June 2009

a monthly e-news publication

PARTNER WITH US Thanks to all who have responded to our plea for help in last month’s E-news. We’re down to $47,000 to raise in donations or sales before June 30. We ask that, if you are able, please partner with us. In partnership, the goal is reachable. Thank you for your generosity! Or make a one-time donation: Donate securely Online, but if you prefer, you may call us to make a donation by phone at 877-738-1741 or by mail at Koinonia Farm, 1324 GA Hwy 49 S, Americus, GA 31719.

Did You Know? We’re sorry to share with you that Imogene Harris, wife of Norris Harris passed away on Saturday, May 30, after suffering for many years with severe Diabetes. Please pray for Norris, the family, friends, and all the community as we deal with yet another loss. Services will be held tomorrow, June 3, at 11 a.m. at Union Tabernacle here in Americus. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to Norris Harris at Koinonia Farm. Norris will distribute these donations among the many organizations that helped care for Imogene during her illness. Some of you may remember Father Bob Cushing from the 1980s when he was actively involved at Koinonia. A few years ago he was transferred back to this area, to St. Theresa’s parish in Cordele,Ga., and now he’s rekindling the old friendship. This month he came to lead a workshop on Centering Prayer, an ancient method of contemplative prayer. He has visited a few more times since then, and we’re delighted to have him around, sharing stories from his time here before and getting to know those of us here now. We were surprised by a visit from Allene Atkinson, who lived at Koinonia in the 1940s and 50s, and her daughter Joyce. During lunch, Allene shared with us how she and Harry met. In 1945, Harry left Koinonia to go to seminary in Texas. Clarence Jordan jokingly warned him, “Now don't go out there and marry the first pretty girl you meet.” When he arrived in Texas, he parked the car in front of the Administration Building and went in to register. Behind the counter was Allene Griffin registering students. She must have made an impression on him, because before the end of the fall session, Harry knew he had met his future wife, and he went back to Koinonia to build a house for them to live in! They were married the next year by Clarence at Rehoboth Baptist Church. To read more about Harry and Allene, visit the Koinonia Remembered publication on our Web site. Pictured, Allene and Harry stand in front of their unfinished house, now called Wellspring.  Reaching Out The Koinonia apprentices retreated for a weekend of fun and fellowship with stewards Bren Dubay and Brendan Prendergast at Jubilee Partners in Comer Georgia. A daughter of Koinonia, Jubilee Partners began in the 1970s when three Koinonia families were commissioned to go forth and create another community. During our recent retreat, we met with the members of Jubilee to discuss their community life, the commitment they make to one another, and what that looks like on a daily basis. We are continually encouraged by our friendships with fellow Christian communities who seek to live together in peace and care for one another and others.

All these years, it’s been by word of mouth that people get added to our mailing lists – ground and e-mail. We want to continue making new friends. Would you be willing to tell two of your friends about Koinonia then ask if you can have their names added to our lists? We need your help to keep our story circulating around the globe. We want to be here for another 67 years to serve God and His people. Please e-mail your friends’ contact information to info@koinoniapartners.org. 

Steward Kathleen Monts continues to keep our Circle of Friends very busy. In April, the seniors went to pick strawberries at a local patch. This month, they attended the annual Senior Picnic, sponsored by the Middle Flint Council On Aging. In the summer months, the Circle will take a much deserved break to enjoy the warm weather and visit with friends and family. Thanks, Kathleen for all you do for our seniors! Pictured, a few Circle of Friends members gather strawberries from the patch.

At the same time we’re preparing next fiscal year’s budget (July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010), we are doing our best to balance this one. We’re about $47,000 away from balancing this year’s budget. That’s the goal to reach by June 30, 2009 and we believe it can be done. Thanks to all our friends who responded to the recent appeal – the goal was $100,000 then so we have less than half of that to go now. We just mailed another batch of letters the last week of May. Please donate or purchase in June and help us surpass the goal.

Koinonia has its share of repairs that’s for sure, but nothing quite like one of the local churches. Members of St. Mary Church have moved into the parish hall next door after discovering rotting beams around the outside of the church building. Koinonia has offered to help the church raise funds for the repairs, by creating a special Gift Pail for the occasion. Purchase the St. Mary Gift Pail for $24.99 and get three of Koinonia Favorites—Pecan Halves, Gourmet Party Mix, and Cinnamon Spiced Pecans, and we’ll give a portion of the proceeds to St. Mary Church. The pails come packed in a reusable gift pail with a decorative gift paper of your choice. They’re a great choice for Father’s Day, birthdays, and other celebrations. To order a St. Mary Gift Pail, call us at 877-738-1741. It’s a great way to help us meet our budgetary needs and repair the beams at St. Mary Church.

At the Farm

We celebrate our young adults this month as four of our seniors graduated from the local high school, including Jessika Williams, Darrell King, Quintrell Williams, and Moneisha Lewis Congratulations to all of our graduates. We pray God’s blessing and protection be upon you as you venture out into a new step of life.

With all the visitors we’ve had this month and the cooler, rainy weather, it’s beginning to feel like spring break again. In early May, we had the Wild Edibles workshop led by Bob Burns and Koinonia partner Sanders Thornburgh. The participants were great, and we even enjoyed a great lunch that included wild food foraged during a morning workshop. Later in the month, we hosted a Youth Convergence gathering of 60 young adults interested in issues of peace and justice. The gathering was orchestrated by the American Friends Service Committee and the Georgia Peace and Justice Coalition, which was born at Koinonia in 2002. Pictured is the Youth Convergence group.

Raindrops keep falling on my head … It seems we’ve finally broken the drought. Praise be to God! The rain has been good for our garden, though, and our pigs always enjoy rolling in the mud. The blueberries will ripen soon and it should be a good harvest year for them. Our pecan harvest was looking good, but with all the rain, we’re concerned the trees might be getting too much water now. Please pray this year’s harvest will be better than last year. We could really use the income. 

This month we discovered some pretty drastic water damage in Jubilee, one of our large houses. A toilet had been leaking through to the floor below and began rotting the bathroom floor and the ceiling of the apartment just beneath it. We’re repairing the damaged floor and ceiling now, as well as retiling the floor of the apartment next door. We’re trying to do all the repairs quickly since we’re in a housing crunch and new interns have just arrived. In the midst of chaos, though, we continue to have humor and enjoy one another’s company. Pictured, community intern Phill Buczek is all smiles as he gets down and dirty with the tiles and the floor.

Coming Soon

This year’s Summer Camp is almost underway, and we’re excited to see how the summer goes for our kids and the counselors. Kathleen Monts is taking a much deserved break this summer from organizing the camp, but she’ll be chief advisor to community interns Jimmy Foglio and Faith Zahn as they head up this local ministry effort. Pray for them and the kids, too, that they may learn the way of peace and compassion through the camp.

Koinonia will make its way to the Ekklesia Gathering again this Summer. Join us in Chicago July 9-11 as we explore communities and as we lead a workshop on business within communities. For more information, visit the Ekklesia Web site, www.ekklesiaproject.org.

Welcome to our new seasonal interns! Look for more information about our seven seasonal interns in the next few E-news publications.