March 2010

a monthly e-news publication

FOUR MONTHS to go to reach the goal! No matter the amount of your contribution it will help. Please donate today. 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 3171 Did You Know? We’ll be traveling to the wintry land of Chicago later this month where our friends at Reba Place Fellowship will host the next Friends of Koinonia gathering. Make plans to visit with us and learn more about our shared life of hospitality, some current activities, and how you can get involved. The event will take place on March 27. We also have a Friends of Koinonia gathering planned in Johnson City, Tn. on April 11 and in San Anselmo, Ca. on April 24. We’d love to come visit with you, your church, or community! E-mail Amanda Moore at info@koinoniapartners.org to schedule a gathering in your area. The goal for product sales this fiscal year is $355,000. Please help us meet that goal by purchasing your favorite Koinonia food item, coffee, book, CD/DVD or craft item today! Better yet, join the Nut of the Month Club and choose which item you’d like delivered to your home each month. For more information, e-mail products@koinoniapartners.org. Reaching Out On the first anniversary of Millard Fuller’s death, we did exactly what he would’ve wanted: We picked up a hammer and continued the work of building homes. The Fuller Center planned a special day of events, including a full work day at the local build. We’re grateful for this special opportunity to participate in such Kingdom work while honoring the memory of such a dear friend. Please continue to pray for the Fuller family and the Fuller Center for Housing. And keep reading below for more details about the duplex. Pictured is four of our five new interns after a hard day’s work on the build. Help! Volunteer tutors needed!! Koinonia's Home School Cooperative is looking for full-time tutors for next year. These special volunteers will have the ultimate assignment: Get to know our kids, have fun with them and make sure they learn something new every day! Of course, there's a little more to it than that. For details about the volunteer description and more information, contact Cori Lyman-Barner at khscinfo@gmail.com. In order to keep on track with our construction and renovation of the Meeting House, we’ll be setting a goal each year for the amount we hope to raise for the David and Ellie Castle Building Fund. This year’s goal for the Fund is $150,000. The Meeting House project includes an addition to and a renovation of our current dining hall and guest house. The construction allows us to host many more guests and events than the facilities currently allow. Please consider an ongoing commitment to helping us with this project, whether with a pledge of financial support, offering volunteer labor, or planning a workshop or retreat to be hosted at the farm! For more information on how you can help with this project, e-mail contributions@koinoniapartners.org.

We were pleased this month to welcome three students, Felipe Matos, Carlos Roa, and Juan Rodriguez. Felipe, Carlos, and Juan were all three brought to America as children from their home in Brazil, Venezuela, and Colombia respectively. Juan’s family came to America seeking protection from violence in their home country; Carlos’s to care for family members living in America; and Felipe was sent to live with relatives once his mother became very ill. After graduating from high school, each of these young men soon learned that the opportunities available to their classmates were not available to them, simply because their “status” was illegal. They couldn’t pursue a college education; they couldn’t hold a steady job; they couldn’t even walk down the road without fear of undercover immigrant officials. And they learned that millions of young people are facing the same dehumanizing situation. So on January 1, they embarked on a 1,500-mile Trail of Dreams walk from their home in Miami to Washington, D.C., to bring attention to the plight facing immigrants, especially young people unable to fully participate in society. Once they reach D.C. on May 1, they will meet with President Obama to discuss the DREAM Act (Development, Relief and Education for Alien Minors Act), currently stalled in the Senate. Pictured l-r, Carlos, Felipe, and Juan just after an event at Koinonia.

Do you know the answer? Harry Atkinson built the house across from the Koinonia dining hall for his lovely bride Allene in the mid 1940s. At some point, the house was named Wellspring House. Do you know when the house was given this name and the reason? Thank you for helping us record this bit of history about Koinonia. We love discovering and rediscovering these interesting facts about our shared life.

At the Farm

The month of February used to be a "down" time when it came to visitors. But with our second annual Permaculture Design Course, it was anything but slow! Led by Chuck Marsh and Patricia Allison, 25 students along with five “apprentice teachers” spent two weeks here in intense discussion of topics such as sheet-mulch gardening, aquaculture, broad-scale permaculture and forestry, urban applications of permaculture, and much more. Koinonians Brendan and Sarah Prendergast both received design certificates through the course, and they are eager to begin fleshing out and implementing the designs created by the class. We’re especially excited to have the Master Plan that Brendan’s group developed, which encompasses the entire farm and will guide our vision for the land as we move into the future. Pictured is the Master Plan for this plot of land.

What is Permaculture? The current permaculture movement began in the 1970's when Bill Mollison and his student David Holmgren began seeking alternatives to the destruction of the earth and the human culture of their native Australia. The word itself is simply a contraction of "permanent agriculture" or "permanent culture." In short, permaculture seeks to create a world where human needs are met through cooperation with and nurture of the world around us, whether we live on a farm or in the center of a city.

What about last year's class? Here are a few highlights of what some of our 2009 graduates are doing now:

Cori Lyman-Barner designed the landscaping and duplex built locally by the Fuller Center for Housing. The duplex is being built for Thaddeus Harris and Chuck Davis, who are both confined to wheelchairs. Cori did a super job keeping in mind the needs these men have now, and will have in time, including a live-in caregiver. The Fuller Center received a grant from the Rosalynn Carter Institute on Caregiving, with hopes of replicating similar designs for other care-giving situations.

Former Students Sarah Brinker, Sam Jones and Chuck Hegberg will teach Permaculture classes in Ghana later this month. They’re working with Triune, a non-profit organization whose mission is to serve the poor in community restoration through practical, hands-on training. We've heard that several hundred people are signed up for their Introduction to Permaculture courses, so these former students have their work cut out for them once they get on the ground in West Africa!

Our next PDC is planned for September 18-30 with teachers Wayne Wesiman and Bob Burns. The cost is $900, which includes all meals and lodging. Scholarships and work trades are available. There will also be a limited number of audit spaces for those who already have Permaculture certification, but wish to learn more. E-mail Sarah Prendergast for more details.