Faith · Hospitality · A future worth preserving
Carry the Torch at Rising Phoenix
Could you—or someone you know—be its next steward?
Margee Iddings created this retreat for Christian faith, hospitality, healing, and renewal. We’re seeking a capable owner who can acquire the property and carry her legacy forward.
The auction is scheduled to close October 27, 2026. No buyer or acquisition agreement is secured. We are not collecting money or pledges.
A place shaped by her own hands
Margee built Rising Phoenix for this mission.
Rising Phoenix was more than a property Margee happened to use. She helped plan and build it to carry forward the Christian faith, loving welcome, and new beginnings to which she devoted her life.
It began with a welcome in her own home.
Stephanie Hipsley worked as Rising Phoenix’s property manager and caretaker while Margee operated the retreat, and continued working for Loyola after Margee sold the property to the university. As Stephanie shared with Adam, Margee began by welcoming women into her own home. Donations helped her expand that welcome and build the retreat. Her devotion took shape in the place itself: a home opened to others, then spaces created so that more people could come.
A published recollection from former guest and Faith Resourcing board member Matt Minahan echoes that beginning. He remembers gatherings in Margee’s basement, spare bedrooms, and sunroom before the group moved into two buildings she secured funding for and built. Read his recollection on Margee’s profile →
According to Adam’s account of his conversation with Stephanie, Margee was involved in every detail of its planning and construction: the sitting areas, the communal fireplace, the purpose-built round structures, the colors of the walls, and even the cedar siding. These choices expressed the purpose she wanted this place to serve.
Adam also recounts that Margee continued working a part-time job in her later years to keep the vision alive. She believed in this work enough to keep giving her time, effort, and resources to it.
She believed in this mission. We should believe in her.
For me, losing this place would mean losing an extraordinary opportunity for children—and people of every age—to find welcome, deepen their faith, and find their way home to God. Preserving it could allow the care Margee poured into these spaces to keep serving others.
If we do not seek to preserve the work and legacy of someone like Margee Iddings, what work—and whose legacy—should we preserve?
We cannot let this opportunity pass without doing what we can. We need a capable person or organization to evaluate the property, acquire it, and sustain the mission she built it to serve. If you could be that steward, or know someone who could, please help us make that connection.
A direct path to a preservation offer
Loyola University Maryland, the current property owner, has a standing agreement with our preservation effort to review and consider a preservation proposal. If a capable and willing steward is located in time, we can present an offer directly to Loyola, allowing people with the same preservation goal to work together rather than bid against one another.
This is an agreement to review and consider a proposal; no purchase agreement or accepted offer has been secured.
— Adam, Rising Phoenix Legacy preservation effort
A place where Christ’s love could be made tangible
Imagine Rising Phoenix once again becoming a place where people are welcomed, burdens are heard, prayer is offered, and a new beginning feels possible.
Its gathering rooms could bring people together for Christian fellowship and shared meals. Its guest accommodations and peaceful grounds could offer space for retreats, quiet reflection, hospitality, and time to draw closer to God.
The kitchen and the work of caring for this place could create practical opportunities for people rebuilding their lives, including women returning from incarceration. Margee’s story could be preserved through photographs, memories, and a heritage space that invites others to live her example.
These are possibilities for a future steward to discern and develop. We are sharing a vision, seeking the right person, and entrusting the outcome to God.
Could this be a calling you can carry forward?
Interested in ownership, an operating partnership, or making an introduction? Your inquiry goes privately to the project mailbox.
Property and acquisition details
The property in Flintstone, Maryland, includes approximately 20 acres, retreat accommodations, meeting spaces, a commercial kitchen, and additional buildings. Potential buyers must independently verify its condition, financial requirements, and auction terms.
Direct ownership, an owner/operator partnership, or acquisition through an established organization are possibilities to discuss. No purchase price, funding structure, or operating partner has been agreed upon.