Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center
Where Women Find Their Way
In the Beginning . . .
Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center:
Where Women Find Their Way
1780 Thurman Creek Road
Matfield Green, KS 66862
620.753.3465
website: www.tallgrassretreats.com
Rev. Billie Blair, Director
I'm often asked how Tallgrass Spiritual Retreat Center got its start, so here's the story....
In January of 2000, I came to this place to meet with a group of women to talk about women's issues, especially in the church. Jane Koger, the ranch owner, invited us to meet together. At lunch I happened to mention that I never saw myself as the pastor of a local church. Jane asked what I wanted to do. I told her I wanted to lead retreats and do spiritual direction. She said, "Well, come out here and do it." She left the room for a few minutes while I stood there in shock - like a deer caught in the headlights as Jane puts it. When she came back, she told me she was building a straw bale house out in the middle of a pasture, the Main House would be empty, I'd need a place to live, so why didn't I come on out and lead retreats here? We spent about 18 months figuring out how this could happen, and then I took a two-year leave of absence from local church ministry to begin this retreat ministry.
Although there are 2 buildings here, the ministry began in the Main House only. Another woman, Ginifer, was running a guest ranch program in the Bunkhouse next door. Even though I spent the first 18 months here painting and making repairs on the Main House, women began coming for retreats almost immediately after I came here. When Ginifer left this ranch to work on a horse ranch in Missouri, Jane offered me use of the Bunkhouse, as well. Sleeping accommodations increased from 9 to 21.
I was officially appointed here as an extension ministry position by the Kansas West Annual Conference on the United Methodist Church in July, 2003.
Tallgrass Spiritual Retreats, Inc. was formed in 2004 as a not-for-profit ministry and received recognition as such by the Internal Revenue Service in June, 2005. Billie Blair
Photo by Marshall Hutchinson
 | ||||
All of life is a journey to the Holy, whom we call God.
| ||||
| ||||
Tallgrass celebrated TEN years of ministry in June of 2011!
