Photo by Diane Beauvais
E D U C AT I O N & R E T R E AT C E N T E R
Education
Our Legacy Remains at the Center of All We Do It was November, 1955 when the Presbyterian Church convened to sign the paper work, taking over ownership of a dude ranch in northern New Mexico. Curiously named Ghost Ranch, this place was a gift of 22,000 acres from Arthur and Phoebe Pack, “for the spiritual health and well-being of humankind,” Phoebe expressed years later in a letter marking the 25th anniversary of Ghost Ranch. The church and the Packs were in agreement, it was to be a study center, but a model for such an organization didn’t exist. The remote wilderness required a unique approach and the individuals who made up the board of Board of Christian Education for the Presbyterian Church in 1955, moved by the grandeur of this place, took to the challenge with vigor, working to create something of lasting value to the church and to humanity.
Inside: From Leadership Meet the New Development Director Annual Financial Report Sustainability Program Stillpoint Spiritual Formation
The facility needed development. First created to house 20 guests plus staff as a dude ranch, the vision of Ghost Ranch as a national study center would house 150 guests. Through research and advice the first acting director, Paul Calvin Payne, proposed expansion with caution. He and the Packs agreed that the approach would be connected to the landscape. In 1956, Payne is quoted by a magazine writer, “There is going to be no ornamentation. We are not going to beautify the ranch; God already has done that.” Ghost Ranch was not to be a luxury retreat center. The wilderness was to remain front and center.
Photo by Kurt Stiansen
The focus on God’s creation, the agreement of a stronghold for spiritual health and well-being, the commitment to forging ahead in a remote location and honoring the unique culture continue to be the filter through which planning,
AUGUST 2013
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strategy and future direction are derived. While much has changed over 58 years of operation, the efforts of the Board of Christian Education for the Presbyterian Church continue as the guiding force of Ghost Ranch to this day. We still see the landscape, with its 130 million years of geologic magnificence, as the key to unlocking the transformational experience of Ghost Ranch. The staff work as stewards, ambassadors and guides to deliver an educational experience. The Christian Board of Education was wise to see the harmony in the disparate elements. They realized that what lay before them could not be found any other place in the world. One need not know the science behind the paleontology, geology or the detail of the history, or the relevance of art to reach their own balance, find their spirituality and restore themselves. Ghost Ranch continues to attract those who come to learn and to develop self through religious and spiritual training, instruction and conversation. They may find a release in art, acting, welding, hiking and learning about archaeology and the dinosaurs that once roamed these lands. The vision of Ghost Ranch, just as the timeless, immutable scenery, continues to draw, inspire and renew generations of visitors and those who call it home, whether they live here or not.
from
Leadership Ghost Ranch continues to experience growth in the number of visitors, the quality of programming, the support of friends contributing time and gifts, and most vital, the presence of the Spirit of God. The flow of manna and energy is palpable, and for that, we are most grateful. “Change”, “Transformation” and “Peace” are words overheard from guests in conversations around the Ranch. There is a dynamic at work when boundaries break down and openness slips in. And openness allows room for the Divine and for the discovery of potential and possibilities. Connecting with nature and with others helps us to uncover our true selves, our true nature. During the past twelve months, we’ve hosted youth and college students from across the country in our Jan Term, service groups, and educational retreats. We have watched College Staff blossom as they use their skills in service and live in a healthy community. We honored Independence Day via our family parade and through song highlighting the uniqueness of our fifty states. We enjoyed weekly talent and art shows produced by the week’s workshop participants. We’ve mourned the loss of Ed DeLair, Jr., Bill Mackey, and at this writing, Jim Shibley, all dedicated staff, as well as many other beloved friends of the Ranch, whose talents and lives we
celebrate in appreciation. We engaged in meaningful conversations about Earth-Honoring Faith and in Discerning the Signs of the Times, and we engaged in contemplation in Spirituality for Change. We hosted an alternative Thanksgiving, interpreting the event through the eyes of our Native American brothers and sisters, and witnessed a traditional Gourd Dance and Fire Ceremony as prayer. We gathered in community prayer for the needs of our guests, the needs of the Ranch, and for the healing of our world. Generous donors have supported our annual operations, scholarships for young adults and for those in need, Ranch trucks and vans, technology upgrades, landscaping and programs. You are part of this sacred place and you join with us in preserving it for, and introducing it to, future generations. Thank you so very much. In service and in peace,
Bill Major Chair, Governing Board
Lori Fabiano Chair, National Ghost Ranch Foundation
Debra Hepler Executive Director
Your Legacy Have you considered • • •
Photo by Larry Hastings.
a first-time gift to Ghost Ranch? a 10% to 20% increase in your annual gift? or a planned gift for the Ranch – a life insurance policy, gift annuity or bequest?
Please remember, all gifts made to the Ghost Ranch Annual Fund and to the National Ghost Ranch Foundation Restricted Funds are 100% tax deductible. Each donation keeps us on the road to sustainability.
meet the new
Director of Development Welcome Natalie Ghost Ranch is pleased to welcome Natalie Agraz as our new Director of Development. Natalie’s professional career has been dedicated to fund development for non-profits. Her most recent achievements come from her work at the Province of St. Thomas of Villanova in Villanova, Pennsylvania. It was there that she built a development program from the ground up, successfully completing a $25 million capital campaign and implementing annual giving and planned giving programs.
Before that Natalie managed corporate giving for the United Way of the Central Carolinas. She’s also an experienced financial planner having worked as a manager at Prudential Financial in Coral Gables, Florida. Natalie has been visiting Ghost Ranch off and on for almost 20 years, experiencing the transformational energy at times in her life when it was most needed. She is excited by the opportunity to help put the Ranch on more secure financial footing through the development of an annual giving program and a significant capital campaign. Natalie lives in Santa Fe.
Guiding Our Path Ghost Ranch is honored to have these dedicated people guiding our leadership, as they serve to review and create policy and to strategically plan for growth of the Ranch. The Board meets in person three times annually and as needed, via teleconferencing.
Governing Board Members 2012 Bill Major, Tulsa, OK - President Tammy Andrews, Pacific Palisades, CA Diane Arenberg, Santa Fe, NM Mary Ann Bumgarner, Santa Fe, NM & Tulsa, OK David Burpee, Lincolndale, NY Scott Davidson, Albuquerque, NM Mike P. Evanson, Tulsa, OK Laurel Fabiano, St. Petersburg, FL Brian Frick, Parkville, MO Dietmar Fritsch, Silverthorne, CO Cesar Goulart, Albuquerque, NM John G. Hicks, Boise, ID Mark Hostetter, Boston, MA Bill E. Ireland, Venice, CA Louis Jacobo, Phoenix, AZ Mike Kirk, Louisville, KY Grant Mallett, Falmouth, MA Geoff Mather, Albuquerque, NM Patty Meneley, Boulder, CO Jose Olagues, Phoenix, AZ Carl Schlich, St. Simons Island, GA Connie Tubb, Dallas, TX
The National Ghost Ranch Foundation works with the development committee of the governing board to raise money for operations and the endowment.
NGRF Officers Laurel Fabiano, President, Tom Arenberg, Vice President Connie Burkhart, Secretary Jon Hall, Treasurer Connie Brakebill, Member at Large
Staff Management Team Debra Hepler, Executive Director Natalie Agraz, Director of Development Debbie Manzanares, Contract & Employee Services Manager Mary Martinez, Fund Development Manager Cheryl Muceus, Director of Museums Stephen Picha, Director of Program & Events Linda Seebantz, Director of Marketing & Communications Marla Ulibarri, Director of Guest Services Jon Usher, Director of Finance Bill Wylie, Land & Facilities Manager
FINANCIAL REPORT GHOST RANCH STATEMENT OF INCOME 2012 2011 Operating Revenue Programs $ 1,470,837 $ 1,524,292 Groups & Overnight Stays 1,276,674 1,266,944 All Other Operating Income 922,501 797,517 Total Operating Revenue 3,670,013 3,588,753 Operating Expenses Facilities, Operations and Guest Services 1,422,211 1,458,071 Food Service & Housekeeping 988,285 1,003,444 Programs & Events 495,671 567,334 Other Operating Expenses 473,825 410,900 Total Operating Expenses 3,379,992 3,439,749 Total Gross Operating Margin
290,021 149,004
Other Operating & Administrative Expenses 938,489
Net Margin (Loss) from Operations
973,994
(648,468) (824,990)
Non-Operating Support Annual Fund Contributions 538,312 617,044 NGRF - Chimney Rock & Facilities Support 16,609 15,955 554,921 632,999 Total Non-Operating Support Total Net Margin
$
Abiquiu Santa Fe Total Net Margin
$ (29,655) $ $36,628 (63,892) (228,619) $ (93,547) $ (191,991
(93,547)
$ (191,991)
December 31, 2012 $
Total Cash
December 31, 2011
173,602
$
190,783 364,385
256,092 2,274
258,366
Investments Long-term Investments held by the Foundation
438,790
417,702
Other Assets Accounts Receivable Inventory and other current assets Total Other Assets
330,450 162,644 493,094
44,804 193,284 238,089
5,974,315 6,224,243
Fixed Assets
to let my still hungry eyes fall— like ancient towering elders, the bluebird feeding on the portal. Great mesas fill the cloud-rich canvas; June’s hope for moisture turns to late summer’s expectation.
TOTAL ASSETS $ 7,270,583 $ 7,138,399 LIABILITIES Amounts due to the Presbyterian Church $ 2 ,236,766 $ 1,833,418 Other accounts and notes payable 97,626 37,425 Deferred Revenue 184,680 136,586 Total Liabilities 2,519,072 2,007,428 NET ASSETS Unrestricted Net Assets and Plant Fund $ 4,200,838 4,578,471 Temporarily Restricted 111,883 134,799 Temporarily Restricted-La Bruzza (93,860) (114,948) Permanently Restricted-La Bruzza 532,650 532,650 Total Net Assets 4,751,511 5,130,972 TOTAL LIABILITIES & NET ASSETS
On this juniper scented day
the piñon pines, the stone cliffs
Petty Cash and Cash in Process
Day at Ghost Ranch I don’t know where
GHOST RANCH BALANCE SHEET ASSETS Cash Cash & Money Market Funds
Photo by Larry Hastings.
$ 7,270,583 $ 7,138,399
Notes to financials The $93,547 deficit of the $4.3 million annual budget of the Ranch is due to two factors: 1) expenses for the attorney fees in the water storage issue in Abiquiu Lake and 2) the carrying utility and maintenance expenses of the Santa Fe property that is currently for sale. Strategies are continuing to be implemented to efficiently utilize limited resources and manage costs and increase operating revenue and contributions.
The lashing rain to come will carve deeper still into the arroyos. Fierce heat will soften, as it must, so the parched land and its people can breathe and rest. One bold fawn grazes in the alfalfa field even before dusk each day; braver than the herd, or motherless perhaps, or just a being with some inner knowing of the safety that is here Billie Rogers August, 2012
focus
on the farm We are excited to welcome our new Sustainability Coordinator, Eric Garretson, who has an extensive background in resource conservation, edible landscape design, farming and gardening. Eric says one of his highest priorities is teaching children and adults about sustainability and water conservation.
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Eric works with the Ranch’s Program department to assess the impact of current programs on the environment. He works with the Maintenance department to plan and implement practices needed throughout the Ranch. He will create educational programs and experiences on sustainability for the staff, adult and youth volunteers, course participants, and guests. He also will design and lead seminars related to landscape installation and maintenance, as well as help secure funding for future projects.
A priority for the Ranch and Eric is to bring back and enlarge the Farm, growing vegetables and flowers that will be used in the Dining Hall and meeting rooms. The Farm and several planned gardens will serve as demonstration areas for growing plants with the very limited water supply on the Ranch. Work is in progress to improve irrigation methods and to add landscaping to existing gardens, open areas, the performance and art show staging areas, and the Health, Welcome, Social and Family centers. Later, plans for the Alfalfa Field will be developed, focusing on water conservation and usage. The Heritage Seed Bank was once housed at Ghost Ranch, and Eric has secured some of the bank’s seeds to begin renewing this part of our history. Ranch history also included leadership in the area of energy efficiency, and an action plan to reduce energy consumption is being developed with input from departments across campus.
sus•tain•a•bil•i•ty of, relating to, or being a method of harvesting or using a resource so that the resource is not depleted or permanently damaged.
Integral to Ghost Ranch’s mission is to practice stewardship of our extraordinary legacy by deepening our commitment to sustainability in the
Two Interns and a College Staffer will work with Eric this summer. He says that although he and his network of colleagues know a great deal about what is needed and what can be accomplished at Ghost Ranch, he “still learns something new every day” on this job. That statement exemplifies why the visionary and ongoing programs at Ghost Ranch continue to enlighten and sustain the spirit of those who work here and guests who return year after year.
form of environmental responsibility. We seek to hold in reverence all of creation, to extend hospitality to all persons, to experience God through discovery... and to practice environmental responsibility. We seek transformation for ourselves, our guests and the world.
Address Service Requested
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HOST RANCH is a unique combination of natural beauty, paleontology, archaeology, history, geology and art. It is not just the values of each of these separate aspects of Ghost Ranch, but rather the synergy of its beauty, its scientific value, its cultural and historical traditions and its spirituality that make it like no other place in the world.
Ghost Ranch Conference Center HC77 Box 11 | Abiquiu, NM 87510 Presbyterian Church, (USA) GhostRanch.org
your true nature
Be Still and Listen. Stillpoint, the Spiritual Direction Formation Program at Ghost Ranch is in its fourth year In its fourth year, the spiritual formation program at Ghost Ranch is steady and growing. Since February 2010, Stillpoint and Ghost Ranch have teamed up to offer the highly regarded “Art of Spiritual Direction Formation and Training Program” in the secluded, exhilarating landscape of Casa del Sol, two-miles off the Ranch’s main campus. Top photo from Ghost Ranch archives; lower three photos by Larry Hastings.
www.GhostRanch.org
Non-Profit Org U.S. Postage PAID Albuquerque, NM Permit 1893
Stillpoint: The Center for Christian Spirituality headquartered in Pasadena, Calif. facilitates the two year, part time, residential program. Rooted in the deep contemplative Christian tradition, while honoring the sacred listening practices of other traditions, participants of the program explore their gifts of ministry and companionship.
Spiritual Direction is an ancient ministry, in which a trained person assists another person in the search for an ever-closer union with God. Stephen Picha, Director of Program & Events states, “the need for grounded and wise spiritual directors is immense given the state of flux and instability in our world today.” In November 14-17, 2013 Ghost Ranch is offering two new programs for our Stillpoint graduates and the entire community of spiritual directors: “Spiritual Friendship Circles” and “A Seasoned Call—A Soul Retreat for Spiritual Directors.” The two year commitment required by individuals enrolled in our spiritual formation program is a considerable time and financial investment. The requests for scholarships are continually more than the amount available. Gratitude for donations received to support this program is immeasurable for its farreaching ability to enrich lives and enhance the mission of Ghost Ranch.