St. Columba's Episcopal Church

### Context Profile for St. Columba's Episcopal Church

1. **Organization Mission & Cause**:
   - **Mission**: St. Columba's Episcopal Church aims to foster a welcoming community that embraces spiritual growth, service, and outreach. Their mission emphasizes inclusivity, love, and the importance of community connections.
   - **Cause**: The church serves as a spiritual home for individuals and families, providing a space for worship, education, and community service. They focus on nurturing faith and encouraging members to engage in service to others.

2. **Type of Activities**:
   - **Worship Services**: Regular Sunday services and special liturgical events.
   - **Community Events**: Activities such as movie nights (e.g., "Movie: The Fog"), which promote community engagement and fellowship.
   - **Fundraising Campaigns**: Events like the movie night serve as fundraising opportunities, with ticket sales supporting church activities.
   - **Outreach Programs**: Various community service initiatives aimed at helping those in need within the local area.

3. **Tone of Voice**:
   - The tone of the website and communications is **friendly**, **welcoming**, and **informal**, fostering a sense of community and belonging. The language used is accessible and inclusive, aiming to engage a diverse audience.

4. **Emoji Usage**:
   - The website and communications do not prominently feature emojis. The tone remains professional and straightforward, focusing on clarity and warmth rather than playful or casual elements.

5. **Key Facts**:
   - **Founding Info**: Specific founding details are not mentioned on the website, but it is implied that the church has a long-standing presence in the community.
   - **Scale**: The church hosts various events, with 53 total forms and 32 email campaigns indicating active engagement with the community.
   - **Impact Metrics**: While specific metrics are not detailed, the church's activities suggest a commitment to community involvement and support.
   - **Volunteer Info**: There is an emphasis on community participation and volunteerism, though specific volunteer opportunities are not explicitly listed on the website.

6. **Writing Guidelines**:
   - **Style**: Use a friendly and welcoming tone, avoiding overly formal language. Aim for clarity and inclusivity in messaging.
   - **Structure**: Keep communications concise and focused on community engagement. Use headings and bullet points for easy readability.
   - **Call to Action**: Encourage participation in events and outreach programs, making it clear how individuals can get involved or support the church's mission.

This context profile provides a comprehensive overview of St. Columba's Episcopal Church, focusing on their mission, activities, and communication style. It serves as a guide for creating personalized and effective content that resonates with their community.

If you are reserving a room, a non-refundable deposit is required to reserve your spot. After you hear back from us to confirm your reservation, you can pay the balance for your chosen room option.

Lodgers: We Preach Christ Crucified - DEPOSIT

You are paying the full cost as a commuter for the retreat (Full retreat and no room/no meals) including your $150 non-refundable deposit.

Commuter Pay in Full: Retreat with no room/no meals

You are paying the full cost as a commuter for the retreat (Full retreat with meals but no room) including your $150 non-refundable deposit.

Commuter Pay in Full: Retreat meals but no room

Once your $150 deposit is made and a reservation in a shared female dorm room is confirmed, your balance for the retreat is $300.

BALANCE for shared female dorm room only

Once your $150 deposit is made and a reservation in a double room is confirmed, your balance per person for the retreat is $350.

BALANCE per person for double room for couple/friends

Once your $150 deposit is made and a reservation in a Single Occupancy Room is confirmed, your balance for the retreat is $450.

BALANCE for Single Occupancy Room

We Preach Christ Crucified The Scandal, Terror, and Beauty of the Cross <div style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36);font-family:docs-Roboto;font-size:14.6667px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:center;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;line-height:1.5;box-sizing:inherit">An In-Person Triduum Retreat with Father Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D.</div><div style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36);font-family:docs-Roboto;font-size:14.6667px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:center;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;line-height:1.5;box-sizing:inherit"> Thursday, April 17 – Sunday, April 20</div><div style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36);font-family:docs-Roboto;font-size:14.6667px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;line-height:1.5;box-sizing:inherit"> Saint Paul’s famous insistence in his letter to the Corinthians, “We preach Christ and Christ crucified, a scandal to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23) is no less an enigma today than it was when he first penned those words. Yet, nothing of the New Testament can ultimately be understood apart from it. To be sure, the early church did not choose the cross as its central symbol, rather, it was confronted by its terror precisely as an irreligious – even sacrilegious – reality. Indeed, unlike the official councils that defined the doctrine of the Trinity or that of the divine-human natures of Christ, the church never convened a council to define a clear doctrine of the cross. Thus, while many theories abound, they remain largely misunderstood because they invariably confront us with complex theological ideas and archaic language. More viscerally however, reflecting on the cross poses painful questions about our own complicity in the violence and injustice of history, the nature of Sin and evil, and the necessity of divine judgment in a God whom we deem all-good, all-merciful, and all-loving God.   Thus, our Triduum retreat this year is not only intended for those who wish to deepen their comprehension of the cross, but even more so for those who are still scandalized by it. While there will be time dedicated to clarifying some of the most enlightening “theories” on the subject, our overarching emphasis will be to invite a more intuitive, liturgical, and metaphorical approach. Through conferences, sermons, liturgies, and spiritual exercises, participants will be invited to immerse themselves in the Paschal Mystery as together we feel our way into the scandal and beauty of the cross. Thus, we will move collectively from the themes of betrayal (Maundy Thursday) to abandonment (Good Friday), to death (Holy Saturday), and ultimately to the unbound joy of Resurrection (Easter Sunday). Perhaps there is no better time to contemplate the richness and mystery of this paradoxical symbol than in the days of Holy Triduum, where through her ancient, cathartic, and transformational rituals the Church invites us once again to enter this deepest mystery of our faith: body, mind, and soul, that with St. Paul we may come to know what it means “to carry with us, in our body, the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body.” (2 Cor. 4:10) For in this, the cross becomes the very posture of the contemplative disciple in the world: arms outstretched, naked and vulnerable, dying to oneself in order that love might reign not through triumph over the world but in self-sacrificial defeat, not in human strength but in divine weakness. A scandal and folly indeed! Join us at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church and Retreat House over the Triduum weekend, April 17-20, 2025 as Fr. Vincent Pizzuto, PhD leads us in a cathartic rumination on the cross as scandal, terror and – paradoxically – the unsurpassed joy of Resurrection. In this immersive retreat, Fr. Vincent and his co-presenters will invite the full participation of the retreatants in each of the four liturgies of the Triduum, while offering theo-logical reflections, exercises, and meditations that will open participants to a richer and deeper appreciation of the Paschal Mystery of Christ.</div><div style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36);font-family:docs-Roboto;font-size:14.6667px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;line-height:1.5;box-sizing:inherit"> </div><div style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36);font-family:docs-Roboto;font-size:14.6667px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;line-height:1.5;box-sizing:inherit">Food provided will be traditional Lenten fare: lacto-ovo vegetarian, and may include fish/shellfish. Easter Celebratory Dinner and Easter Brunch may include meat.  Please indicate any food restrictions in the query in the body of the registration form. </div> <span fr-original-style="color: rgb(32, 33, 36); font-family: docs-Roboto; font-size: 14.6667px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline !important; float: none;" style="color:rgb(32, 33, 36);font-family:docs-Roboto;font-size:14.6667px;font-style:normal;font-variant-ligatures:normal;font-variant-caps:normal;font-weight:400;letter-spacing:normal;orphans:2;text-align:start;text-indent:0px;text-transform:none;widows:2;word-spacing:0px;-webkit-text-stroke-width:0px;white-space:pre-wrap;background-color:rgb(255, 255, 255);text-decoration-thickness:initial;text-decoration-style:initial;text-decoration-color:initial;float:none;display:inline !important;box-sizing:inherit">There is a $150 minimum non-refundable deposit to reserve your spot, if you pay the full amount, the remainder may be refunded if you cannot make it. Retreat costs vary depending on choices about lodging/commuting.

Hi <span contenteditable="false" data-custom-variable="{{firstname}}" fr-original-class="fr-deletable styled-tag-chip " fr-original-style style="background-color:rgb(248, 248, 255);border:1px solid rgb(191, 191, 255);border-radius:4px;color:rgb(42, 42, 196);padding:1px 8px;font-size:11px;display:inline-block;margin:0px;overflow-wrap:anywhere;user-select:none;box-sizing:inherit">First name , Thank you for registering for our event!🚀 If you have any questions, please contact me below.. Anna Haightannahaight@stcolumbasinverness.org

We Preach Christ Crucified The Scandal, Terror, and Beauty of the Cross <div>An In-Person Triduum Retreat with Father Vincent Pizzuto, Ph.D.</div><div> Thursday, April 17 – Sunday, April 20</div><div> Saint Paul’s famous insistence in his letter to the Corinthians, “We preach Christ and Christ crucified, a scandal to Jews and folly to Gentiles” (1 Cor. 1:23) is no less an enigma today than it was when he first penned those words. Yet, nothing of the New Testament can ultimately be understood apart from it. To be sure, the early church did not choose the cross as its central symbol, rather, it was confronted by its terror precisely as an irreligious – even sacrilegious – reality. Indeed, unlike the official councils that defined the doctrine of the Trinity or that of the divine-human natures of Christ, the church never convened a council to define a clear doctrine of the cross. Thus, while many theories abound, they remain largely misunderstood because they invariably confront us with complex theological ideas and archaic language. More viscerally however, reflecting on the cross poses painful questions about our own complicity in the violence and injustice of history, the nature of Sin and evil, and the necessity of divine judgment in a God whom we deem all-good, all-merciful, and all-loving God.   Thus, our Triduum retreat this year is not only intended for those who wish to deepen their comprehension of the cross, but even more so for those who are still scandalized by it. While there will be time dedicated to clarifying some of the most enlightening “theories” on the subject, our overarching emphasis will be to invite a more intuitive, liturgical, and metaphorical approach. Through conferences, sermons, liturgies, and spiritual exercises, participants will be invited to immerse themselves in the Paschal Mystery as together we feel our way into the scandal and beauty of the cross. Thus, we will move collectively from the themes of betrayal (Maundy Thursday) to abandonment (Good Friday), to death (Holy Saturday), and ultimately to the unbound joy of Resurrection (Easter Sunday). Perhaps there is no better time to contemplate the richness and mystery of this paradoxical symbol than in the days of Holy Triduum, where through her ancient, cathartic, and transformational rituals the Church invites us once again to enter this deepest mystery of our faith: body, mind, and soul, that with St. Paul we may come to know what it means “to carry with us, in our body, the death of Jesus so that the life of Jesus, too, may be visible in our body.” (2 Cor. 4:10) For in this, the cross becomes the very posture of the contemplative disciple in the world: arms outstretched, naked and vulnerable, dying to oneself in order that love might reign not through triumph over the world but in self-sacrificial defeat, not in human strength but in divine weakness. A scandal and folly indeed! Join us at St. Columba’s Episcopal Church and Retreat House over the Triduum weekend, April 17-20, 2025 as Fr. Vincent Pizzuto, PhD leads us in a cathartic rumination on the cross as scandal, terror and – paradoxically – the unsurpassed joy of Resurrection. In this immersive retreat, Fr. Vincent and his co-presenters will invite the full participation of the retreatants in each of the four liturgies of the Triduum, while offering theo-logical reflections, exercises, and meditations that will open participants to a richer and deeper appreciation of the Paschal Mystery of Christ.</div><div> </div><div>Food provided will be traditional Lenten fare: lacto-ovo vegetarian, and may include fish/shellfish. Easter Celebratory Dinner and Easter Brunch may include meat.  Please indicate any food restrictions in the query in the body of the registration form. </div> There is a $150 minimum non-refundable deposit to reserve your spot, if you pay the full amount, the remainder may be refunded if you cannot make it. Retreat costs vary depending on choices about lodging/commuting.

St. Columba's Episcopal Church

We Preach Christ Crucified - Triduum Retreat

St. Columba's Inverness

Lodgers: We Preach Christ Crucified - DEPOSIT

$150

Commuter Pay in Full: Retreat with no room/no meals

$175

Commuter Pay in Full: Retreat meals but no room

$300

BALANCE for shared female dorm room only

$300

BALANCE per person for double room for couple/friends

$350

BALANCE for Single Occupancy Room

$450

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