or the region office with an earmark for Gove Hill. Here are a few items Gove Hill could use.

• · Two Twin size mattress sets and bed frames new or excellent condition used
• Wood splitter
• Donations for improving energy efficiency (insulation, refrigeration)
• Donations for 60 KW standby generator for manor house.
• Building materials for the cabin renovation project.

Skilled Volunteers for a work project (insulation installation and spring Gazebo build) on your schedule.Skilled Volunteers for a work project (insulation installation and spring Gazebo build) on your schedule.Weekends and weekdays are available!

Contact Bill and Bernice for details. We are here to serve you! Need to plan ahead? We are also receiving bookings for late fall 2011 and into 2012. There is time in November so don’t wait to schedule yours!  Mid-week dates are available in the fall still. Check out the calendar on our website, www.govehillretreat.org, for specific dates open.  Collaborate with churches near by for a weekend retreat for youth, adults or family groups. Advanced planning helps you get the dates you wish.   govehill@abcvnh.org or 802-785-4000.