The Holden Village Podcast
Holden Village is a remote wilderness community, rooted in the Lutheran tradition, that welcomes all people into the North Cascade Mountains, above Lake Chelan, Washington.
Over the course of 60 years, Holden Village has been transformed from a copper mining town to a vibrant place of education, programming, and worship.
Holden Village welcomes and embraces people of all races, ethnicities, religious backgrounds, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. Holden Village has been a Reconciling in Christ congregation since 1985.
For the sake of Justice, Holden is called to foster Diversity through deliberate invitation and welcome; deploy an ethic of Equity to confront and dismantle systemic oppression; and practice Inclusion by listening to, learning from, and being transformed by marginalized voices, in order to become, together, the community for which God longs.
The Holden Village Podcast
New rhythms for Holden Village: A conversation with In-Village managers Steve Johnson and Emer Kate Sanders
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It’s been a little over six months since the evacuation and closure of Holden Village. Although the Village is closed to guests, a small intrepid team of in-village staff remain to protect the Village and ensure its continued operation.
This chapter of Holden history has been an opportunity for great growth and innovation. How do you run Holden Village with under fifteen people and without a roadway? On this newest Holden Village podcast we check in with operations manager Steve Johnson and community services manager Emer Kate Sanders to learn more about the unique challenges Villagers face while operating the Village during the current closure.
From constant repairs to wood processing, from helicopter food deliveries to sorting through staff possessions, the in-village team is far from idle.
Plus, Steve and Emer Kate look back on the past six months of Holden Village and remember December’s mudslides and evacuation. What was it like to close down the Village? What was it like to return and start putting the pieces back together? Steve and Emer Kate share their memories and how Holden Village continues to inspire them.
Listen in to learn more about what daily life at Holden Village looks like without guests and what projects are around the corner.
For more information, subscribe to Holden’s newsletter and read about the Village’s Road to Recovery here.