A Massanetta Story: A Place of Invitation
When Lynne, Associate Pastor at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Charlottesville, VA, reflects upon a lifetime of experiences at Massanetta Springs, one word comes to mind: invitation.
Growing up, Lynne’s family came to the Bible and Church Music Conference. “It’s always been a place of invitation for me.” In her earliest days, she remembers feeling the invitation to explore and roam. Wherever her imagination and feet carried her, she found herself safe and welcome when she arrived.
She was invited by the conference leaders to participate in the programs happening during Bible Conference. Later, at Sam Hayter’s invitation, she served as a member of the Bible Conference Summer Staff. “One of the things that was so appealing about that was that I was identified and invited for what others saw in me. I was being affirmed in gifts I don’t think I was completely aware of at the time.”
Lynne also remembers being invited into a deeper relationship with God. “I must have been about 16. For some reason, I was by myself and I went into the little chapel. (Lucy Steele Memorial Chapel) As the door closed behind me, and I settled into the quiet of that place, I had a profound, tangible, experience of the Holy Spirit.” In that chapel Lynne began to sense a holy call and purpose for her life, and she was being invited by the Spirit to explore it. This and many other experiences have led Lynne to know that at Massanetta Springs, “there’s an atmosphere that invites closeness with the divine.”
As an adult, Massanetta Springs issues yet another invitation to Lynne. She’s been invited to lead conferences, and most recently accepted the invitation to serve as a trustee. Those invitations have taken on a meaning she never would have expected years ago. “The home I grew up in is no longer a place I can go. So Massanetta not only connects me to my faith, but also to my family and all the experiences we shared here. In a very real way, an invitation to Massanetta is an invitation to come home.”
Now, as a trustee, Lynne often finds herself on both sides of Massanetta invitations. After years of receiving them, she now helps discern and shape the ministry that extends those invitations to thousands of people each year. As someone who has experienced sacred invitations here, she’s honored to serve in this way.
For Lynne, Massanetta has been a lifelong place of invitation - to explore, discover her gifts, draw closer to God, and ultimately to come home. The generosity of the Massanetta community makes those continued invitations possible for her and so many more. Thank you.