February 2009

a monthly e-news publication

We join with the nation as we mourn the loss of Millard Fuller, a great pillar of our time. The death was sudden and we’re still in shock. He will be buried today here at the farm at 11 a.m., with the memorial service to follow later in the month. Millard came to Koinonia in the early 1960s at a crucial time in his life and his marriage. He immediately became good friends with our founder Clarence Jordan. He often said that he learned most everything from Clarence while sitting across from him, helping to milk the farm's cows.

Together with Clarence and our neighbors, Millard started Partnership Housing, which grew up to be Habitat for Humanity International. In 2005, after being ousted from Habitat, Millard founded Fuller Center for Housing to continue his calling to provide adequate housing for the world’s poor.

Millard wanted to be buried in the same manner as was his spiritual mentor and friend Clarence. So, like our founder Clarence, Millard will be buried on Picnic Hill in a shipping crate with no significant marker for his grave.

As we gather more details, we’re happy to share them with you. Check our Web site or e-mail info@koinoniapartners.org to receive more information as it comes in. Please pray for Linda, their children, and our community as we mourn the loss of such a dear friend. Pictured is Clarence and Millard together on the farm in 1968.

Did You Know?

At Koinonia, we are blessed with friends both young and well-aged with time. This month we celebrated with just a hint of caution as our youngest Koinonian Kellen Prendergast entered the terrible twos. Kellan is lively as ever and talking mostly in clear English these days. She loves naming the colors and things around her and playing around the older kids, but mostly she loves doing whatever her big sister Ida does. She still enjoys swinging in the baby swing, though. During the January birthday lunch, we also celebrated our director Bren Dubay, her husband Jim Dubay, apprentice Dan Trousdale, and returning visitor Dick Oliver. Pictured, Kellan Prendergast enjoys an afternoon in the sun.

We’re pleased to announce that the Sumter County Chamber of Commerce is recognizing Koinonia as the Agri-Business of the Year. On February 5, the Chamber will host a dinner, honoring Koinonia and other local businesses. We’re humbled by this award and encouraged that our efforts to strengthen the sustainability of our farm and our business do not go unnoticed.

Reaching Out

Former NY Times food writer Molly O'Neill is capturing stories and recipes on America's great home cooks for a cookbook to be published this year, and Koinonia is being considered as a feature for this project! The book shows America’s eating habits and reflects on the rich diversity our country fosters in terms of geography, ingredients, and culture. So we’re looking for a few recipes that use Koinonia products. If you have any recipes you’d like to include, send them to info@koinoniapartners.org. Please remember, the recipes must include a product grown here on the farm. Thanks for your help! We’ll let you know as soon as the cookbook is available.

Our home school group has made it to the State level in this year’s Lego League competition, and we couldn’t be prouder. Lego League is a yearly contest that focuses on a different real-world topic related to the sciences. The students work out solutions to the various problems they are given and program robotics to complete the assigned tasks. This year’s topic focused on the earth's past, present, and future climate. We’ll let you know next month how the students do at State competition. Below, the group pauses during a practice session to show off their table and their robot.

This month we were graced with a visit from Diana Christian, a well-known consensus and facilitation trainer who lives at Earthaven Ecovillage in Asheville, NC. Through song, dialogue, and some extreme yet funny examples, Diana helped illuminate issues that cause problems in community and gave us the tools to more positively and effectively work through these issues. We learned how to create productive proposals, facilitate effectively, and communicate in a positive manner. For anyone who has daily interaction with human beings, especially group decision making and meetings, we highly recommend inviting Diana to your group. For more information, visit www.dianaleafechristian.org.

At The Farm

One of our long-standing ministries is to offer seasonal employment to our friends and neighbors. Though these economic times are shaky at best, we were able to hire several neighbors and friends this season. Those working in the bakery began work in September and others began during the pecan harvesting season. We thank all of you who buy our products and donate to Koinonia! You provide us with the means to continually help others.

With seasonal helpers and all the recent visitors, we’ve finished sorting this year’s pecans and we’ve nearly finished pruning our grapes and blueberries! A group of students from Montessori High in Cleveland, Ohio, spent a week with us, pruning through rain and the hot afternoon sun. We also welcomed Ann Ewert, a SOOPer spending the month with us. She helped us in sorting pecans, the bakery, and even taught our students to make a quilt. Thanks to our friends and neighbors and to all who have visited and helped with sorting and pruning. Below, two students from Montessori High work to prune the grapevines.

On Inauguration Day, we celebrated along with the nation at such a historical moment for our country and for our world. During the election season, Koinonians Gloria Hurley, Kathleen Monts, the fall intern Porter-Hirsche family, and several others spent countless hours canvassing the county, encouraging citizens to exercise their right to vote. During the Inauguration, we rested from our chores as we gathered to watch the day’s events and to honor the significance of this inauguration in particular, the inauguration of the first African-American president in our country just 44 years after the Voting Rights Act passed. We are also proud of our own Senior Jessika Williams and the local Sumter County High School band, who traveled to D.C. and performed in of the day's parades.

Amidst all the rejoicing this month over historical events, birthdays, and completed work came some sorrowful news for the community. Ellie Castle has decided to move up North in May. Since David’s death in August, Ellie has desired to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She’ll move to a retirement home, Sherwood Oaks, north of Pittsburgh, near her eldest daughter and her beloved Chautauqua, New York. She’s promised to come back to the farm each fall, though, to help out with products season and preparation for Christmas. We’ll surely miss her physical presence in our daily lives, but we know that she will never be far from our hearts. In preparation for the move, Ellie’s attempting to sell her house. It’s a lovely dome-home in the woods of Forest Park here at Koinonia, and would be a perfect winter home for those who travel South. The home is reasonably priced, partially furnished, and ready for occupancy June 1. For more information, contact Ellie Castle at 229-928-4183. Below is a photo of Elle’s dome home.

Coming Soon

In honor of Black History Month, Georgia Southwestern University in Americus will show the “Briars in the Cotton Patch” documentary on Feb. 25 at 7 p.m. Following the documentary, several Koinonians will lead a panel discussion with the viewers. If you haven’t seen the Briars documentary, we encourage you to gather a few friends this month and watch it. Editor and Producer Faith Fuller did an excellent job capturing the story of Koinonia from its early days, through the violence and boycotts leading up to the Civil Rights era, to the days of seed planting that grew up to be Habitat for Humanity International. You can order your copy from our Web store. For more information about the GSW showing and for directions, e-mail info@koinoniapartners.org.

Make plans now for the upcoming first Reiki training session February 28 and March 1. The workshop, “On Trust & Faith,” gives an introduction to this meditative type of healing. Cost for the weekend is $190 for out of town guests and $145 for commuters. For more information, contact Ana Navarro at 229-924-0391 or ana@koinoniapartners.org.

The Marriage Enrichment Retreat led by Trent Dollyhigh originally scheduled for February is postponed till the Spring. Cost is still $150 and includes lodging and meals. During the retreat, plenty of time will be given for a tour of the farm, private retreat, and a visit to Jimmy Carter’s church, Maranatha Baptist Church in Plains, Ga. For more information, including the new dates of the retreat, contact Jerry Nelson at jnelson@koinoniapartners.org

The School for Conversion is making its way to Koinonia March 27-29! This year’s retreat, SFC 101: Intro to Christianity as a Way of Life, introduces students to the theology and practice of Christianity and its traditions. The retreat takes includes five sessions and uses the text “School for Conversion: 12 Marks of a New Monasticism.” For more information on the SFC retreat, send us an e-mail.

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