Welcome to
One Earth Retreat Center
Tucked into 34 acres of forest in Fairfield County, South Carolina, One Earth Retreat Center is a sanctuary for renewal, learning, and connection. Surrounded by birdsong and tall trees, we offer a place to pause, breathe, and rediscover your belonging to the Earth and to community.
Our center is home to a beautiful Zendo that can seat 16 participants, walking trails through the woods, and comfortable lodging for up to 13 (including the two abbots). Here, daily life slows into rhythm with the land, creating the conditions for deep listening, compassionate dialogue, and spiritual practice.
Meet the Abbots
Rev. Dr. Meredith Hotetsu Garmon and Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner are a married couple serving together as the Abbots of One Earth Retreat Center. Their shared life and work arise from a commitment to spiritual depth, compassionate action, and the healing of people and planet.
Meredith is a retired Unitarian Universalist minister and Zen associate teacher with more than two decades of experience guiding congregations and small Zen practice communities. A lifelong Unitarian Universalist and a former philosophy professor, Meredith has served in ministry across the country, and today leads One Earth Zen. Meredith’s teaching weaves together philosophy, Zen practice, and the art of community, grounded in his belief that wisdom is found in connection, creativity, and the simple act of presence.
LoraKim is a Unitarian Universalist community minister, veterinarian, and conservationist who has dedicated her life to the care of both human and nonhuman beings. As co-director of One Earth Conservation, she works throughout the Americas in partnership with local communities to protect parrots and the ecosystems they depend on. As a certified NVC (Nonviolent Communication) facilitator, she has led many classes and workshops guiding participants to the skills of greater compassion. Her ministry embodies compassion-in-action, bringing together ecology, spirituality, and justice in service of the Earth.
Together, Meredith and LoraKim bring to One Earth Retreat Center a vision of contemplative practice joined with ecological and social healing. The title Abbots reminds them of the vows they share: to nurture a space of practice, refuge, and renewal -- a home of spiritual depth and ecological belonging where all beings are recognized as kin.
Our Retreats
At One Earth Retreat Center, we weave together the disciplines that have shaped our lives:
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Zen Practice
Led by Rev. Dr. Meredith Garmon, Associate Zen Teacher in the Open Mind Zen school, our Zen retreats cultivate silence, mindfulness, and awakening in the midst of daily life. Through meditation, chanting, Dharma talks, and shared meals, participants enter a practice of presence and clarity. -
Bird, Nature & Ecology Retreats
Guided by Rev. Dr. LoraKim Joyner, wildlife veterinarian, conservationist, and Unitarian Universalist minister, our nature retreats invite participants into a deeper relationship with the living world. With the forest as our classroom and the birds as our teachers, we nurture both ecological awareness and spiritual wonder. -
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) Retreats
As a certified NVC trainer, LoraKim also leads retreats that help participants strengthen their capacity for empathy, clarity, and authentic connection. These retreats foster the skills of compassionate communication that transform relationships and communities. -
Integrated Retreats
Some of our retreats draw on all these threads—Zen practice, ecological awareness, and compassionate communication—to explore what it means to live fully awake, deeply connected, and committed to the flourishing of all beings.
Up Coming Retreats and Events
Zen and Bird
(Monthly in person retreat at the Center)
December 6 - 7, 2025
January 3-4, 2026
For more information and to register
Parrot Pilgrimage in Nicaragua December 12-16, 2025
Cosponsored with One Earth Conservation
Get in Touch
Curious to learn more about our retreats or have specific inquiries? Feel free to reach out to us for a meaningful conversation about our offerings and the transformative experiences we provide.