About Longview
Abide in Him Ministries, Inc., dba Longview Retreat is a non-profit, Christian marriage and family ministry on an expansive working farm in northeastern North Carolina.
Joe and Jane Brown founded the Retreat with over 40 years of marriage experience, to support other couples and families. They understand the stresses and challenges in marriages and families and channeled their expertise into Longview Retreat. The Retreat offers guests a quiet place for Bible study, prayer, mentorship, restoration, recreation, and relaxation. Joe and Jane are eager to share how God has created the relationship between husband and wife to be full of love and respect.
Our Mission
Our mission is to strengthen and rebuild the relationships within marriages and families by emphasizing the importance of allowing Jesus Christ to be the center of each relationship. Complete restoration of individuals’ and couples’ lives only comes when each person is in right relationship with God.
We believe that God preserved our family farm along with our family for “such a time as this” (Esther 4:14). After years of marriage without Jesus Christ, Joe and Jane know firsthand the impactful change that God’s love and power can have on marriages and families. By sharing the peace, quiet, and natural beauty with others in need, the farm is an offering to God.
Our History
Longview Retreat is located on a farm that has been passed down for six generations. The original house, now Joe and Jane’s home, was built in 1827 when the farm became a plantation. Although once a place where individuals were enslaved, the Retreat’s mission is for each guest to experience the freedom of living in relationship with Jesus Christ as well as with others in mutual love, respect, and understanding.
The original kitchen from the 1800s has been renovated as a meeting space. Other buildings remaining are a salt house, smokehouse, dairy barn and tenant houses; reflecting the commercial evolution of the farm.
Wondering how we got the name Longview? When the farm was first established, the view from the main house to the end of the driveway was a long one! With the family history and sentimental nature of the property, it made perfect sense to adopt the same name as the farm.
What We Believe
Statement of Faith
The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God is the sole and final source of all that we believe. For purposes of Abide in Him Ministries, Inc.’s faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our board of directors is Abide in Him Ministries, Inc.’s final interpretive authority on the Bible’s meaning and application.
Our Beliefs
We believe in one eternal God who is the Creator of all things. He exists in three Persons: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. He is totally loving and completely holy.
We believe that God became flesh as Jesus Christ. Born of the Virgin Mary, He lived a sinless life, died on the cross in our place.
We believe Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven where He now sits on the right hand of God the Father. One day He will literally, bodily, return for His Church.
We believe that the Holy Spirit convicts and convinces man of his need for a Savior. He guides each believer and helps them live a Godly life.
We believe that man can be saved from spiritual death by God’s grace alone through faith in Jesus. Man can never do anything to earn it. Only after salvation through Christ is man’s personal relationship with God restored.
We believe that every person must be afforded compassion, love, kindness, respect, and dignity. Hateful attitudes directed toward any individual are to be rejected and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of Abide in Him Ministries, Inc.
We believe the Bible is God’s word and is completely true. God communicates with man through His written Word, and through His Holy Spirit who indwells every believer. Man communicates with God through prayer and worship.
We believe it is possible to hear God’s voice and promptings in our spirit. We believe that each believer can and should mature to a place where he can “try the spirits” and discern which is of God and which is of the enemy.
Our Values
Man and woman were both created by God. These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God. Rejection of one’s biological sex is a rejection of the image of God within that person. Gen 1:26–27
The man is the head of the wife and family. The husband must love his wife as Christ loves the Church and gave Himself sacrificially for it. The wife must submit to her husband’s authority and leadership. Ephesians 5:21-30
Marriage is a gift from God between one man and one woman, instituted by God, and designed to be a lifetime covenant. Marriage is the unification of one man and one woman as husband and wife; one flesh, one family. We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other. Any form of sexual immorality is sinful and offensive to God. Genesis 2:22-24
The relationship of marriage is unlike any other earthly relationship. It is the core of the family, and your spouse comes first. This priority does not change when husbands and wives become parents. Genesis 2:24
We believe God hates divorce and that divorce is not His will for our lives. Jesus is the healer of our lives and relationships. He offers great grace for those who have suffered divorce and are repentant. Matthew 19:4-6
All human life is sacred and created by God in His image. We are therefore called to defend, protect, and value all human life from conception to natural death. There is no room for partiality or discrimination based on sex, race, color, stature, physical health, or wealth. Genesis 1:27
Jesus offers hope and healing to our personal lives. Peace is achieved when we learn to fully trust Jesus and have faith in His promises.With Jesus as our Lord and Savior, our focus is on serving Him and obeying His commands to love God with all our being and to love our neighbor as we love ourselves. Mark 12:30-31
Anything in our lives that comes between our relationship with Jesus is an idol. This includes power, position, people, things, and money. Jesus must be first before all else, and we must be willing to give up everything else if He calls us to do so. Colossians 1:15-18
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I find you on GPS?
We identify our location as Garysburg; however, 911 and some GPS identify us as 1910 US 158, Jackson. Our driveway (which we fondly named The Avenue) is shown as Longview Road on some GPS. We are just west of the intersection of US 158 and St. John Church Road.
What is the cost of a retreat?
The Art of Marriage and Love and Respect retreats are $50 per couple, via Zoom, and $175 per couple for onsite events. Prepare and Enrich is $35 for the online survey.
Mentoring or contact time with Joe and Jane is paid by your donation. Donations are tax deductible and will allow our ministry to continue to grow.
What is the cost to rent the Genesis House?
$125 per night.