Hello friends,
Chris and I are excited to welcome you all tomorrow for the picnic! Please know that regrettably, I will not be present, since I previously committed to a church event in New York tomorrow. I am sorry to miss it - I know Chris is excited to fire up the smoker and to be with you on the water! Since I will be absent, I wanted to share a message of welcome, and also let you know a few things about the property that will ensure a smooth visit!
St. Christopher is a ministry of the Episcopal Diocese of South Carolina. While it is our home for as long as I serve as Executive Director, it is not our property. As such, there are certain procedures that any resident employee follows when having a private event at their residence. Thank you for your attention to the information that follow.
Waivers
Firstly, any attendee will need to sign a St. Christopher liability waiver, whether you are paddling or not - again, standard procedure for a private event of this nature (as kayakers, we are all familiar with waivers by now!). Anyone planning to launch their own kayak will also need to sign a boating liability waiver. Chris will have paper copies of both waivers tomorrow - please be sure to sign them when you arrive at the rectory. The ACA and Lowcountry Paddling waivers will NOT cover you to be at or launch from St. Christopher - you must sign these two additional waivers.
The Rectory
Our campus can be a bit confusing! Please drive into campus (note that the speed limit on our property is 10 miles an hour). The rectory is all the way at the end of the developed part of the property. To reach it by car, please drive straight through campus - you will pass a large field on the right, a sign for the conference center (do NOT turn down Crab Dock Road), and then you will come to a fork in the road as you pass the Prayer Center on the left. The right fork is the path to the rectory - you will know you are on the right track if you see a sign that says "private residences." The rectory is all the way at the end of that road (the bishop's cottage is the first building on the left).
Parking
Parking by the rectory is going to be extremely limited. Please note that anyone parking at the rectory or at the Bishop's cottage should be prepared to be blocked in.
Please note that we have other groups on campus who are paid conference center guests, and so while there will be parking available throughout the property, it may be limited or at a distance from the rectory. I do recommend that you carpool, if at all possible, and please be prepared to walk.
This is very important: Please park ONLY in designated parking spots. We have to keep fire lanes clear in the event of an emergency, and we cannot block in conference center guests or residents (this has been a little bit of an issue in the past few weeks with conference groups, so I want to make sure you are prepared to avoid that). Please do not park on dunes or in lawn areas, as some of the lawn areas are over septic tanks. In a pinch, the gravel lot, adjacent to Susanna's House, should have availability. It's about a five to seven minute walk from the gravel lot to the rectory.
Buildings
Please note that as per St. Christopher policy, our buildings are only to be used by conference center guests who have reserved those spaces. Our camp buildings are used for youth programming. We have both sides of the property in use this weekend, so please do not enter any building other than the rectory. This (especially) includes the Bishop's Cottage. Thank you for understanding!
We also have a boathouse that is on the beach where our kayaks are stored. These boats are used for our camp and outdoor education programming and are not available for use by guests. Thank you for understanding this also!
A note about kayaking
Friends, we all know that when nature calls while kayaking, sometimes we find a convenient facili-tree. For this event, please use the hall restroom in the rectory or wade into the water if you have to pee, as we have children on the property and we want to avoid any accidental indecency.
Please also stay off of the dunes to protect that fragile ecosystem, and be mindful on the paths through the dunes, as there are sand spurs and native cacti that live there. Wear shoes until you get to the beach property to avoid a painful interaction!
And once again, do not launch until a boating waiver is signed. Chris will direct you where and how to launch kayaks.
I hope that this was helpful information for you! Again, welcome to our home, and blessings on your time with us!
Laura