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Spirit, Change the Way We Live*
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| Greetings! |
Hudson River Canoeing.  |
Last week my son Teo and I drove to Northern NY to pick up six canoes so that our guests can begin to enjoy the serene lakes in nearby Harriman and Bear Mountain Parks. Several of our staff and volunteers are now beginning to map out local hikes that we will share with guests as well. Our friends from Nassau Presbyterian Church (Princeton, NJ) are planning to build a low-ropes challenge course on our campus in August. Little by little, we're creating ways to associate Stony Point Center with the beauty of the Hudson River Valley and the Palisades Mountain Parks. Please let us know if you'd like to take advantage of these opportunities. We are in the thick of preparations for a busy summer here. We have fifteen young adults lined up for the multifaith "Farm the Land, Grow the Spirit" internship in the month of July. There are now twenty residential volunteers who are working to support the staff with all the new activities, building upgrades and plans for the future here at the Center. Some of those volunteers will be living in the new Muslim Peace Fellowship house on campus - Anwar as Salam - to open officially early summer. Our second annual homecoming is on the calendar for October 16 and 17! Please mark your calendar now to come connect with friends at SPC. We'll send you a lot more information in the next enews in a few weeks. The best way to support Stony Point Center is to help us fill our beds. Please contact Mary Romano, our reservations manager, to see about scheduling your next retreat, conference, family gathering, or time away for quiet and sojourn here at the Center. You'll find great food, fabulous staff and volunteers, and a nascent multifaith community.  We look forward to welcoming you, Rick
Rick Ufford-Chase
Co-Director |
| Islamic Calligraphy Hands On - Register by June 3rd!
Program Date: June 18-20 | 
Calligraphy is the most prominent art in Islamic culture. With roots in the Qur'an, the practice of calligraphy is a multidimensional endeavor. The practice of calligraphy requires patience and discipline, promotes an understanding of space and design, and engages the intellect in a contemplative way.
In its classical form calligraphy is taught one on one, master to student, at a pace that meets the needs of the individual student. In this less perfect world, we offer a two-day intensive workshop to a small group of students, taught by a teacher who is nearly a master (and who has the permission of her teacher to teach others). We will echo the classical methods as best we can. For pricing and registration information, visit our website. |
Building Interfaith Bridges with Iran - Sat. Evening Event
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 DATE: May 29th, 2010 at 7 PM
An Open Conversation with Iranian Professor and Interfaith Peace Advocate Dr. Rasoul Rasoulipour Join Community of Living Traditions for a rare opportunity to dialogue with one of the leading proponents of interfaith dialogue in Iran, Dr. Rasoul Rasoulipour. Click Here for info.
The conversation is open to the public - a $7.00 donation is requested.
*Co-sponsored by Community of Living Traditions at Stony Point Center, the Fellowship of Reconciliation and the Mennonite Central Committee UN Office
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| In This Issue | Letter from Rick
'By The Pen' - Learn Islamic Calligraphy
Building Interfaith Bridges with Iran
New Hymn for Pentecost
Find Your Spiritual Center
Walking Towards Peace
Peace Fellowship Convocation |
| *'Spirit Change the Way We Live, Teach Us How To Gladly Give' | |
'Guide Us As We Seek To Be, Faithful In Our Ministry'
Carolyn Gillette, wife of SPC Governing Board member, Bruce Gillette, has written the hymn 'Pentecost Had Come' to the tune of Canto de Esperanza/Song of Hope" for your congregation's use. Lyrics may be found on our website or for $9.95 you can download a print master of the new hymn with all the musical notes needed for everyone to sing along. This is a full 8.5 by 11 inch format, so the print is clear and bold. Click here to purchase. |
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Energy Stewardship New Date October 29-30, 2010 |
 Does your faith community want to deepen care for creation? Does your nonprofit want to conserve energy? Do you want to save money? The finger meets the switch at this conference co-facilitated by Nikki Coddington, Executive Director of New York Interfaith Power and Light, and Rick Ufford-Chase, Co-Director of the Stony Point Center, and featuring a selection of workshops led by experts. To find out more information, click here. |
| Cultivating Quiet - June 18-20 | 
Would you like to step back from your busy schedule and explore what gifts a time of silence can bring to your life? In an environment of mutual support, participants in this retreat are encouraged to empty themselves of agendas, obligations and goals, and just allow themselves to 'be', to become comfortable with the quiet and experience what happens.
Led by our Co-Director, Kitty Ufford-Chase. For her bio and more info click here. |
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| Peacewalkers spend a night on our campus on their way to the United Nations |  On May 27th, Stony Point Center hosted 35 peace walkers from the Walk for a Nuclear-Free Future. Hoping to focus more attention on talks at the United Nations on renewal of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, they had started west of Buffalo, NY, on March 7, heading towards the United Nations in New York City for the demonstrations there on May 2nd.
After a wonderful vegetarian supper from the SPC kitchen, the walkers spent some time sharing their stories with Stony Pointers. The group included many people from Japan, led by Jun Yasuda of the Peace Pagoda in Grafton, NY, as well as several Native Americans and representatives from France, Germany, and of course a number of Americans, so there were many stories to tell. Rabbi Lynn Gottlieb of our Community of Living Traditions took the lead in co-ordinating the evening.
Several Stony Point volunteers (along with our co-director Rick) joined the walkers for a few miles both Tuesday and Wednesday; the contacts and friendships made this way will not be lost as both groups continue to work non-violently for peace and justice.
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| Presbyterian Peace Fellowship Convocation held at SPC |
 The Convocation of Peacemakers at Stony Point Center was a very rich event. Keynote speaker Dr. Obery Hendricks challenged us to expand our understanding of violence to include systemic systems of violence that impact communities of color in the United States, and to demonstrate similar commitment to employ the tactics of nonviolent direct action to respond to that kind of violence. Those who attended committed themselves to work to prevent gun violence, a renewed commitment to the Colombia Accompaniment Program, and to develop a clear, unequivocal voice insisting that the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan must come to an end. Take a couple of minutes to check out the great video produced by Andrew Patterson! If you want to join in the work thats going on, check out the PPF social networking site at network.presbypeacefellowship.org. |
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Stony Point Center Co-Directors - Rick and Kitty Ufford-Chase
Editor - Paula Sandusky, Contributor - Turtle MacDermott
Photo Contributor- Joyce Donohue
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