Koinonia Briefly

July 2006
a monthly e-news publication

To keep you up-to-date with news from the farm, we’ll be sending Koinonia Briefly to you each and every month. This month's product special is at the bottom of the email. Enjoy!

Did You Know?

• Quite a bit of interest has been generated about Koinonia’s Adopt-a-Tree project thanks to Con and Cay Browne’s leadership. Go to our homepage at www.koinoniapartners.org and click on the Adopt-a-Tree button and read all about it. Help us to reach our goal to have every pecan tree adopted by a friend of Koinonia.

CHAPEL RENOVATION

• Groups of all sizes and of all ages visit the farm. Some participate in service retreats working right along side community members performing the daily chores required to keep the farm running and/or they work with community members in our various ministries serving our neighbors in Sumter County. Other groups choose to conduct their own private retreats or hold meetings at Koinonia. Some simply come for a tour. Contact Ann or Ellie in hospitality and bring a group to see us. Call 229 924-0391 to schedule a visit.
  
  
  
  

  A group of young people learn about Koinonia’s pecan processing operation.

• Did you know that Koinonia community members are available to travel to speak to groups or to help you give a presentation about Koinonia? Watch our website for more information or give Kathleen Monts a call at 229 924-0391.
  
  

Reaching Out

• We distribute food, we conduct programs for youth and elders and so forth, but the month of May saw a bit of a different twist on service to others. Koinonia built 192 houses during the 60s and 70s before turning the hammer over to Habitat for Humanity. We continue to this day operating the water system for the two neighborhoods closest to the farm — Koinonia Village and Forest Park Village. Earlier this month, sediment began appearing in the water in Forest Park and it was decided, after consulting the appropriate experts, it was time for a new well — an expense we didn’t budget for this year. The new well being has been dug and connected to the water system. We are waiting for some final test results and are hoping that it will be approved for consumption shortly. Until then, we’re providing drinking water from the farm to the residents. In the meantime, the well water can be used for bathing, for washing clothes and for flushing toilets. There is always some sort of excitement down on the farm.

• The summer program for youth began on June 5. Because of a generous grant from The Smith-Prochaska Foundation some of the older teens in the area had the opportunity to work as counselors and instructors for this session.
  
  
  
  
  Summer camp participants enjoy “Splash Day” every Friday during the month of June.

At the Farm

• The education ministry is an important one. Classes are held at the farm, educational materials are shipped to other locations and we make frequent trips to speak to groups. We just finished two classes here — Nonviolence and Reconciliation and A Community of Biodiversity: Exploring Koinonia’s Nonhuman Residents. Community member Kathy Doyle began a new course in early June on the Sermon on the Mount. Sanders Thornburgh began a course on June 1 entitled Houston Smith on World Religions. He is also conducting a class he fondly calls Koinonia 101 for the newest group of community interns. It runs each Wednesday throughout the summer.

Con Browne and Joseph Jones share stories about Koinonia during the days of the Civil Rights Movement.

• Do you feel called to live in community? Come explore the possibility at Koinonia. As our community grows, we are looking for people interested the spiritual journey and possessing the following talents:
  Maintenance/Construction
  Operating programs for youth
  Sales & Marketing
  Sustainable farming
  Office and program administration
  Computer & graphics skills
  Mechanical skills
  
  
• Yum! We’ve been harvesting tasty blueberries. Aren’t they beautiful?

Coming Soon

• It is not too early to start planning a visit for the fall. That’s what we call “products season” and is one the busiest times of the year regarding the number of visitors. Many come to help harvest the pecans or to help in the bakery. Come enjoy!

• We will update you soon on the progress of the chapel renovation and the Heart to Heart program. We could still use more visitors to help with these fine projects.
  

We hope you enjoy Koinonia Briefly and share it with your friends. You receive these monthly updates by request, because you placed an order from Koinonia, or because one of our community members added your name. If you have suggestions for improvements, please let us know at . If you would like to be removed from the list, please follow the instructions below.