By Rev Lane Glaze

This spring marked 22 years since my first visit to the island of Eleuthera. During this time, I have helped facilitate over 1,000 visitors to the island, primarily in my roles as Campus Minister at Clemson University (2001–2013) and currently as President of One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) of the US (since 2016). I am often asked by people in the States, “What makes Eleuthera so special?”

And my response usually goes something like this: “Well, Eleuthera is a beautiful island full of beautiful people. But the same could be said for many places around the world. What has made Eleuthera so special for me – and why I kept coming back and bringing friends with me over the years – is its ability to touch people’s hearts and souls in deeply meaningful ways. In my experience, Eleuthera has always been a ‘holy’ place - a place to experience long-lasting personal transformation.”

I witnessed this once again this past week when one of my long-time friends, David Boudolf with John Wesley UMC in Charleston, SC, brought a group of 24 high schoolers and adults to the island for a week of retreat, reflection and service. The group was hosted by Wesley Methodist Church in Tarpum Bay, and the bulk of their service took place working on two farm-related projects in South Eleuthera.

The first took place at Preston Albury High School in Rock Sound where these American high schoolers worked side-by-side for a day with Bahamian high schoolers who are learning about various agricultural methods and approaches on their campus.

The second and the bulk of the students’ volunteer hours, however, were invested at The Farm at the Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI), working on a range of ongoing projects connected to the Oasis Grow House and the creation of a new one-acre regenerative food forest. Ironically, this same church group visited the island three summers ago and were instrumental in assisting with the first planting season of the new cooling house.

Boudolf, who has been in youth ministry for nearly 25 years, described his group’s time on Eleuthera this way: “I saw our teenagers grow closer together as they put down their phones – whether they were serving on the CTI Farm or taking in the natural beauty of Eleuthera. They loved playing basketball with the local youth of Tarpum Bay and sharing ice cream with new friends in Rock Sound. They deepened their faith by worshipping at Wesley Methodist Church and studying the Book of James’ emphasis on how a full faith is lived out through good works. The week was a beautiful reminder that when we step away from distractions and step into service, God shows up in powerful ways.”

As I hear this reflection and others from the youth and adults who have forever been blessed by their time on Eleuthera, I am reminded of literally hundreds of similar stories like theirs that I have heard over the years. A stressed-out architecture student who leaves the island a week later with a calm, peace, and perspective that has sustained him for years now. A timid nursing student who was lacking in confidence before the trip, but leaves Eleuthera with a deep-seated conviction about her path forward in the profession. A college student majoring in engineering who finally hears and affirms a call to full-time ministry. A 70-year-old widow who discovers that her best days are not behind her and that she still has much to offer to her community.

What is it about Eleuthera that makes these kinds of personal transformation experiences so frequent?

For starters, Eleuthera has always been one of those “thin places” where it seems like heaven and earth meet. The natural beauty and the gracious, friendly people both contribute to a palpable experience of the Divine for most.

But, as I noted earlier, there are many beautiful places and people all around the world, which leads me to the “secret” of fully experiencing Eleuthera: Getting involved.

So many of us when we travel end up spending our time sequested or isolated from the local community. For me and the groups that I have helped facilitate to Eleuthera, we have always strived for the exact opposite. We come expecting to roll up our sleeves, to get dirt under our nails and to break a sweat working, serving and breaking bread alongside local children, teenagers, and adults as they “do life”. It is in these moments when the beauty and freedom connected to Eleuthera shine through.

Each year, OEF and CTI welcome dozens of school, church, retreat and civic groups to our campus to learn and serve. In some cases, our guests learn and serve with us for a few hours or a full day. But several times a year, we are blessed with teams like the one from Charleston, who collectively donate hundreds of man- (and woman-) hours to our farm. Needless to say, this kind of gift gives a huge boost to our farm team and greater organisation’s efforts.

If you and your group would like to create a similar experience where you can enjoy the beauty of Eleuthera and its people while also growing stronger personally and as a team, please reach out to info@oneleuthera.org. We would love to welcome you to Eleuthera… an island of great beauty, freedom, and transformation.

• A former CPA and private banker, Lane is a native of Charleston but now makes his home in Clemson, South Carolina with his wife Anne. An ordained United Methodist minister, Lane has served as president for OEF-US since its inception in 2016. He is also Professor of Practice at Clemson University, teaching in the area of non-profit leadership. Established in 2012, the One Eleuthera Foundation (OEF) is a non-profit organisation located in Rock Sound, Eleuthera. For more information, visit www.oneeleuthera.org or email info@oneeleuthera.org. The Centre for Training and Innovation (CTI) is the first and only postsecondary, non-profit education and training institution and social enterprise on Eleuthera. CTI operates a student training campus in Rock Sound, Eleuthera, with a 16-room training hotel, restaurant and farm. For more information about CTI’s programmes, email info@oneeleuthera.org.