Stony Point CenterJanuary 2013
In This Issue
Epiphany and Community
Update on Sandy Storm Guests
Thank you for the Calendars
Arts Center Coming Along!
Cranberry Scones
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Greetings!

Hosting our Stony Point neighbors whose homes were damaged by Superstorm Sandy has caused me to think more deeply about our commitment to hospitality at Stony Point Center. As a long-time activist before coming to SPC, it has been hard for me in my mind to fit hospitality into nonviolent strategies for social change work.
  
But over these past weeks I have come to understand that hospitality is really the foundational practice that undergirds peace and justice work. Hospitality in its deepest sense means "welcoming the other, or welcoming the stranger," whether that comes in the form of another human being, a group, an idea, or a critique.  This fundamental openness to learning about, understanding, and potentially being changed by the other is the foundational practice that leads to collaborative, effective efforts to strengthen peace, nonviolence and social justice. 
  
We are priviledged at SPC to be able to practice (and it is a practice!) that kind of radical hospitality every day. May all of our efforts in this new year bring us closer to peace and social justice in our communities and in the world.
  
Sincerely,
Kitty
Co-Director
Stony Point Center
  
epiphany
Epiphany and Community
Old and new traditions by Rick, Co-Director
Epiphany, also known as three kings day, is the Christian observance of the arrival of the three kings who had come from afar to see Jesus. I confess that this is not a day that we went out of our way to recognize in my family as I was growing up. This year the celebration took on new meaning for me.

Amy, one of the Christian residents in the multifaith community here at Stony Point Center who took the lead in our storm relief work, decided she wanted to have an epiphany celebration at the Gilmor Sloane House this year. On Sunday night the 6th, most of the resident volunteers from SPC, and many of the Hurricane Sandy families we have hosted over the last few months, filled the old mansion with fiddle music and dancing and laughter and sweets and singing. It was marvelous. During the evening, all of us crowded into the living room around the fire and Amy described what Three Kings means to her while I provided interpretation for the many Spanish speakers who were with us. This is precisely the kind of gathering that honors the gift of this home from the Gilmor sisters.

Over the four and a half years that our family has been here at Stony Point, I have longed for a way to connect with the community around us more meaningfully. I never would have wished the impact of Sandy on anyone, but the opportunity for us to open our doors to people who lost their homes has transformed everything about how we connect to this community. Families who had been entirely hidden to us are now truly connected to the staff and volunteers of the Center. Our relationships with public officials from the town and from Rockland County have been transformed into living, growing alliances as we work together to strengthen and build up our community. Even the guests who use the conference center have a different understanding of who we are: not just a business, but a witness to the power of offering hospitality that extends beyond traditional boundaries.

Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Quaker, Pentecostal, Spanish and English speaking, from all walks of life - experiencing a Christian tradition in which the three Kings came from faraway lands to pay homage to a baby who was already a sign of peace to the world - that's what this experiment at Stony Point Center is all about. Over the past year, we've also celebrated Iftar, breaking fast together with our Muslim sisters and brothers as Ramadan came to an end. We have shared together about the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and the practice of asking forgiveness from our friends and loved ones. The impact is subtle, but I can feel the ways in which the practice of sharing the best of our traditions with one another is changing me.

Who knows what God may have in store for us as we continue to seek to be open to new and deeper relationships in this community, throughout the New York Metro area, and around the world...
Update about Stony Point Center's "Temporary Shelter" 
Sandy Storm Guests
It feels a little empty around here, as over 80% of the our "Storm Guests" have either returned to their homes or found new housing! We currently have 17 people left, including 7 kids.

These families are all working hard to find their next steps despite complex obstacles. Through the congregational partnership program we created, several incredible churches have stepped in to fill the gaps left by the disaster response assistance. Some, who have experience in volunteer construction through Habitat for Humanity and Appalachia Service Project, have been literally rolling up their sleeves to help with repairs -- alongside the families and SPC volunteers Jason and Amy.

The SPC community has also been pulling together to offer healing and wellness opportunities for the guests. Renee from Shomer Shalom has started yoga classes for adults, teens and kids, and Rabia from Anwar as-Salaam is offering chaplaincy services based on the training she received from FEMA. This week some crisis counselors from Project HOPE, and massage students from the Finger Lakes School of Massage, are coming to offer their skills and support.

And we are grateful for the ongoing disaster case management team, headed by Catholic Charities, which has been helping people to navigate their way through FEMA and access other forms of aid.

We are all working together based on the understanding that "none of us are home until all of us are home!"

Please keep these all of these folks in your prayers in the coming weeks.
Calendars - Thank you!
Stony Point supporters are awesome!
The response to our request for calendars for prisoners has been amazing - a bit overwhelming in fact.
We're working now on getting these calendars out to prisoners.
Please hold off on sending more until we can find homes for the many, many calendars we have already received. 
Arts Center
Arts Center
The Arts Center continues to come along! We expect the trusses to arrive this month which will give us a roofline to see. Truthfully, having the building wrapped, while exciting in terms of progress, does make it a little less exciting in terms of photography, but think of all the stuff under the wrap! Want to get involved? Contact Jane for more information about workgroup and donor opportunities.
  
The Stony Point Summer Institute: Farm the Land, Grow the Spirit.
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It's time to apply for the Summer Institute! It's a multifaith peace, justice and earthcare program for young adults. It will run from June 3 to July 7.
We are seeking Jewish, Christian and Muslim young adults, ages 19-29, who are grounded in their tradition and who have a passion for multifaith social activism and civic engagement. We are offering a rich opportunity to live in community with peers from different faiths. Together we will study the wisdom of the three Abrahamic traditions, and develop practices for faith-based personal and social transformation as we strengthen our relationship to the earth.
Application deadline is February 15. See the website for more information.

 

 
Recipe from the SPC kitchen
We're going to start offering scones for tea at three. Like many of our other foods, we'll be making them from scratch so you'll be seeing more scones recipes here in future enews! Come and taste!

Ingredients: 2 c flour, 1 Tbsp baking powder, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/3 c sugar, 6 Tbsp butter, 3/4 c cream, 1 egg, handful dried cranberries, cream and raw sugar for topping.

Directions: In large bowl, combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter. Mix together cream and egg and add to dry ingredients. Stir in fruit. Tun dough out onto a floured surface. Roll out dough and cut into triangles. Brush with cream and sprinkle with raw sugar. Bake at 300 degrees until golden.
  
Cranberry scones