A summer tradition continues at Teter Retreat & Farm, 10980 E. 221st St., as Noblesville First United Methodist Church welcomes worshipers to outdoor church every Sunday at 8:15 a.m. through Labor Day.
“This is my first summer with Noblesville First United Methodist Church,” Lead Pastor Nicole Caldwell-Gross said. “But I could feel the excitement about outdoor church building long before its annual launch on Memorial Day weekend.”
“The property is a special place,” Caldwell-Gross continued. “Its 120 acres along the White River just north of Noblesville were acquired in 1981 from Ruth Teter, an interested and active member of the church. She envisioned a family retreat center which became a reality soon after her death.”
In addition to the wooded outdoor worship space, the property boasts a lodge, a picnic pavilion, and a cabin with four private units that each sleep seven people. Each space is available for daily rental year-round. In addition, in 2015, the idea was born to expand the retreat facility’s purpose to include an organic farm to raise produce for local food pantries and feeding programs. Since 2016, the farm has donated over 100,000 servings of fresh organic produce to local food pantries and provided on-farm outdoor educational programming to over 1,000 youth.
“You would be hard pressed to find a more holy space on a warm, clear Sunday morning, with the sounds of the birds, gentle breezes blowing, and rays of sunlight filtering through the trees.” Caldwell-Gross added. “It’s an easy space in which to feel grateful and blessed.”
Learn more at TeterOrganicFarm.com.
About Noblesville First United Methodist Church
Noblesville First United Methodist Church was founded in 1822 and today serves the spiritual needs of over 1,600 members in and around Hamilton County, with outreach ministries that are rooted in love, connecting people, and planting seeds of hope.