[Last revised 1/29/25]
At one time my husband and I believed the Bible to be the Word of God — a manual containing teachings & instructions (among other things) by which to live our lives. But now, while we believe there are sound teachings & valuable lessons to be learned through this book, we understand Genesis through Revelation to primarily be a story book series.
The overarching story is about a nation of people and their covenant relationship with whom they understand to be God: The Creator of Heaven and Earth.
In this story, this nation, known as the children of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob or simply, Israel, becomes enslaved in the land of Egypt, living under the oppressive rule of its Pharaoh with the hope of one day being set free from that bondage and brought into a land of their own because a covenant with promise was made by their fathers’ God saying that would happen. (See Genesis 15)
The book of Exodus tells the story of their deliverance from Egypt by the Hand of the God of their fathers, YHVH. There this nation is told that if they obeyed the voice of Him who delivered them and kept His covenant, then they would be a peculiar treasure to Him above all people, and they would be unto Him a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6)
So, the people covenanted themselves with YHVH.
But it didn’t take long for them to break that covenant, and it became clear they had a lot of learning & maturing to do. So, teachings & instructions of YHVH were delivered to the people through Moses.
A tabernacle & its furnishings were made & set up in the wilderness where YHVH’s presence would dwell. And a sacrificial system was established along with an anointed priesthood and specific rules of conduct and operational procedures to serve God & the people.
The appointed times outlined in Leviticus 23 were considered “the LORD’s (YHVH’s) Feasts” and were commanded to be holy convocations for the children of Israel, to include those who joined with them.
The whole house of Israel was being prepared to operate under a functioning Levitical priestly order, with the priests’ service being done in a place where YHVH put His name in the Promised Land to which Moses was leading them toward (and to which Joshua eventually brought them).
However, we recognize this priestly order is no longer in operation and the physical place where YHVH put His name was destroyed in 70 AD.
So, we believe these appointed times are not meant to be kept today as they were prescribed & kept in the times past as recorded in the Bible.
But, on a figurative level, we acknowledge a different priestly order is in play (those who seek to serve their Creator & fellow man), and a different place where the Creator of Heaven and Earth puts His name exists (within the hearts & minds of men).
Given this, we choose to appoint times of our own to facilitate short-term gatherings throughout the year, as an educational tool to:
- Remind ourselves of the stories & instructions recorded in the Bible.
- Inform one another as to our understanding of their intended practical purpose.
- Model for future generations how a community of people can function well by serving our Creator & fellow man.
Who We Are
My name is Carrie (not Kelly) and my husband refers to himself online as TyWiggle, and we are designing & building our own place in this world alongside our three children.
What We Do
We run several home-based operations while caring for an assortment of livestock & pets on our homestead and employing personal pursuits to hopefully make the world a better place.
While we were raised in a Christian environment & spent nearly a decade in Torah-observant circles and consider the Bible to be an influential text in our lives, we don’t ascribe to any particular religion or movement.
What We Believe
We recognize the Creator, whom we refer to as “Yahweh” (YHVH) in certain circles, as the Supreme Being over all that He has made. And we seek to walk according to His ways as we understand them the best we can.
We also believe the Jesus of the Bible, whom we typically refer to as “Yeshua”, is the Messiah of the Bible, which is an anointed man of God.
We are personally convicted against erecting any symbols as a form of religious service or respect, to include crosses and stars of David. Therefore, we do not allow the public display of religious symbols on our land.
What We’re About
Our desire is to love our Maker with our whole heart, soul, mind and body and to love our neighbor as ourselves. We are interested in like-minded fellowship, seeking truth (what is real), being held accountable, and encouraging one another on the road to life.
We recognize not everyone is on the same path as us, but we believe that if we all fear the same Creator and strive to walk according to His ways to the best of our understanding and ability, then we can benefit from assembling with one another.
Given that, we like to periodically assemble with others on our countryside homestead.
Keep in mind, we hold several unpopular notions, with the most controversial being:
- The Day begins in the morning.
- The Land we live on is stationary and relative to sea level (not a globe spinning on its own axis, whirling around the sun).
- The Messiah is the product of the natural order: a man knowing a woman.
- Jesus is not coming back — His coming took place in 70 AD.
We do not expect others to have to hold these similar views to associate with us, but we do expect others to accept who we are, and allow us to hold our positions without disdain, and we’ll do likewise, respectively.
What We Have to Offer
Our homestead is on 15+ acres in rural Virginia, southeast of Charlottesville.
In addition to our home, it includes rolling pastures, a fishing pond, a wooded area backed up to a nature preserve, a playground/tree house, and a climate-controlled meeting/dining facility with a full kitchen and 3/4 bathroom.
We have the capability for RV hookups (with limited electricity) and several campsites throughout the property.
So, we offer our facilities (not including our main living quarters) as a temporary host site from time to time.
What We are Not Offering
We are not a professional campground / retreat center. We do not have unlimited electricity or an endless supply of water (we presently operate the entire homestead on one deep well).
We do have running hot and cold water in the community facility with a separate septic system dedicated to that facility, and we are anticipating having a few extra toilets (and sink) in the near future, but there is presently only one shower available for these events.
We are not a professional catering service. We have other operations to run during week-long events, so my husband and I do not prepare any meals for the community. We also do not want to make these events cost-prohibitive for those who wish to attend, so we do not hire any of the meals out.
Instead, we work to help coordinate meals for the whole community and provide some of the ingredients and supplies with community support, so that the community will be able to serve one another in this capacity.
We are not responsible for entertainment and childcare. However, we are willing to coordinate facilitating those who are interested in planning/leading or participating in particular activities/programs during the event. There are plenty of things we can do on the premises as well as nearby attractions.
All who attend will be expected to exercise wisdom and sound judgment in community affairs, particularly surrounding the weaker members of the community.
Each adult is responsible for his/her own individual and family’s behavior and well-being.
In Conclusion
Hopefully, this gives a good idea as to what to expect with these types of gatherings. We are down-to-earth, non-religious, yet set-apart from the world, kind of people. We are interesting because we don’t fit into any particular mold, and we are respectful and accepting of others who don’t think or believe exactly like us.
We would love to have those who can appreciate folks like us come camp with us!
If you are longing for a traditional “Hebrew Roots” experience in a Feast gathering, this will not be the place for you.
But if you are interested in…
- Hanging out with people who appreciate what the Bible has to say,
- Gaining more understanding from different perspectives of others on the road to life,
- Gathering in a non-religious family-friendly setting, and
- Enjoying the great outdoors in a relatively quiet (livestock-friendly) rural environment,
Then what we have to offer may be a good fit for you. 😉
