Our Beginnings

Flagstaff Faith Foundry© Entrance

All Saints Outfitters began in 2002 as a dream. A group of approximately twelve met on a Friday evening and all day Saturday to develop a mission statement and form a Board of Directors. From there, the board developed by-laws and became incorporated as a non-profit educational corporation. We eventually opened a bank account, obtained bookkeeping software, created a logo, developed a worldwide web-presence, and obtained a way to accept credit card payments and donations.

In June, 2003, our eighty-plus prayer supporters engaged in lively email discussion over a period of approximately four weeks about what to name the monastic component. The seminal comment (that came from Jay Akkerman, then living in the Phoenix, AZ area) informed us that:

"[John] Wesley spent much of his ministry in London in an old rented building called "The Foundry" (because it had formerly been a foundry for British cannons in their war with the French). Wesley developed the Foundry as a base of operations from which he launched a wide variety of ministries, including a school, a prison ministry, an alms house, a lending house, and even the first free medical care [in] British history. It was not ornate or polished, as Wesley's New Chapel later became. It was where the Methodists rolled up their sleeves and did the dirty work of ministry." We eventually agreed to call the monastic component "Faith Foundry©."

Husband and wife, Chuck McKinney and Zoe Payne, in 2005 became the caretakers of a condominium that includes an office space, small retreat facility, and living quarters for Chuck and Zoe. They developed and facilitate very successful retreats for many people, including distance-facilitated retreats. The distance-facilitated retreat surprised everyone with its utility and excellence. They also provide spiritual direction for individuals, couples, and groups and facilitate workshops and seminars for diverse groups of all sizes. Chuck produced promotional brochures, a retreat guide booklet, a prayer and meditation guide, and a guide for people wanting to establish a Faith Foundry© retreat space in their home.

Retreat Room

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See our website for more information.

Our Dream

The Protestant Reformation

We dream of sparking a new reformation--not a protestant reformation--we hope to be known for what we believe, not what we protest. We believe a healthy church requires healthy relationships and each other. We dream of a place where holistic ministry (servant-leadership) occurs and holistic ministers (servant-leaders) receive respite and training.

We dream of an ecumenical monastery (soul sanctuary) where people of all denominations participate in 24-hour prayer and find solace, rest, and quiet. At this monastery, seekers find and provide mentoring, encouragement, and accountability to each other and to lonely, lost, weary, and wounded pilgrims. We dream of a soul sanctuary that helps people produce sanctuaries in their hearts and homes.

We dream of a training institute that provides practical training to anyone seeking to learn about the Creator of the heavens and the Earth. The institute includes a seminary that provides experiential, dialogical, visual, tactile, and conceptual andragogy (adult education). The institute intimately connects to the monastery.

We dream of a special events center where hungry people can enjoy stimulating entertainment, retreats, training, and workshops. The special events center connects intimately to the educational institute and monastery.

We dream of a place where relationships with God and each other grow stronger and healthier. We dream of a place where people can take off their masks, risk, be real and appropriately transparent, love and be loved. We dream of a place where hurting people help other hurting people, wounded people become healers, and angry people learn how to channel that energy for good. We dream of a place that equips believers for service expeditions to all cultures in neighborhoods, communities, cities, churches, rural areas, the hungry, the poor, the angry, and the tired.

We call this place: All Saints Outfitters

Educational Component

With the monastic component firmly established, albeit not in a large physical monastery as first envisioned, the board of directors deemed the time right to begin creating the educational component. On a firm monastic and prayer foundation, we are building a superstructure for our education component. February, 2009 saw the first course being taught.

The board is beginning to realize that All Saints Outfitters’ niche is electronic. Retreats can be distance-facilitated, utilizing readily available, no-hassle technology, and our clients love it. Highest quality courses can be delivered via the internet, again with no-hassle technology, and again, our students love it. Who’s to say that special events cannot also be delivered electronically? We believe they can.

See our website for more information about the educational component.