Today Holden Village is a thriving educational and spiritual retreat center attracting teachers, artists, musicians, and people of all ages wanting to learn and grow. Nestled deep within the North Cascades in Washington State, Holden is surrounded by stunning views-a rare beauty in nature that came with a cost.

Once a bustling copper town, the mine closed in 1957, leaving the town abandoned. In the early 1960s, a group of Lutheran laity saw an opportunity to revitalize the town and took the risk of building a new community in an isolated location where communication with the outside...