Earth Church Spirit Quest 2025

By Rev. Carol Bodeau

Dear Friends,

Each year, in the autumn and near the Fall Equinox, Westside's Earth Church community holds a retreat in the Great Smoky Mountains. We gather in the group campground at Elkmont, and have our own UU version of summer camp for adults. Spirit Quest is a time to gather around a fire, talk about what is important to us, share food and laughter, and focus on connecting with one another and nature for a few days.

Sunlight filters through a grove of trees, creating a serene and lush canopy overhead.

This year, the weather was perfect and our group of 10 people was rich with different ages, experiences, perspectives and hopes. We shared stories of challenges we are facing, and many expressed how important it is to have the support of community in tough times. The weekend included dipping our toes in the (freezing cold!) river—only one brave soul got completely into the water—and walking through woods that are starting to turn autumn colors. We also took a walk up to the cemetery adjacent to the campground, to give appreciation to all those who have gone before us, both those in our personal lives and hearts, and those—both indigenous and non-native—who had stewarded the land we were visiting.

At the center of Spirit Quest each year is an opportunity to just spend time shifting gears, allowing nature to help us deepen into a more reflective, quieter state. Such a time is natural to the Autumn Equinox, and it was good to put away cell phones and computers for a few days, and just be.

Earth Church, the group that hosts Spirit Quest each year, meets on the last Sunday of each month, and is a shortened version of this kind of reflection time. We gather for an hour or two (usually 2pm-3pm) outdoors, to simply share some sacred time and be in nature on our beautiful Westside grounds. Please join us anytime; all are welcome. And keep your eyes and ears open for upcoming retreats. We host a spring trip (hotel or cabin lodging) to a sacred site somewhere near Knoxville, and then Spirit Quest (camping) in the fall. I hope you'll join us sometime soon.

Note: October Earth Church will be held on Saturday, November 1st at 7pm (instead of the last Sunday of October), so we can celebrate Samhain, the earth-based New Year. There will be a bonfire and celebratory food, and all are welcome.

Happy Autumn!

Rev. Carol