Eagle Eyrie does not connect to Bedford County’s water; we run our own system. Usually only visible from US 501 during the winter, we maintain a reservoir below the mountain.

We then pump that water through our plant, clean it and make it ready to drink.

Ed Glass is our Water Plant Operator and does an excellent job ensuring that the water is pumped up the hill with constant water pressure. As you can imagine, the Health Department is quite strict, so we’re really proud of our staff and their efforts.

Congratulations to Ed Glass and Jeff Poff, our Physical Plant Operations Team Leader!

Planned and led with the assistance of seven student leaders, Shine truly gave the teenage girls a chance to be themselves and reflect on missions and their relationship with God.

The theme of “Community” allowed them to explore what it means to be created by God and to be in community with God and others.

The music during worship was led by The Sonflowerz, and up and coming duo of two sisters from Colorado. They’ve also opened for Third Day, among other popular Christian bands, so the fact that they played at Eagle Eyrie is pretty awesome.

Alice Cates was the worship pastor and challenged the girls to really understand and live out what it means to be in Community. Her words were powerful as she shared her heart with them.

The enthusiasm of the girls was evident all over campus; the dining hall bustled as the girls made new friends (and proceeded to play the cup game!). Several soaked up some sun during free time as the weather was absolutely gorgeous. In addition to worship and free time, the girls enjoyed breakouts, Bible study, and fun community-building games.

Kristen White, WMUV Student Mission Coordinator and leader for this retreat, pointed out that during “even” years, the weather for Shine was beautiful; during the last couple “odd” years, the weather was cold, rainy, and miserable.

We’re thankful that the weather was great, but even more thankful that the retreat went well. We pray that Shine 2013 will break the cycle and also have great weather!

Room 200 was the first room renovated under the “5 for $5k” sponsorship campaign we have going on for Voight. The carpet, beds, paint, furniture, artwork, and fixtures were all upgraded.

I’m currently laying on the bed and it’s very comfortable; I was struggling with the motivation to write this post as I want to take a nap too!

Since late last year we have received 3 sponsorships; this week we put the final touches on those 3 rooms (201-203) so all four rooms on the west side of Voight are now renovated.

Next time you’re here at Eagle Eyrie, try to stay in one of the rooms, or at least check them out. We’re still accepting sponsorships for the remaining 12 rooms!

The windstorm of worry never strengthens my soul. The earthquake of ego never brings me nearer to the Eternal One. The fire of fear never calms my heart. These three common approaches to life weaken, worsen, and wreck my inner being.

But when I try the uncommon approach of silencing the comfort of noise, quieting my heart in the Presence of God, and listening for His still small voice, I am blessed with spiritual vitality, intimacy with my Savior, optimism to face tomorrow, and courage to tackle the challenges of ministry.

In the madness of a hurry-scurry-worry world … in the mayhem of an action-oriented society … in the mistakes of a works-mentality religious culture … I occasionally need a contemplative retreat – a time to recover sanity, calm down, replenish my soul for the journey, and enjoy the nonchalant waltz of grace.

Harmony is sweeter than hectivity. Peace is better than pandemonium. The blessing of stillness is better than the burden of stress. Knowing that God is God – and I am not – is the path to tranquility … something I can never find in common approaches to life, something I can always find in the uncommon approach of hushed humility in the presence of the Holy One.

Virginia Baptists are blessed with an uncommonly beautiful location for contemplative retreats – an eagle’s nest where souls can nestle near the heart of God and be refueled to outsoar mediocrity, outrun temptation, and outwalk faintheartedness. When I have an opportunity to go there, I relish that quiet place where I can wait for the Lord and renew my strength.

Currently we have one room done and three more fully paid for – this week we will begin work on those three! In other words, we’re 25% towards our goal with 12 more rooms that need to be renovated.

Why renovate? Because Eagle Eyrie wants to become the premier destination for retreats and conferences in the region. We believe that a comfortable room with an upgraded mattress will give you a restful night of sleep and fully allow you to “retreat” away from the busyness of daily life.

Here are some of our frequently asked questions:

What is included in the $5,000.00 room renovation?

A $5,000.00 gift covers the cost of new carpet, paint, bedding, blinds, art work, lighting, an upholstered chair, patio furniture, and other amenities. Of course, if the donor chooses, we can also upgrade the room to include a new dresser and other features depending on the size of the contribution.

Can I dedicate a room in honor or memory of someone?

Yes! Each room will carry a special plaque to be placed on the door commemorating both the donor and the recipient.

Will a flat screen television be placed in the room?

We debated this question quite a bit, but the short answer is no. We came down on the side that Eagle Eyrie and the Voight Conference Center is not just a hotel but a place of retreat. With that distinction we felt that a television would be out of place. That said, we do have one with satellite downstairs in the lobby area. We also feature Wi-Fi with the capability to stream video such as Netflix, Hulu, etc. on your laptop or device.

How can find out more information about sponsoring a room?

Please call Eagle Eyrie at 434.384.2211 and we’ll be happy to help.

Last Friday I took advantage of the unseasonably nice weather and walked up the mountain with my camera to take new photos of the lodges. Wow. I sometimes ‘forget’ that I work at Eagle Eyrie. Walking up there on a quiet afternoon overlooking the mountains was just what I needed.

The photos we did have of the lodges, well, they just didn’t cut it. We’ve done a lot of work on the lodges over the last few years and it was time for them to be updated.

In addition to taking new lodge photos we uploaded floor plans. They are all now listed and categorized by size with small lodges sleeping 14-20 people, mid-size lodges sleeping 22-28 people (and broken up by one level and two level lodges) and large lodges sleeping 29-45 people.

The next step is to take interior photos of all the lodges, but I’m going to save that for a little warmer weather!

-Nathan

As we ponder all that 2012 will be in the days and months ahead, we at Eagle Eyrie hope you would consider allowing us to host your youth retreat!

Here are just a few reasons of how we can make it easy to plan and memorable for you and your youth group.

#1 - Mountains

Once the beauty of the mountains get in your blood they’re hard to shake.

Eagle Eyrie sits amongst the Blue Ridge Mountains overlooking Lynchburg and the James River valley.

The views throughout the property are breathtaking and will help add perspective for your retreat.

#2 - All you can eat buffet

We wanted to highlight this early on because for teenagers we know this can be potentially a big deal. If you choose to eat your meals with us, George, our Director of Food Services, will make sure that his excellent cooking fills your teenagers’ stomachs. Oh, and we have two soda fountains, hot drinks, a salad bar, and desserts available as well.

#3 - Separate male and female lodging

This can be done in a couple of ways depending on the size of your group. For larger groups, we can help you assign males to one lodge and females to another.

For smaller groups, our lodges are built such that you can separate males and females via a hallway.

#4 - Convenience to Lynchburg

Forgot a few supplies? Want to take your group out for ice cream or a movie? Want to enjoy amenities such as the Snowflex? Eagle Eyrie is only minutes away from Lynchburg, a metro area with over 100,000 people.

#5 - Convenience to Blue Ridge Parkway & Appalachian Trail

Want to ignore the hustle and bustle of the big city? Easy.

Eagle Eyrie is mere minutes away from tons of recreational and hiking opportunities along and around the Blue Ridge Parkway and Appalachian Trail.

There is a beautiful yet fairly simple hike over and along the James River only 15 minutes away.

#6 - Full kitchens in each lodge

Should you choose not to partake of George’s yummy buffets, our lodges feature a full kitchen for your disposal. You’ll have a full refrigerator/freezer, microwave, oven and stove top along with plenty of counter space.

#7 - Affordable pricing

A typical 2-night youth retreat with 4 meals (Saturday breakfast – Sunday breakfast) starts at $90/per person. However, if you wish to eat breakfast in your lodge, the cost is lowered to about $74/per person. Even better, if you belong to a BGAV church, you save 10% on meals and lodging, meaning that a 2 night/4 meal retreat is about $83/per person and a 2 night/2 meals retreat is about $68/per person. Learn more about our pricing here.

#8 - Recreation opportunities

Eagle Eyrie boasts a large and renovated swimming pool, bonfire pit, ballfield, volleyball court, basketball court, picnic pavilion, indoor game room, ice cream parlor, gift shop, and hiking trails.

There are plenty of ways for your group to have fun (and wear themselves out so they’ll sleep at night!)

#9 - Flexibility of meeting space

Each lodge has a common area with some even having outdoor space. Should you need or want a larger space, Eagle Eyrie has over 30 classrooms with some able to hold up to 200, while others are more intimate with capacities between 25-50 people.

Should you need space for more than 200 people than the auditorium in Dogwood Hall can hold up to 1,000 people. No matter your needs, Eagle Eyrie can help you find the meeting space you need.

#10 - Spiritual meditation path & chapel

Eagle Eyrie features a spiritual meditation path as well as a 50-person chapel that can be utilized to enhance the spirituality of your youth retreat. They are situated on a slightly more isolated area of campus allowing peace and tranquility.

The surrounding area and its view is a great place for quiet prayer and reflection.

#11 - Location, location, location

Eagle Eyrie is only an 90 minutes from Charlottesville, 2.5 hours from Richmond, 1.5 hours from Roanoke, 2 hours from Greensboro, 2.5 hours from Winston-Salem, 3 hours from Raleigh/Durham, and 3.5 hours from Northern Virginia. Get away without going too far!

#12 - BGAV churches receive discount

As mentioned above, we already have affordable prices, but we wanted to highlight again that if your church relates to the Baptist General Association of Virginia, your retreat will receive a 10% discount on housing and meals. In this day and age every dollar counts and we are happy to help the churches that support the ministry of Virginia Baptists and Eagle Eyrie.

Need more information about a youth retreat at Eagle Eyrie?

You can check out our youth retreat package or fill out an Inquiry form to receive information by phone or email such as a customized quote or further clarity on what Eagle Eyrie offers. You may also email info@eagleeyrie.org or call 434.384.2211.

Ready to reserve your retreat? Fill out our Retreat Application Form today!

2011 was a great year at Eagle Eyrie! As we sit back and reflect, we share our “11 in ’11″ highlights with you:

#11

We ordered brand new t-shirts for our gift shop this fall. We will greatly expand our apparel offerings for 2012. (Shh, we may even open an online store as well!)

#10

At the Baptist General Association of Virginia Annual Meeting, we were excited to give away two free overnight stays at the Hoover Center!

The winners will be able to stay for free any time in 2012 and enjoy the luxury and peacefulness that defines Hoover.

#9

The annual Chinese Christian Conference in May saw 643 people attend, their second-largest attendance since 1994!

#8

We welcomed dozens of new retreat groups this year, including prayer, youth, college student, women, and men’s retreats!

Overall retreat attendance was up over 5% from 2010.

#7

Similar to #8, we wanted to highlight that we welcomed over 250 retreat groups in 2011. What a busy, busy year!

#6

We have begun fundraising and renovations of the hotel rooms in the Voight Conference Center.

So far we have one renovated and three paid for waiting to be renovated next. Consider sponsoring a room today!

#5

Eagle Eyrie is going green. With overall attendance up this year, (and even with electrical rate increases) through cost-saving measures our electric bills went down 21%!

#4

We installed new billboards on either side of 501. These bright and shiny signs will help guide the over 25,000 guests we expect to welcome in 2012.

#3

We renewed our social media efforts in 2011. We put new life into our Facebook and Twitter profiles as well as opened a YouTube channel and Google+ profile. We are also the first VBMB partner Facebook page with over 1,100 “likes”!

#2

We launched a brand new website this year featuring dozens of pictures highlighting the beauty that surrounds Eagle Eyrie. We now enjoy easier to use online forms and a blog platform. The website, alongside our reinvigorated logo, brochures, and social media profiles, serves an important role in our new branding and marketing efforts.

#1

We saved the best for last: the four Centri-Kid Camps this past summer saw 135 children making spiritual decisions while they were here! Praise God!

Did any of your 2011 highlights occur at Eagle Eyrie? If so, would you share them with us?

Discover what several youth groups have already stumbled upon: the next few months are a great time to plan a youth retreat at Eagle Eyrie.

Why?

• There aren’t many school breaks between now and Spring break – give your students a weekend to look forward to!
• Space and availability options are greater than our peak times.
• Enjoy a warm and refreshing bonfire for only $25!
• Take advantage of our game and arcade room or enjoy hot chocolate from our ice cream shop!
• Flexibility with meals – enjoy our own warm all you can buffets or use a lodge kitchen to save money and make your own.
• We’re close to winter attractions such as Liberty’s Snowflex and Wintergreen.

A typical 2 night/4 meal retreat starts at $90/per person (BGAV churches receive a 10% discount on lodging and meals). Learn more about our youth retreat package, make a Request For Proposal, or apply to reserve your retreat today!

Watch our promo video now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSke91Z_3_I

• An 18 foot Christmas tree inside the lobby of the Voight Conference Center. It’s simply massive.
• Lights hung with the garland around the balconies of Voight.
• Decorating the water fountain display in the dining hall.

This Christmas season Eagle Eyrie is playing host to over a dozen company and organization banquets and luncheons. We hope that they will enjoy the Christmas decorations during their feasts!

The Christmas nativity scene on top of the piano inside Voight.

The Christmas wreath and lighted garland hanging inside the Voight Conference Center.

Eagle Eyrie's 18 foot tall Christmas tree!

Beautiful poinsettias adorning the registration desk at Eagle Eyrie.

Christmas decorations inside of the dining hall.

Are you putting up anything new in your Christmas decorations this year?