Fire at the Chapel

Loudoun Field Center on June 5, 2023

Wednesday afternoon, May 31, 2023, the Loudoun Field Center (a.k.a. “The Freedom Center”, on Freedom Center Ln in Lucketts, VA) experienced a devastating electrical fire in the kitchen of the Don & Jo Wells Chapel at the center of campus.

We are grateful no one was harmed in the fire which was contained to the chapel, and none of the other buildings or the surrounding wooded areas were affected. The Wells Chapel was the heart of the Retreat Center housing our main meeting space and kitchen facilities.  Unfortunately, it will not be available for rental or community use for the next three to six months until we rebuild.  In the meantime, we’ll be putting a plan in place to continue offering our retreat housing as well as temporary facilities to manage large gatherings and events.

The opportunity to rebuild the Chapel to better accommodate the needs of our growing community is very exciting!  There are plans for a commercial kitchen on the premises in addition to several other capital projects on campus.  If you wish to support our efforts to rebuild,  please go to our Volunteer Page at:

https://loudounfieldcenter.org/volunteer/ 

… or donate on our GiveSendGo page at:

https://givesendgo.com/loudounfieldcenter

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The Loudoun Field Center (also known as the “Freedom Center”) is dedicated to helping youth, adults and families gain a renewed sense of meaning and pursuit of God and good in the world. Through Retreats, the GUILD (a 5th to 10th Grade on-site hybrid education option) as well as Partnerships within Loudoun County on Service, Recreation, Civics, Conservation, Vocational Sciences, and Communication, we strive to make our 100 beautiful acres of forest and field a place for renewal and restoration of the mind, body, and spirit.

A Message from the Interim Director

Loudoun Field Center on June 29, 2021

Dear Parent:

We are so excited to be kicking off the 2021-2022 school year, our inaugural year with a full-curricular program at the Loudoun Field School. We are so privileged to be able to support your family and your student through their secondary education adventure. Whether you jumped into independent education with both feet excited about giving your teenager the flexibility to create their own educational path, or if you are in a position where non-traditional options have been thrust upon you, you are not alone, and we are proud of you for making the leap, and honored that you would make it with us!

The Field Center is here to be not only a place, but a supportive family, for those who wanted to make sure that their son or daughter has all the opportunities possible to become life-long learners. It is incumbent upon us, as parents and teachers of the upcoming generation to carry on the legacy of deliberate, thoughtful, purposeful, and curious learning. We all take that seriously and to that end have created a program committed to challenging students (and ourselves) to ask the hard questions and to explore the ideas which continue to challenge our modern world:

  • What is the meaning of success?
  • What in today’s world is considered a life well lived?
  • How does one navigate the information age to find wisdom and truth?
  • In what we have we over-indulged our view of identity and self as defined culturally?
  • Does true greatness come from power and influence or from virtue and justice?

We see the purpose of education to be more than simply Math, Science, Writing, and the Humanities, but indeed fundamentally: Intellectual Development, Character Formation, and Communication Skills. We strive for future scientists, engineers, and craftsmen to approach their missions with reverence and wisdom. We envision future parents; citizens and statesmen; entrepreneurs and managers to lead people with humility and honor, in all areas of life. This is why the Field Center teaches through Shared Inquiry, Collaborative Learning, and Guided Projects.

From the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for having your son or daughter join us on this voyage. We pledge every day to give all we have and all we are to the honest search for what is virtuous, beautiful, and real in the world, lest we be faced with the prospect of explaining to our grandchildren what once was.

Sincerely,

Butch Porter
Interim Director of the Loudoun Field School
Founder/Director of Independent Education Services, LLC (IndED)