02/04/2026
Holding Truth & Accountability in Community: My Response to the ARC Retreat Center Sale.
February 3, 2026
To the ARC Board and Community,
I am writing in response to ARC’s January 2026 transition update and the prayer shared with your community.
I want to speak with clarity, dignity, and truth, because what has been shared publicly does not reflect the full reality of what occurred in the sale of the ARC property, nor the impact of ARC’s actions on me, my family, my board, and the Indigenous-led nonprofit I serve.
A purchase agreement existed
Beginning August 27, 2025, before the ARC property was listed for sale, I entered into conversations with ARC leadership regarding the possible purchase of the ARC Retreat Center by my nonprofit, 7 Generations Strong.
After multiple in-person meetings, on September 18, 2025, an agreement was reached. Present at that meeting were:
* Mike Tessner – ARC Board President
* Kent Schutte – ARC Secretary/Treasurer
* Elise Roberts – Advisor, 7 Generations Strong
* Myself
In that meeting, we agreed to a purchase for the amount owed to the bank. That offer was accepted. Earnest money was provided and accepted.
On September 19, 2025, I received a written purchase agreement from ARC leadership, with instructions to review and collaborate. I responded promptly with questions and began the legal, financial, and personal steps required for purchase:
* Meeting with attorneys
* Engaging my board
* Meeting with financial institutions in exploring loan options
* Beginning fundraising and asset liquidation
* Consulting a realtor and preparing my home for sale
* Preparing my children for relocation
For five days, I received no response to my questions.
On September 24, 2025, I was informed by text message that ARC had accepted another full-price offer and would no longer proceed with our agreement. This was the first communication I received after being sent the purchase agreement.
This was not simply a “missed opportunity”
In subsequent communication, I was told there had never been an agreement. This is not accurate.
There was:
* A negotiated agreement
* Earnest money accepted
* A written purchase contract issued by ARC
To be told afterward that no agreement existed was not only false, it was deeply harmful.
The contradiction in ARC’s public narrative
ARC’s public prayer states that God created a plan that met all of the Board’s requests:
* full asking price
* respect for the land
* continued retreat ministry
What is not shared is that another agreement already existed. One that was abandoned without dialogue, resolution, or accountability. The message presented to the community does not reflect:
* the prior agreement
* the lack of response to my questions
* the sudden termination
* or the impact this had on an Indigenous-led nonprofit seeking to steward that land for healing, community, and cultural restoration
The harm
This was not just a financial decision.
It disrupted lives, trust, and community.
It affected:
* my children
* my family
* my board
* and the vision of returning land to Indigenous-centered care and healing
When agreements are made and then dismissed, especially with Indigenous people, this echoes a long history of broken trust. That is not a metaphor, it reflects a historical and lived reality for Indigenous people.
A call for truth and repair
I am not writing this to divide. I am writing to call for:
* honesty
* accountability
* transparency
* and meaningful repair
ARC has an opportunity to pause, reflect, and listen, not only for spiritual guidance, but also for where harm has been caused and where trust has been broken.
What is done in silence eventually comes to light.
Truth is not meant to shame, it is meant to heal.
With sincerity and a call for accountability,
Renee Butters, Awanishbaasin “The Breath of the Spirits”
Founder, 7 Generations Strong
Founder, She Heals Noojimo Noojimo’iwe
Founder, Noojimo’iwewin The Foundation for Indigenous Healing
Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe/White Earth Nation
