Kingsholme Update

Good things continue to happen...

[Editor's note:  Kingsholme is a 195-acre property in the picturesque town of Ellendale, a one hour drive from Hobart, in the upper Derwent Valley.  The property, owned by Pathways for many years, has traditionally been a retreat and support facility for the wider Christian community in Tasmania, and so services an important albeit specialised community. This article is written by our team there, with that community in mind.  Earlier this year the Pathways Board agreed to support a change in focus of the farm, from what was the only foster caring farm in Australia, to its original focus and calling started by its original founders and owners, the late Reg & Athlene Chopping OBE, well-known and respected community leaders in Tasmania.]

It has been a busy few months here at Kingsholme. As per usual, the team have been working hard to maintain and improve our facilities. Amidst all the hustle and bustle of completing projects around the property and despite the chilly weather, we have had many people come and stay. Our beautiful retreat house has been steady with bookings and we have had numerous church and Christian ministries hire out our village accommodation to facilitate their own camps and retreats. 

We hosted 'The Well' Spring Retreat. The heart and purpose behind these retreats are to provide a space for people to get away from the hustle and bustle of life to rest and seek God. The retreat was a great success with each guest saying that they encountered God during their weekend on the property. Many of the guests spent time at our new cross on the hill, enjoying the stillness and peace it offers. This is one of the dedicated spaces on the property where guests have the freedom to sit, reflect and pray in a quiet, peaceful spot.

We also hosted our first ever family camp, with our Father/ daughter camp. It was a super fun weekend, full of many memory-making moments between Dad's and their daughters. Some of the highlights of the weekend included the Friday night Minute to Win it Games, archery, pizza making, picnic lunch, arts and crafts. There was much laughter and even some tears shed, as Dad's and daughters shared what they love about each other.

Our next family camp is our Mother Son Camp coming up on 17-19 January and our next spiritual refreshment retreat is 'The Well' Summer Retreat, 21- 23 February.

We recently launched our Kinsgholme kids camp canteen. The canteen is operated by the kids who live on the property here at Kingsholme & provides all the treats a sweet tooth may desire during their stay! The kids are currently raising money to help build a new nature playground here at Kingsholme. We are excited about this project and have so far had two churches host working bees to assist us with the beginning stages. We still have a bit of a way to go before the project is complete, as we are still raising needed funds and collecting donations, but we are pleased with the progress so far. It will be an amazing space once complete and will be a great asset to the property.

As the end of year approaches, we are busy preparing for our biggest event of the year; our King in the Field New Years Eve Festival! It is a family-friendly event with live music, kids games and activities, worship tent, swimming, kayaking, silent auction, various food stalls including Westerway Raspberry Farm, High tea Pavilion, coffee van, sausage sizzle and more. Guests are welcome to come for the day, as festivities commence at 10 am on NYE or byo tent and stay overnight. On New Years Day guest can enjoy a performance by Sands Family Circus, lamb spit for lunch & the freedom to use the property and facilities. All proceeds from the event will go towards improving our facilities. We are looking forward to the event and are excited to be able to provide the community with a fun and safe place to be on New Year's Eve.

If you have not yet visited Kingsholme, we would love for you to come! And if you do not have any plans for New Year's Eve, why not combine the two & join us for King in the Field 2019/2020. To make your booking and find our more details about Kingsholme visit www.kingsholme.com.au.

We look forward to seeing you,

The Kingsholme team.