Holden Village

06/01/2026

The faces of Holden Village are always changing.

Last month, the In-Village team said goodbye to four long-term staff members. In their years of experience Carli, Paul, Ryan, and Malena shared love, talent, and beautiful smiles to help the community thrive.

With the Village closed, the core-In Village staff is limited to 10-12 people. We are looking for people who want to be a part of this small and dedicated team. You can explore open and upcoming positions on our job page.
https://www.holdenvillage.org/volunteer/
Consider submitting your application today!

Please join us in wishing Carli, Paul, Ryan and Malena good courage!

05/29/2026

There is still time to register for the upcoming Holden Village Book club!

Listen to a special message and introduction recorded by Rev. Chantal McKinney, author of "Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls: A Catalyst for Your Spiritual Growth"

The first discussion session begins June 4. You can find a link to register and order your copy here:

https://www.holdenvillage.org/calendar/following-jesus-beyond-church-walls-book-club-session-1/

05/28/2026

Following Jesus Beyond Church Walls: A Catalyst for Your Spiritual Growth is a new book by Rev. Chantal McKinney and the subject of an upcoming book group hosted by Holden Village.

On a new episode of Holden Village Podcast, McKinney joins Carl Norquist to discuss her book, faith, church harm, and what endures beyond it.

Listen to the full episode here: https://www.buzzsprout.com/2171842/episodes/19252472

Holden Village's virtual book group with Rev. Chantal McKinney take place June 4, 11, 18. Registration is free. You can sign up on the Holden Village website.

05/26/2026

This weekend marked the unofficial start of summer! Here's a flashback of summers past at Holden Village.

Can you guess what years these photos were taken? Do you recognize any people?

05/20/2026

Holden Village may be temporarily closed to guests, but life in the mountains continues.

A core group of In-Village Team members are rotating into the Village approximately every three weeks. They travel via helicopter with groceries to supplement the food stores already in the Village. The team is made up of operations, services, and risk and safety staff.

With such a small group, the sense of community feels stronger than ever. Here's a glimpse of what life in the Village looks like right now.

We look forward to welcoming all back to the Wilderness soon.

[📹: Edited by Nathan McClure with music by Ryan Meany, Malena Evig, and Carli Pickett.]

05/15/2026

Earlier this month, Holden Village held two virtual town hall events. A video is now available online for those who weren’t able to attend or would like a reminder of what we shared.

During these meetings, we provided updates on the work that is being done to assess the damage to FSR 8301 and the plan for repair and reconstruction.

We also shared expectations for this year's fire season.

You can view the director's message in the latest edition of our E-Newsletter.

These past few months have seen us traveling all over the country, visiting congregations and groups of Holdenites from the Pacific Northwest to the land of ten thousand lakes and beyond! It has been a joy to meet in person and connect over our shared love of the Village and hopes for its future. Th...

05/14/2026

The In-Village team took a break to explore some of the trails around the Village.

Many trails around the North Cascades are still unsurveyed following December's mudslides and flooding. Hikers and guests should be aware Holden does NOT have the resources or capacity to support or host hikers during the Village closure.

Holden Village traditionally hosts volunteers with the Washington Trails Association (WTA) during the summer, but closed roads could disrupt some of WTA’s annual trail maintenance work. You can read more about cleaning up after the storm in the comments.

[📷: Nathan McClure]

05/06/2026

Here are a few more highlights from Holden Evening Prayer Around the World!

Thank you to everyone who sent photos, including University Lutheran Church of Hopeand Bethlehem Lutheran in Minnesota, Saint Matthew in Illinois, St. John's in Pennsylvania, and Edison Lutheran and Resurrection Lutheran Church in Washington.

These are just some of the dozens of churches that participated in Holden Evening Prayer. These shared liturgies and music unite us. We're thankful for everyone who sought to bring the Holden community closer together, especially in this period when it's easy to feel far apart.

Holden is planning more virtual events, plus in-person retreats in Wisconsin and Minnesota this summer. Keep following our social media channels for more.

Whether you're attending a Holden event in the mountain wilderness, the Midwest prairie, or your living room, all are welcome. You make our community more complete.

Go in peace.

[📷: Hannah Lauber, Karen DeBauch, Bert Glenn, Jennifer Sheahan, Carl Norquist]