Barren Heights

06/05/2026

"I am writing to express how thankful we are for places like Barren Heights. My child and I have been welcomed with open arms, warm hearts, and kind people this weekend.

We not only had time to reconnect with each other, but also to connect with God. We met amazing staff and volunteers during our stay. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be here and to share this experience with other moms who are in the same situation as I am. It was also wonderful for my child to meet such kind people and perhaps make a new friend." —Retreat A Guest Mom

What a sweet way to start our 2026 Retreat Season! Retreat A had a fantastic opening retreat even though the rain wanted to come out to play as well. Retreat B starts tonight, and we can't wait to hear the stories of how our families are impacted by their stay at Barren Heights!

06/03/2026

When the waves of life are crashing around you, do you rely on Jesus? In this week’s Bread & Honey in 3, Ace tells us the story of when Jesus calmed the storm.

“One day Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side of the lake.’ So they got into a boat and set out. As they sailed, He fell asleep. A squall came down on the lake, so that the boat was being swamped, and they were in great danger.

The disciples went and woke Him, saying, ‘Master, Master, we’re going to drown!’

He got up and rebuked the wind and the raging waters; the storm subsided, and all was calm. ‘Where is your faith?’ He asked His disciples.

In fear and amazement they asked one another, ‘Who is this? He commands even the winds and the water, and they obey Him.‘“ —Luke 8:22–25

06/01/2026

It is with a heavy heart that we share that our dear friend and former staff member, Kelly, and her husband, CPT Addison Skarski, are mourning the loss of their precious daughter, Shiloh. Please pray along with us for their peace and comfort during this unimaginable loss.

Celebrate the life of Shiloh Skarski and join others in sharing memories, stories, and condolences.

05/29/2026

In honor of our first retreat of the 2026 Retreat Season starting tonight, we’re sharing some of our favorite moments from 2025. ☀️🎨🌳🌊

We’re excited for all of the families who serve and come to be served this summer to experience the love, hospitality, acceptance, and safety of Barren Heights. Will you join us in praying for these families and our 2026 Family Retreat Season?

05/28/2026

It’s a New Barn Renovation!

Our New Barn Renovation Project is almost done, which is great timing, because retreats start TOMORROW!

The LAWS of Barren Heights are to make the families we serve feel loved, accepted, welcomed, and safe. We live out these tenets in multiple ways—from making our Retreat Center and events fully accessible, to offering allergy-friendly and special dietary foods, to training our volunteers to be inclusive and inviting.

In 2025, we identified a need that would greatly benefit our retreats: increasing the safety and comfort of the New Barn basement for families to use during severe weather events. From that need, the New Barn Basement Renovation Project was born.

We’re nearing the end of this project, and though we hope to never need the use of this space in a weather emergency, we are thankful to have a calm, accessible, and safe place for our families to go if the need arises. Learn more about this project at barrenheights.org/news, and pray for our Retreat Center, retreats, volunteers, and guest families as we head into retreat season tomorrow.

05/26/2026

The official results are in! 🍋

We've had a couple donations trickle in since our campaign ended on May 18th, but we think we can confidently say that our final campaign result is $23,400.17!

Our community is INCREDIBLE! Incredibly kind. Incredibly generous. Incredible all around. 👏

Thank you for donating. Thank you for making it possible for Barren Heights to love and encourage special needs families through weekend retreats.

WHICH, by the way, begin THIS WEEKEND! 🎉🎉🎉

You gave, now we can serve. Let's go, Barren Heights family!

The final results have been tallied, and thanks to our one-of-a-kind community, we are excited to say we raised...$23,400.17!

05/21/2026

Take a moment with us to enjoy the sights and sounds of our newly resurfaced splash pad.

Ahhh, that was relaxing. 😌

Thank you, Southeast Christian Church, for funding this project to make our splash pad surface safe (& pretty sharp looking, if we do say so ourselves) for the special needs families coming to retreats this summer. We’re ready for some fun in the sun! How about you?

05/20/2026

"A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed." —Proverbs 11:25

In this week's Bread & Honey in 3, Ace shares a personal story of a time she could have used a bit (you might even say A LOT!) of refreshment, and encourages us all to refresh others through service and following the example of Christ.

05/20/2026

Thank you!

We are overwhelmed by the generosity and care of this community that has gathered around the mission of loving and encouraging special needs families.

You are the reason we are able to have tangible impact on families. Your support means more than you’ll ever know.

So thank you, and here’s to an incredible summer at Barren Heights!

05/19/2026

The Spring Campaign tallies are in, and we officially raised $23,271!

Thank you to EVERYONE who gave, everyone who came out to our Chick-fil-A Spirit Night, and for all your prayers and support throughout our campaign. We are excited to see what the Lord does throughout summer retreat season because of the generosity of this incredible community. Thank you, Barren Heights family!