About La Foret

 

Mission Statement

In a world which needs compassion, tolerance and love, the La Foret Conference & Retreat Center is committed to . . .

          . . . nurturing the spirit,

                    . . . refreshing the weary,

                              . . . and inspiring healthy and confident future generations.

We provide a safe and welcoming haven for programs which promote these values.

 

The United Church of Christ

Who we are and what we believe

The United Church of Christ (UCC) was born in 1957 with the joining of four separate Christian denominations into a single united and uniting church. In the 1930's, the Evangelical Synod of North America had already joined with the Reformed Church in America to become the Evangelical and Reformed Church. At about the same time, the Christian Churches, dating from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in America, and the Congregational Churches, with their roots in the Pilgrims of Plymouth Plantation and the Puritans of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, also united to form the Congregational Christian Churches. It was these two already composite denominations which formed the UCC in 1957.

All four denominations share the heritage of the sixteenth century Protestant Reformation. The basic tenets of the reformed tradition include the authority of one God, the primacy of scripture, the priesthood of all believers, and the principle of Christian freedom. The United Church of Christ recognizes two sacraments: baptism and communion. The Bible is an important source for understanding the foundations of our faith, but we nevertheless recognize it as an historical document. While it provides key insights for our lives today, we are not limited by its historical interpretations and, as the Pilgrims were admonished upon leaving Holland for America, we continue to acknowledge that "there is yet more truth and light to come forth from God's holy word."

The UCC is a non-creedal church, open and accepting of all people everywhere. Each congregation is an independent entity, making its own decisions about its clergy and staff and responsible for its own financial well-being. It also participates in a covenantal relationship with other congregations for the exchange of information and knowledge and for taking collective action toward ecumenical understanding, peace, and social justice. We do not have to agree with one another; in fact, a motto of ours is, "In essentials unity, in nonessentials diversity, in all things charity."

 

La Foret is proud to be accredited by the
American Camp Association

Click here to learn more about the American Camp Association and accreditation.