Did You Know?
Three special projects — Read on and make your plans to participate

HEART TO HEART

• Koinonia invites you to grab a hammer and come for a working retreat in the very near future.

  Through the generosity of The Fuller Center for Housing, our Heart to Heart home repair ministry is growing by leaps and bounds. The Center has awarded Koinonia a grant to help those in need in Sumter County keep their homes in good repair. Homeowners, Koinonia community members and many of our visitors join together to do the work that is needed.





This Month's Special!


Specially priced for a limited time! Our hand made oat-nut granola. We start with the finest organic wheat flakes and organic rolled oats, add Georgia-grown peanuts, organic sunflower seeds, and our very own pecans. After lightly sweetening with local honey, we carefully toast the granola and pack it as soon as it cools for a fresh, crunchy treat. Try it with milk, soymilk, as an ice cream topping, or enjoy it by itself as a healthy snack. Specially priced at $4.80 for this month only!



 


Happy homeowner Johnny Jones receiving his Greater Blessings Box
from Koinonia’s Heart to Heart team. Come help us help more people.

CHAPEL RENOVATION

• In addition to Heart to Heart, renovation of Koinonia’s chapel begins on June 5. We are hoping for a crew of six people each and every week through the summer. A very special thanks to Betty and Owen Miller for making this renovation possible. Make plans to join us by calling Ellie Castle or Ann Karp at (229) 924-0391.
  
  
  
  

  Artist's rendering of renovated chapel.

ADOPT-A-TREE PROGRAM

• Con and Cay Browne are heading up this program. Our goal is to have every one of our pecan trees adopted by a friend of Koinonia. By doing so, you support not only the orchards, but the pecan processing plant and our bakery as well.

  When on a rainy, cold Christmas Day, Clarence Jordan was asked skeptically why he was planting pecan trees that would take 25 years to produce a cash crop, he replied, "I'm planting them for the people that are coming after me."

  Today, the pecans are still our primary source of income, which allows the community to be self-sustaining. We are working hard to refurbish current orchards and plant new trees.
  
  

  

  
  
  When Gary and Stephanie Price made the final payment on their
  home two years ago, they pledged to share so others could benefit
  from Koinonia¹s outreach ministries as they had. Here they are
  presenting a check to Koinonia community member Kathleen Monts.
  They were the first to adopt a tree.

Reaching Out

• On a beautiful Thursday afternoon, our yard was filled with children racing around and enjoying themselves at our Easter Egg Hunt. Several dozen children, plus community members, parents and siblings, shared hot dogs, drinks and fellowship. The youth took a long time finding the special golden egg, but it was worth it — the prize was a basket of sweet treats from our bakery.

• The Circle of Friends elders group continues to grow, and grow, and grow! We have been enjoying weekly episodes of the story Two Old Women read by Jo Knox, listening to good music on the turntable (and sometimes dancing!), doing exercises under the excellent guidance of community intern Penny Hajj, gathering for special guest speakers, and sharing devotions, fellowship and refreshments. Recently, we had our annual Hat Show.
  
  
  
  
  A few friends modeling their hats

At the Farm

• This month we bid a fond farewell to our spring community interns! We very much enjoyed our time with Penny Hajj (exercise instructor extraordinaire—see above), Elizabeth Rene (our vegetarian soup chef), Emory Lowmaster (bringer of much cheer and welcomer of newcomers), and Sarah and Brendan Prendergast. We welcome Sarah and Brendan (and of course their red-headed baby Ida!) as year-long Service Partners at Koinonia. They will be working in the Heart to Heart home repair ministry.

Coming Soon

• Our summer community intern program begins on June 1 and the fall program begins around September 15. Click here to learn more about this special way to engage with Koinonia.

• Our garden is looking luscious with baby lettuce coming up, many herbs and other good things planted. The rows have been mulched and cleaned up, making it a peaceful place to work or walk. More delicious vegetables are expected to peek out from the ground soon.
  

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.