Living Coast Ministry

Participants experience life in a newly formed community

While our participants know one another before they spend a week with us, they likely have not lived together and shared responsibilities. Learning how to care for one another in community is one of the unexpected blessings of our ministry. We are able to make deep comparisons between their communal care responsibilities and the way ecosystems are ​formed from a diverse group of individual organisms working together for the thriving of all.

Participants learn to be gentle and loving toward their own bodies

Throughout the week participants will begin their mornings with gentle movements that are designed to wake the body up. We emphasize safe and gentle movement throughout the week as we guide participants on nature outings. We teach the importance of asking for help, drinking enough water, and checking in with how their bodies are feeling throughout the day.

We asked Kayla Watts to create some gentle movement videos for our participants to use each morning. She specializes in feeling your energy and listening to your body and she becomes a joyful part of each day! If you’d like to experience one of Kayla's morning movement videos, click here.

Each participant is responsible for keeping their personal space clean and organized and they are also given a different communal role to fill each day. These roles include things like food preparation, and kitchen clean up. For many participants, this is the first time they have worked together with other young people to care for their basic needs. It is always a growing experience for the group and we see so much maturing as the week continues. We are also so glad to see the way that the groups begin to take great pride in their personal and communal space.

Participants choose how to engage experiences and learnings each day

It takes diverse and dedicated people working all across society to make systemic change in the area of climate care. We all have our part to play and each one of us brings unique gifts and experiences to the table. For this reason, our field guide curriculum allows participants to select a lens through which to view their day. Some choose to experience the day as a poet, others may want to be data collectors, or safety guides. We encourage participants to select a couple of 

lenses throughout the week and this offers the opportunity to see connections across different areas of our world. Throughout the week, participants begin to see the deep connections we all share and they become able to once again see themselves as the body of Christ, or maybe another way of expressing it would be the ecosystem of Christ.

Participants are given safe space to practice talking about their evolving faith

Sometimes it's challenging to speak up or share your perspectives. During your week at Harbor, you will be given opportunities to share your reflections, your ideas, your questions, your disappointments, even your doubts. Each of our discussions is led by a person trained in creating safe space, who is eager to support you in your developing faith. Remember, being faithful is not a place we arrive, it's a way we live, a posture we hold. Faith is always evolving and growing and this week is sure to be a week of deep faith growth and transformation.

Participants are allowed space to grieve the changed and changing climate

As hard as it is to express, our climate has already dramatically changed and it continues to change rapidly. It can feel very overwhelming and even scary to really feel our authentic emotions, especially climate grief. But when we allow ourselves to grieve the world that was (or could have been), it opens deep places in us. During your week, there will be several opportunities for grief as we learn about the devastating impacts humans have had on our earth. And we hope that you will agree to be led in a special grief ritual during your stay. You'll be offered this opportunity when you plan your week.