For some, transforming a sixty-year-old seasonal church camp into a retreat center and gathering place for people of all communities would be a leap of faith. For those who have been brought together by this transformation effort, they are giving life to a shared vision. It will be their collective dream come true. That dream is to create a place for people of all communities to gather, retreat and renew.
“For many people, spiritual renewal comes from quiet, scenic natural spaces rather than buildings and gatherings,” said Page Center trustee Ursula Stock. “Page offers both. We need to promote living harmoniously with our planet and the ecosystems that support us to find a path to peace. At Page you experience renewing, nurturing, refreshing and enlightening relationship building.”
The story begins in the early 1940s. The Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan shared the challenges of our nation following the Great Depression and the scarcity of resources associated with WWII. Herman Page, Sr. was Provisional Bishop from 1940 until his death in spring of 1942. In May of 1942, Army Chaplain Herman R. Page Jr. was serving at the Chaplain School at Fort Benjamin Harrison (Indiana) when he learned he had been elected Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan.
Within a few weeks, the War Department declared his duty status “inactive” so he could accept the position. He would follow in his father’s footsteps to Northern Michigan.
It was the dream of the new Bishop Page to establish an Episcopal Church camp and it became possible when $2,500 was left in his father’s estate for such a purpose. The property included 3,000 feet of frontage on Little Lake owned by the Maitland family. Their summer home became the lodge for the developing Page Conference Center. Additional parcels were sold for further development of camp facilities, which included cabins, a bathhouse, dining hall and recreation building in a span of thirty years.
During the time the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company was building the “Model Town” of Gwinn, there was no Episcopal Church. With the help of then-Bishop Williams and Diocesan Missionary Rev. Poyseor, a small group of women began meeting and holding services in their homes. After two years of hard work, they raised enough money to ask fellow Episcopalian and CCI general manager Murray Morris Duncan what could be done about a chapel. He told them if they could raise half the amount, he would send the rest. Every merchant in Gwinn contributed to the fund as well as many friends. Land for the building site was donated by William Mather of the Cleveland-Cliffs Iron Company. The small chapel named Holy Innocents became a reality.
Cleveland Cliffs later moved its operation to Ishpeming and interest in the church declined. It was closed during the Great Depression. In 1950, the chapel was moved from Gwinn to the Page Conference Center. It remains with an active congregation today.
Various managers and caretakers were employed at the Page Conference Center over the years, each of them lending their gifts and talents and are endeared to the place for which they provided stewardship. Today Greg and Linda Corsten live on site in the caretaker cottage and provide security, maintenance and housekeeping services.
About five years ago, the leadership of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan came to the realization that it was beyond its capacity and resources to maintain the facility to the extent it warranted. Yet their commitment and stewardship of the place remained as strong as Bishop Page’s original vision.
They found their solution would be to broaden the circle of those who shared the vision and, in doing so, broaden the circle of stewardship. In 2003, a call was made to the community inviting persons to join this “transformational journey.” From that effort, a number of advisers and consultants convened. In 2004, the Page Center was recognized by the State of Michigan as a nonprofit corporation. For two years, the Page Center board of trustees and its advisers and consultants, engaged in extensive planning activity, which resulted in operational, facilities/site, financial, fundraising and marketing initiatives. By 2006, tax-exempt status was in place.
Initial financial resources for the board of trustees included gifts and donations from the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan Trust and Development Funds, the Hoover Foundation, and other donors. These funds were considered seed money, secured with a portion earmarked for the renovation of the lodge. This renovation would allow the facility to provide year-round accessibility. That work has begun and is scheduled to be completed in fall 2007.
According to Jim Kelsey, retired Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan and president of the Page Center board of trustees, “The new mission of the Page Center is to provide a sacred space for individuals, groups and communities to engage in processes that foster a sense of connectedness with all that is and a sense of belonging among all others. This mission will best be realized by forming alliances and partnerships with groups and individuals who share this dream and wish to support the work of the Page Center. These partners will share an affinity with the board of trustees in its desire to offer a place of renewal to all who come, taking special care to serve the under-served.”
You will find the Page Center located on the south side of M-35 between Little Lake and Gwinn. From points north take CR-553 about twenty-five miles to the intersection of M-35; turn east and travel just over three miles. If you are traveling from the west, it is about a half mile from the village of Little Lake. A roadside sign marks the entrance.
Features of the Page Center include a main lodge with a tremendous lake view that currently is under total renovation; it will have a full kitchen, sleep ten, open gathering space and be available year-round; a dining hall with kitchen seating up to sixty; a recreation building that doubles as a reception/gathering space for 100; lakeside deck, dock and swimming area, eight cabins which sleep six; softball field; volleyball area; nature trails; chapel and many spaces for quiet reflection.
Once you turn from the highway and hear the crunch of the dirt and gravel beneath your tires, you know. You start to feel it. The tree-lined road is your path to a place you never realized you might go.
“Devoting the space for retreat and connecting with nature, self and others just seems to be the property’s purpose,” trustee Virginia Peacock said. “That is a place for rest, time out, healing and refreshment.”
Such a moment is upon you as you feel a physical pull to slow your pace. The sign reads fifteen miles per hour, but even slower feels more comfortable. A crawl or pause just might let the moment linger.
You begin to feel the release of your burdens, big and small. In their place comes a calm and peace. You feel the welcoming of nature and the comfort of the quiet that lies ahead as you conform to the bends in the road.
“The simple, natural, warm space that invites reflection, along with a sense of refreshment and play away from the ordinary as well as its flexibility to accommodate self-generated programs and activities,” said trustee Gail Griffith. “It is my hope that people feel welcome and comfortable at Page and that all of their needs are met.”
I experienced that road and that drive to the Page Center for the first time in February 2006. I was a candidate for their executive director position. I had read about the Page Center. I had looked at photographs. I had listened to descriptions. I had to go there.
On a Saturday afternoon, my son and I packed a lunch and our snowshoes and ventured to Little Lake to find this place in the woods. The road was plowed as far as the Holy Innocents Chapel. The snow was nearly waist high and the temperature below freezing. We began our snowshoe adventure, exploring the area that seemed to be asleep in the middle of winter. We peered in cabin windows and other buildings and imagined what was inside.
My son soon asked when we were going in to make a fire to warm up. I said, “This is it—we’re having an outdoor lunch.” We sat on the lakeside deck of the lodge amongst the snow-covered swimming raft and sections of dock. We took in what little warmth we could from the sun. The motionless lake seemed to be freezing the moment in time. It was taking my breath away.
I looked around the surroundings and it felt as though the woods, the buildings and everything Page was holding us in an embrace. It seemed pleased to have a visitor on this cold winter day.
That moment was when I felt the vitality and the calling of Page. It seemed to be waiting patiently for the renewal of spring, the season of hope and new beginnings. I began to believe in the dream, and I saw the promise for the future. I wanted the opportunity to provide leadership to the vision. I wanted to work with others toward celebrating the dream.
I’m not sure whether I found the Page Center that day or the Page Center found me. It took my breath away. And while taking that drive out, I felt a sense of peace and calm that was not with me hours before.
“I liked the idea of all people being welcome in an atmosphere that is both comfortable and welcoming,” trustee Jane Cisluycis said. “Page is a place for treading lightly on the land. Small groups can benefit by tailor-made retreat experiences.”
The official land transfer between the Episcopal Diocese of Northern Michigan and the Page Center board of trustees has been completed, officially heralding the new era of the Page Center. It is with a sense of honor, reverence, respect and opportunity that the board of trustees marks this beginning. Trustees include Cisluycis, Cathy Greer-Cole, Griffith, Sean Murray, Peacock, Jacob Silver, Stock and Garee Zellmer.
“What caught my attention about Page is that it would not be affiliated with anything, that it is a stand-alone nonprofit,” Zellmer said. “That it is truly created as a space of beauty and calm, set aside for the sole use of those wanting to take a deep pause from the everyday pressures to reflect, retreat, or meet in the pristine and yet accessible piece of nature. It would be a place for adults to have individual or group meetings away from homes or offices and that the facility would be comfortable enough for those who do not like to rough it but love and appreciate nature and being in it.”
The Page Center welcomes families for special events; businesses, organizations and agencies for staff development or programming; hobby or sports clubs; small groups; artists and crafters; musicians; special needs children and adults; those seeking nature or an outdoor classroom and all those building community around their shared needs and interests.
“I liked the idea of welcoming all communities beyond Christians into that space,” Greer-Cole said. “I also liked not defining it too rigidly with how people use the space but opening it up to let others create their own retreat. For me what we are creating at Page is an opportunity for a ‘Peoples’ Camp,’ ‘The Peoples’ Retreat.’ One of the assets of Page is not defining ourselves to serve a certain group, not locking ourselves in to serve a certain age group or certain characteristic.”
The Page Center board welcomes you to join them in their journey to develop the “New Era of the Page Center.” The doors and pathways are being opened to a broader community; a community that seeks to create its own gathering place while treading lightly on the land.
Four core areas of development have been identified which will help grow the Page Center:
• Development of leadership and governance—Development must begin with a strong foundation. The board of trustees recognizes the importance of quality leadership and adherence to the highest standards of nonprofit management. Individuals are being sought to share both their time and talents as members of the board or as resources to the board and staff.
• Development of Page Partnerships—We believe that we exist in a “community of retreat makers.” Relationships with individuals, groups and organizations are being sought so multiple assets within the community can be brought together to strengthen the capacity of the Page Center to fulfill its mission and the mission of its partners.
• Development of the campus—Improvements on the facilities and grounds are underway and include: remodeling and winterizing of the main lodge/cottage for year-round accessibility; structural maintenance and repairs of the dining hall/kitchen, recreation building, bath house and cabins; existing nature trails are being serviced and improved while new trails and spaces for quiet reflection are being developed.
• Development of stewardship and sustainability—The sacredness and vitality of this land as a gathering place is to be protected, Page Partnerships are to be nurtured and facility management will meet changing needs. Financial stability and fiscal responsibility are fundamental practices as we grow the “New Era of the Page Center.”
Join us in partnership as we guide the Page Center into the future…a future that holds many moments that will take your breath away. We look forward to welcoming you.
“I believe that the distinctive element for Page will stem from the relationships that develop with the Page Center and its users,” Murray said. “The idea of asset based community building focused on a developing community of retreat makers is powerful and I believe is capable of creating a truly distinctive quality in the operation of the Page Center. This will take time to develop, but will be essential to the Page Center’s long term success.”
For information on reservations, partnerships or arranging to visit, call executive director Leslie Bek at (906)869-5298, the Page Campus at (906)346-3165 or visit www.pagecenter.org
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