Kanuga

By the time many of you are reading this little article, about one hundred members of Good Shepherd – men, women and children - lots of children, will be enjoying a special place in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Hendersonville, North Carolina. That special spot is called Kanuga or the “Scratching Place.” The name, Scratching Place, has evolved into “gathering place,” which it now is with over 25,000 visitors each year. The area was originally occupied by the Cherokee Indians. In 1909 it became a vacation colony and in 1929, through the efforts of Bishop Kirkman George Finley, the property was purchased by the Dioceses of South and North Carolina and it became known as the Kanuga Conference Center with strong affiliations with the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Communion.  The property now covers 1400 acres with a magnificent lake as its center piece. In recent years Kanuga has undergone significant renovations in both the 39 cabins and the Lake Inn – comfort and convenience has replaced the rather Spartan accommodations of yesteryear – thank goodness!  

The rich history, beautiful geography and modern improvements certainly add to Kanuga charm, but for those who go for the first time and then return year after year Kanuga becomes one of those special spots we call a Thin Place, a place where the door between heaven and earth is cracked open – where the veil between heaven and earth is lifted. One of the things that make a thin place sacred is the lives and spirits of all the people who have consecrated the ground with their presence and their stories. Thin places can be experienced when people of faith come together seeking Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name I am with them.” That powerful promise is what we sense in thin places – the presence of God in Christ – the creator and the created almost touching.

God is present at Kanuga in the gathering, in the laughing children, in the sunrise Eucharist by the lake, in the Kanuga toast, in our conversations on the cabin porches, in the slow wooded walks, the closing outdoor chapel Sunday  Eucharist, and in our fun times together. 

Kanuga is a special thin place for Cissy and me. It was the last place and time we were together with daughter Angela and son-in-law Jim before they were killed in a tragic accident several days later. The memories of our time together are as clear as if it all was yesterday – we were content, at peace and happy. Those memories of that time are a thin place we can revisit any time we like. 

Peace,  Joe+