Did You Know?

Our friends at Wipf and Stock publishing in Eugene, Or., have brought back into publication the “Cotton Patch Parables of Liberation,” by our co-founder Clarence Jordan. Edited by Bill Lane Doulos, this collection includes several of the Cotton Patch Version parables and excerpts from Clarence’s sermons along with some insightful commentary by Doulos. At the core of this book is a challenge to live life as Christ calls and envisions for us, true discipleship and fellowship. Be sure to take advantage of the special price this month in our store.

In November 2007, Koinonia Director Bren Dubay was invited to speak at the conference, “Cynicism & Hope: Reclaiming Discipleship in a Post-democratic Society.” The conference was organized by a group of young people from Reba Place Fellowship & Living Water Community Church to look at the tension between hope for a better world and the cynical notion that the world will only get worse. From that conference came a book by the same title, edited by Meg Cox and published by Wipf & Stock. It is a collection of the talks from this highly praised conference. Congratulations, Bren, and all the other fine authors featured in the book. Order your copy through the Koinonia Web store today and take advantage of the special discount this month.

Reaching Out

While traveling in Illinois, we visited with long-time supporter and friend of Koinonia Lucille Turigliatto. Each month, Lucille sends a note to the farm with her tithe, as she has done for decades.. She’s no longer able to travel now that she’s in her 90s, so we were glad for the opportunity to visit with her. She told us the story of how she met a Koinonian, perhaps co-founder Clarence Jordan, at the University of Illinois in the early 1960s, and immediately entered into a great relationship with Koinonia. She’s supported us over the years in prayer, in encouragement, and in friendship. We’re so thankful for the many people like Lucille who have participated in this life with us—perhaps not in living with us, but in practicing this partnership with God and his kingdom we strive to live into. Please pray for Lucille and her health, that she will be sustained beyond her needs. Pictured are Lucille and Amanda Moore just outside Lucille’s home in Benld, Ill.

We visited with our friends at the Ekklesia Gathering this month in Chicago as we discussed wealth and the household of God. Several communities came and looked at issues of common purse, community development, and congregational economic practices. Koinonia community members Bren Dubay and Amanda Moore co-presented a workshop with a group from San Francisco called Dayspring Technologies. The workshop offered insight into doing business for the Kingdom of God instead of the Empire. You can listen to it here.  During the gathering, we also spent time with friends from all over the country, including Church of the Servant King in Eugene, Or. and Reba Place Fellowship in Evanston, Ill. What a privilege to see such dear friends and to be challenged to live radically in God’s kingdom.