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Who We Are
Bellwether Farm Camp, Retreat, and Education Center offers a model of sustainable living that promotes physical and spiritual wellness, fidelity to the environment, and social justice.
Programming
Nestled into the curves of the Vermillion River, Bellwether Farm is a camp, retreat, and education center dedicated to exposing the wider community to the creation that sustains all of life. As a working farm, its life focuses on four primary activities.
Facilities & Grounds
Bellwether Farm is a unique and affordable option for your next gathering. The center offers brand new facilities featuring a green technology, renewable energy, and water reclamation systems.
Get Involved
Find ways to get involved with Bellwether Farm including volunteer opportunities and ways to give.
In the Christian tradition, icons are not painted — they are written. Each brushstroke is a form of prayer, each session a movement toward contemplation. This December, during the sacred waiting of Advent, Bellwether Farm invites you to write your own icon of Our Lady of Tenderness — one of the most beloved images in the history of Christian art, depicting the tender embrace of Mary and the Christ child, cheek to cheek.
No artistic experience is required. Only a willingness to slow down, pay attention, and let the work of your hands become the work of your spirit.
Over five days on our working farm in northern Ohio, you will be guided step by step through the traditional iconographic process by Catherine Harrison, a skilled iconographer, and The Rev. Meghan Carlson of St. James Episcopal Church in Wooster. You will leave carrying home a completed icon — written by your own hands, a permanent expression of this season's quiet and holy longing.
Retreat Leader Bios: http://www.bellwetherfarm.com/get-involved/retreat-leader-bios
What to expect:
Daily life at Bellwether during this retreat is shaped by rhythm. Each morning begins with Eucharist, grounding the day's work in liturgy and common prayer. Studio sessions unfold unhurried, with guidance always close at hand. In the afternoons, the farm itself is available to you — a gentle walk, time with the animals, or a breath of December air along the Vermilion River. Evenings are yours to rest or engage in community time.
Throughout your stay, you will be nourished by food grown and prepared here on the farm — scratch cooking from our own fields and kitchen, offered in the spirit of the season.
Accommodations are private single-occupancy rooms, giving you space for rest, reflection, and the kind of inner quiet that Advent asks of us.
Who is this retreat for?
Anyone drawn to the intersection of faith, creativity, and contemplative practice — regardless of background, tradition, or prior experience with art or iconography. This retreat welcomes all.
Retreat Costs:
Early Registration (Ends July 1st, 2026) $1,058.00/per person
After July 1st, 2026 $1,358.00/per person
Retreat Dates: Tuesday, December 8 – Sunday, December 13, 2026
Tentative Schedule:
Tuesday
Arrivals 3:00-4:00 pm
Welcome & Introductions 4:00 pm-6:00 pm
Dinner 6:00 pm-7:00 pm
Community Time with Dessert Charcuterie Board 7:00 pm-8:00 pm
Compline 8:00 pm
Wednesday-Saturday
Breakfast 8:00 am
Holy Eucharist 9:00 am
Icon Writing 9:30 am- 12:00 pm
Lunch 12:00 pm- 1:00 pm
Icon Writing 1:00 pm-5:00 pm
Rest Time 5:00 pm- 6:00 pm
Dinner 6:00 pm- 7:00 pm
Community Time 7:00 pm
Sunday
Breakfast 7:30 am
Holy Eucharist 8:30 am
Blessing of the Icons 12:00 pm
Lunch and Departures 1:00 pm
Tuesday, December 8 - Sunday, December 13, 2026
3:00pm - 1:00pm
Donate Today
Bellwether Farm is a model of green technology featuring passive buildings, renewable energy, and more. It is a vehicle through which we can teach the wider community about fidelity to the environment, nutrition, physical and spiritual wellness, local food sourcing, food justice, and sustainable living.
Volunteer
Volunteer around Bellwether Farm. Opportunities are posted as they become available.