Retreat Reviews, Upcoming Retreats, Events, and Much More!

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2025 Middle School MiX Review

January 17th - 19th, 2025

This years Middle School MiX was a chilly but wonderful weekend! Together 5 congregations from all across Ohio gathered together to experience camp in the snow. We played games, made friendship bracelets, and went on a hike. Time was spent singing silly songs around a campfire, praising God in worship, and learning about how our faith can be alive through bible studies and evening devotions. A highlight for me was getting to see the middle schoolers interacting with kids from other congregations; making each other bracelets, cheering each other on, and sitting at meals with one another. They also led their own campfire and worship and shared some old classics and some fantastic new songs with everyone. It was a fantastic weekend where we could easily see and feel God’s unconditional love all around us!

We hope you and your congregation are able to join us next year for our annual Middle School MiX! To see what other retreats we offer visit our website: https://hopewoodoutdoors.org/programs/

2025 Women and Words Retreat Reminder!

Register Today!

Jump into a great book this weekend! Let’s focus on a deeper connection with your faith and building great relationships with other women in a refreshing, rejuvenating, and fun weekend. This year we will be diving into NY Times best seller “Help Thanks Wow – The Three Essential Prayers” by author Anne Lamott. Together we will explore the simplicity of prayer as we “ask for assistance, appreciate the good we witness, and feel awe at the world”. Reading the book in advance to the retreat is encouraged but not required. It is a quick read and is available at most all book retailers. The book will not be provided nor available for purchase through HopeWood Outdoors.

You will stay in Priebe Retreat Center or Spring Run Cottage. Priebe housing is 2 persons per room with restrooms just down the hallway. Spring Run is 5 persons per room with an attached restroom in each room. Cabins will be used as overflow housing.

For more information and to register, visit our website: https://hopewoodoutdoors.org/program/women-and-words-retreat/

End-of-Year Giving!

Donate Today!

Our fiscal year (how any organization count the year for tax purposes) ends on January 31st and we’re just $12,000 shy of meeting our yearly fundraising goal. Will you make one last year-end gift to help us close the books on last season and launch with confidence into the new year? God has great things in store for our community! Whether $10, $100, $1,000 or more, your gift will celebrate the year we had in 2024 and set the stage for an even better 2025 at HopeWood Pines, HopeWood Shores, and HopeWood Connect.

Click here to make your donation now, or send a check to:

HopeWood Outdoors
2790 State Route 61
Marengo, OH 43334

Thank you for being a part of the HopeWood Outdoors community!

Volunteer Today!

Sunday, March 9th, 2025

We are happy to announce that we are preparing for our 49th Maple Syrup festival! This year, the Maple Syrup festival will land on Sunday, March 9th from 11a-3p at HopeWood Pines. We will be working on projects the day before (Saturday, March 8th), and can house anyone starting Friday evening (March 7th). If you are interested in helping with tapping trees and preparing the maple syrup beforehand, please reach out to me about your availability before that weekend (we will hopefully begin our tapping soon). We will provide meals for volunteers starting at breakfast on Saturday, March 8th through lunch on Sunday, March 9th.

Here is the link to our Maple Syrup festival page on our website: https://hopewoodoutdoors.org/program/maple-syrup-festival/

At the very bottom of the Maple Syrup festival page is where you can find the volunteer registration button. If you have any trouble figuring out how to register, please reach out to our Guest Relations Coordinator, [email-masked], and she can help sign you up! All volunteers are required to fill out a registration form to volunteer as this helps us to prepare housing, numbers for volunteer meals, and dietary restrictions. We cannot properly prepare nutritious meals for volunteers who have dietary restrictions if they are not disclosed to us beforehand!

Partner Events and Opportunities

For more information please visit: https://static.wixstatic.com/media/eab377_4046d07d97af4e2f86956e2b7838ccb7~mv2.png

Are you a HopeWood Outdoors Partner and want your event/opportunity highlighted in our FireSide News? Reach out to [email-masked] for more information!

Our Vision
Connecting all people with nature & faith to bless a changing world.

Our Mission
Faithfully inspiring people to embrace their callings in creation & community.

Core Values
Vibrant Faith • Cherishing Creation • Developing and Deepening Relationships
Inspiring Leadership • Abundant Stewardship

Welcome Statement
Striving for unity in Christ, your whole person is recognized, welcomed, and affirmed by HopeWood Outdoors. People of all abilities, friends within the LGBTQIA+ and BIPOC communities, and neighbors of varying faith expressions represent the wideness of God’s creation. You are invited to fully experience nature and engage in programming that allows you to find comfort and confidence in the ways that you have been wonderfully made by our Creator. Your joy and pain, your highs and lows, your life and your life story are welcome here.

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Our mailing address is:
HopeWood Outdoors
2790 State Route 61
Marengo, Ohio 43334