Our Mission is to provide, on a short-term basis, sacred time, space and resources for silence, prayer,
solitude, restoration and renewal. There are minimal charges for the use of our facilities, both indoors
and outdoor camping, but participation must be pre-approved. This ministry depends on contributions
from the public, individuals, businesses, and participants.
HAVEN MINISTRIES believes that the outdoors is where we can find solitude and spiritual renewal. The
Lord Jesus Christ is our prime example. He went to the wilderness to prepare for his own
ministry. The Hebrew prophets spent time in the wilderness. The early saints went to the
wilderness to find a more profound experience of God's presence. The outdoors is alive with
mystery, majesty, and wonder.
Jesus withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. (Luke 5:16)
I will plant in the wilderness the cedar, the shittah tree, and the myrtle I will set in the desert the fir tree and the pine and the box tree together, that they may see and know and consider and understand together, that the hand of the Lord has done this, and the Holy One of Israel has created it. (Isaiah 41:19-20)
"In the morning...he got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed." (Mark 1:35)
Psalm 24 states that "the Earth is the Lord's and all that is in it, the world, and
those who live in it." Humans simply hold the Earth in trust for God. We are tenants here, called to care for
the creation on behalf of future generations and all species. The Bible calls us to "till and keep the garden"
and names human beings as the trustees of creation. Because God created all the Earth and all of us, creation
is beautiful and good and sacred. We are called by our devotion to God and our love for God's works to protect it.
Creation itself inspires us and calls us to care. Many people have had their most profound spiritual experience
in nature.
As we behold the power and love of God in a mountain range, a sunset, or in the timelessness of the ocean, we
can't help but be moved. But creation also includes humans – our families, communities, and created
landscapes. God created all things of Heaven and Earth and God is our inspiration to care for both wild places
and our own cities and backyards
Why Do People of Faith Care About Creation? Caring for the Earth is a fundamental part of religious faith. Nearly
every major faith tradition and Christian denomination has a statement about the need to respect, enjoy, and
protect God's gift of the world around us Underlying these statements are a set of core values that speak to
the heart of religious morals and ethics: spirituality, stewardship, sustainability, and justice.
HAVEN MINISTRIES believes that when God is sought in an outdoors environment, that the place can become a place
of blessing for one's own practice of their faith. The Word of God recounts numerous instances where this
occurred. Jacob awoke from a dream and declared the place sacred. Moses found the burning bush. Jesus
was transfigured atop a mountain. The Apostle Paul was converted on a dirt roadway. In more modern times,
John Chapman, popularly known as Johnny Appleseed, was converted in a wilderness setting. Charles Finney, the
great evangelist, had an experience of tremendous blessing while in a grove of poplar trees. The time spend
in the outdoors has almost always resulted in a spiritual blessing and refreshing of the inner spirit.
