DOWN ON THE FARM:

Ellie turns 80! If you have been to Koinonia in the past 10 years, you know David and Ellie Castle. Hospitality is their specialty. Koinonia members, neighbors, friends, and Castle family members gathered from all over to help Ellie celebrate the big occasion. We regaled her with stories (about her, of course), with poetry (even some she wrote many years ago) and song. Ellie is known for her “worse verses” for departing visitors shared at our community meal. Well, the tables were turned at the party. The spring interns wrote a worse verse for her. Read the worse verse here. The evening wasn’t all for Ellie, as she was quick to point out. We also celebrated April birthdays: Ben Thornburgh (11 years old now. Wow!), Amanda Moore (now 23, finishing her internship and staying on as an apprentice), and partner Gloria Hurley (she turned 47, but ssshhh, she told us not to tell).

Thursday April 24th was a momentous day in the life of Koinonia. We held our first Covenant Worship Ceremony, and community members called to this way of life, publicly announced their commitment to God, to each other, to our neighbors, and to this community. In May, 2005, we recommitted ourselves to community. Since then we have been working on defining exactly what that means and how one makes a long-term commitment to this way of life. It was a beautiful ceremony, full of music, sincerity, and goodness. After the ceremony, we gathered for a picnic feast on the lawn, enjoying the food, each other, and the gorgeous sunshine.

Five of our six Spring 2008 community interns have petitioned to become apprentices, and all have been accepted. They’ll take on some exciting work as they deepen their involvement in the life of Koinonia. We’re happy to have them living and working with us.

The fresh strawberries are heavenly, and blueberries and grapes are coming soon. We welcome friends to pick these luscious fruits. Stop by for lunch Monday through Friday. Your spirit will be fed by these healthy foods, fresh from the garden.

Be on the lookout for the first edition of Koinonia’s newspaper, Koinonia Farm Chronicle. Please let us know if you do not receive one. We’ve been working on the mailing list, but we could always use more help in this area. Send letters to the editor, poetry, or articles for the next edition. This publication will be mailed out twice every year. We hope it will become an excellent tool of communication for people interested in Koinonia and our way of life.

IN THE DEMONSTRATION PLOT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD:

Koinonia’s Peace Action Team awards Peace Scholarship! The Peace Action Team recently reviewed applications, referrals and essays from students of Americus-Sumter High School who applied for the $1000 “PAT on the Back Peace Scholarship.” George McKenzie, an African American Senior and member of Bethesda Baptist Church, has been chosen to be the recipient of the award. George was selected, not only for his excellent essay on Peace and Justice, but for his personal demonstration of peacemaking characteristics.  George has a vibrant personality, a volunteer spirit and a Christ-like hunger for nonviolent solutions to societal conflict. George will be attending Valdosta State University in the Fall of this year.  Koinonia’s Peace Action Team will invite George to participate in the process of forming a “Peace Club” at Americus-Sumter High. It is our hope that through annual Peace Scholarships, designed to give affirmation to peacemakers among our youth, we can help curb violence within the school system, as well as offer alternatives to the heavy presence of military recruiters in our schools. It is our goal to raise double the funding money next year, allowing us to offer two scholarships in 2009. Please let us know if you feel called to contribute to these Peace Scholarships, please use this form.

Plans for the annual Summer Youth Camp, scheduled to begin June 2, are well under way. A special thanks goes to the Smith-Prochaska Foundation and Sumter Electric Foundation for their donations. Because of their generosity and others, we are able to hire area teenagers to serve as junior counselors, bring the Atlanta Peace Mobile to share about peacemaking with the children, invite guest speakers, and more. We are always looking for people to help out with the camp. If your group or church would like to visit Koinonia and “adopt” a week, there is still time to sign up. Build relationships, have fun, enjoy Koinonia living, and bring a themed week of activities to local youth ages 5-12. Contact Kathleen Monts at 229-924-0391 to learn more.

Community member Ann Karp recently visited Latino prisoners at the Federal INS Prison in Lumpkin, Stewart County, about 40 miles from Koinonia. She and Anton Flores of Alterna Community in LaGrange, GA, tried to contact men who had been caught up in an INS raid of a poultry plant in Chattanooga. The INS prisoners are scheduled for deportation, and often their families are left behind in the U.S., without any knowledge of the deportee’s whereabouts. A year ago, at Koinonia’s School for Conversion Retreat, Button, Abraham, Amanda, and Emory protested at the prison.

The Permaculture Bus recently made a stop at Koinonia. Stan, Delyla, and Megan live and travel in their 40ft-long bus that features solar power, grey water systems, a composting toilet, two dogs, and several chickens. They’re on a tour of the nation, educating communities about Permaculture and showing how these principles can be applied almost anywhere. For more information about the Permaculture bus, visit our web site.

OFF THE FARM:

Bren Dubay will be traveling to Eugene, Oregon, May 10-17. While there visiting our sister community, Church of the Servant King, she looks forward to seeing friends of Koinonia. Please give her a call, or send her an email, to let her know if you’ll be around for a visit: 229-924-0391.

Congratulations to the Dubay family! The youngest of the “Dubabies” is graduating from college. Adoring parents Bren and Jim, and proud siblings Dillon and Jillian, will make their way to Denver, Colorado the first weekend in May to celebrate with Evan Patrick as he receives his diploma.

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