The first time I visited Sky Lake Camp and Retreat Center was for my confirmation retreat in sixth grade. As we sang goofy songs and walked through the fallen leaves of late fall, I knew this place was special and I wanted to come back. Fast forward 25 years, and I’m now the pastor and planter of Church in the Wild, an outdoor wild church that meets weekly at Sky Lake Camp and Retreat Center! We just celebrated our first anniversary and I still find myself amazed that I get to be on that sacred ground so regularly as part of my job. I’ve spent the most formative years of my life on the shores of Sky Lake, and it’s truly and honor to bring people to that holy place each week.

The Wild Church Network is a relatively new group that connects outdoor churches and those interested in the concept. I never imagined I’d be a church planter or leading a wild church but when I heard myself tell my clergy covenant group that I just wanted to be the pastor at Sky Lake, the Holy Spirit said, “Well then why don’t you?”! Since that fateful day we’ve been holding on for the ride as God makes a way into the wild! 

As an alternative spiritual community, Church in the Wild is focused on connecting with and caring for creation. It’s not surprising to me that the Wild Church Network is growing. Whenever I talk to people about where they feel closest to God, the answer is almost always somehow connected to nature. So that’s our niche! People who experience the Divine in creation are drawn to our community. We’ve also discovered we’ve become a “home for the spiritually homeless” as one first time visitor said. In our new Covid-conscious world, being outdoors is preferable for safety as well as spiritual reasons. Our numbers continue to grow, and we’ve had to hire a childcare provider for all the children who attend!

But none of our community building would be possible without the beautiful partnership we’ve developed with Sky Lake. It certainly helps that Sky Lake’s executive director, Matt Williams, and I are long-time friends. Still, I was nervous to pitch him the idea! Thankfully, he saw right away how mutually beneficial this connection would be. Church in the Wild functions as our own entity, designated a “new faith community” in the Upper NY Conference. And Sky Lake allows us to meet every Sunday at 4:00 p.m. somewhere on site in exchange for volunteer hours throughout the year. 

We’ve welcomed over 150 adults and children to worship in our first year of worship, many of whom had never been to Sky Lake before. We also hold retreats throughout the year with Sky Lake receiving the majority of the funds for providing the accommodations. When it rains, large porches shelter us for worship. In the colder months we were welcomed indoors surrounded by windows, so we still felt connected to creation. And at least once in each season we are excited to give back by helping with tasks around the site. 

We love being a part of the life of Sky Lake. It was very cool to celebrate our one-year anniversary and then help Sky Lake celebrate their 75th anniversary! It’s also been very exciting watching the new wind turbines being built on their property, which has been a wonderful way for us to talk about Creation care. 

Last year when most churches were still worshiping online, Church in the Wild and Sky Lake collaborated in creating an online worship service for churches in our area to use as their “camp Sunday” worship. This year, Church in the Wild has branched out and created a six-week sermon series and Bible study focused on creation care called, Holy Ground. You can preview and purchase an instant download of Holy Ground here. All the funds raised through the sale of this series go directly toward helping Church in the Wild live out our ministry to connect with and care for creation. Without a building or property, we love being able to say every penny goes directly to the ministry of environmental and social justice!

We hope through our model we can help other congregations and communities see possibilities outside the walls of a church building. Many of our United Methodist camp and retreat centers boast beautiful surroundings, wonderful facilities, and a sense of sacredness on the grounds. And many of our camps are underutilized throughout the year. I hope Church in the Wild might inspire others to consider holding weekly worship at their local United Methodist camp, and I would be happy to provide guidance or coaching for anyone ready to hold on for the ride! Sky Lake will always be my personal holy ground, and I will be forever grateful for the experience of leading Church in the Wild there.


Rev. Corey Turnpenny is an ordained elder in the Upper New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. You can find out more about Church in the Wild at churchinthewild.org.