Dear Friend of Koinonia,

Some ask me even today how my family and I could have remained at Koinonia through those frightening years of bombs, bullets and boycotts. My wife Ora and I moved to Koinonia in 1949 and remained until 1963. We came with our children, Lora and Carol, and three other children, Charles, John, and Chrys, were born while we were there. I answer the question “How?” with “How could we not have remained?” Koinonia lived everything in which we so passionately believed — non-violence, brotherhood/ sisterhood of all peoples and a life rooted in simplicity and service. It was much more difficult to leave than it ever was to dodge the dangers heaped upon us in the 1950s and ‘60s.

By 1963, Koinonia had been reduced to three families: the Jordans, the Wittkampers and the Brownes. Because of the boycotts, we came to realize we could no longer support even three families. One had to go, and after much prayer and discussion, the decision was made that it be the Brownes. Despite having to say goodbye, my love for Koinonia has never wavered, and I have never lost my faith in its mission.

Recently, my wife Cay and I (my dear Ora died in 1995) spent time with the community. We rejoiced at what we saw. Koinonia is still devoted to living simply and to serving its neighbors both near and far through a variety of ministries. The community works hard to be self-sustaining so that donations may be used for those ministries.

Cay and I want to help. She reminded me of a story I’ve shared from time to time. Perhaps you know it: one rainy Christmas Day, Clarence Jordan was found out in the orchard planting pecan trees. “What in the world are you doing out here, Clarence?” someone asked. “It’s Christmas Day! It’s raining, and you’ll never benefit from those trees. It takes 25 years for them to produce anything.” Clarence replied, “I’m planting them for the people that are coming after me.”

I’d like to join Clarence in doing something about those trees in order to benefit those who will come after me. One way to assure Koinonia’s economic viability is to find individuals and/or groups who are willing to adopt the pecan trees. Enclosed you will find a brochure that explains this new program. It’s a joy to initiate the program by writing this letter and I have given Koinonia permission to continue using the letter until every tree is adopted. In addition, Cay and I have pledged to work on behalf of the Adopt-a-Tree Program as long as our health allows. I ask that you join us.

Sincerely,

Conrad Browne

Program Details

Pledge Form -PDF

Pledge form -Word