chive flower making retreats easy
Stony Point CenterMay 2013
In This Issue
Herb Garden Grows
Call to Activism Plays
Garden Corner
Second Meeting Conversation
Arts Center Update
Honor the Two Row
Remembering Helen Gillikin
Recipe from our kitchen
Featured Dish
R
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Greetings! 

The rich variety of life is in full bloom at Stony Point Center!  If you had been here last week, you could have participated in a Bible study of Exodus and Deuteronomy, attended a documentary on a powerful story of friendship through war, planted lettuce and spinach in our gardens, watched 6 ten-minute plays on social activism themes and talked back to the playwrights, and helped plan an wonderful Hudson River commemoration that will happen later this summer.  Whew! (Read all the details below.)  

Not every week is so busy, but I am continually amazed at all the different ways we carry out our mission every day--to be a welcoming, open space for our guest groups, to educate ourselves and others about peace and social justice issues, and to strive to put sustainability, and other values that we hold dear, into practice.

We invite you to join us!  Come get your hands dirty in our gardens! Come with your friends to help build our Arts Center!  Come to one of our upcoming events!  Or, just come to our campus to get away and relax. We look forward to welcoming you.

Kitty Ufford-Chase
Co-Director, Stony Point Center
Herb Garden Grows
herb garden

What does a multifaith herb garden look like?
For years, an herb garden behind the kitchen has provided Stony Point cooks with a nearby supply of fresh herbs to gladden their creative endeavors. Even without much care, it has produced chives, sage, thyme, and above all mint. With more attention, it has yielded basil, dill, cilantro, even some rosemary and parsley.
Wooden beams defined its edges, protecting them from incursions by lawn-mowers and such. The herb garden was built into a slope, the front defined by beams set several high, creating a comfortable seat from which a practical gardener could work, or a more contemplative-minded visitor could contemplate whatever he had a mind to.
By last year, however, the wood was decaying to such an extent that it provided neither a clear boundary nor an agreeable sitting experience. So, early this spring, the wood was torn out, and a dedicated volunteer contributed several days to rebuilding the front as a stone wall. Later, the rest of the herb garden was redesigned with stones.
The new garden configuration didn't provide easy access from the sides to all of the central area, so stepping stones were added. One such stone had an end with a decided taper to a point - this was placed facing north, for the benefit of our Muslims. A request for Jewish input produced the suggestion of a pointer to the east; a smaller stone was embedded into a corner of the garden, surrounded by a mosaic of pebbles. What, then, would be an appropriate recognition of our Christian heritage? One Christian, when asked what direction would be associated with his faith, folded his hands in prayer, pointing upwards - but it wasn't clear how that should be implemented in the herb garden.
herb garden Meanwhile, the garden continued to grow and develop. A vision developed of a yin-yang symbol, with green and purple basil, and a sojourning pastor came by to help outline this in smaller stones. Stones of various shapes and colors were used, each one turned to fit into the curves of the symbol. It wasn't until the pattern was complete that the workers noticed that one stone had been placed, rising like a tiny pyramid above the level of the others - pointing straight towards heaven.
It is in the nature of a garden to never be totally complete. Guests at Stony Point Center are invited to visit this growing garden, to smell the herbs, to contribute by placing a stone or pulling a weed - or simply to sit and contemplate whatever they have a mind to.
Ready! Set! Activism!
The Call to Activism play festival took place at SPC on the evening of Thursday May 16th. It was organized and produced by Marie-Elena, one of our Multifaith Residents who is passionate about plays, playwriting and social justice. It featured 6 ten minute plays from playwrights from Chicago, Virginia, Long Island, Ohio and New York. These 6 plays dived into injustices such as racism, sexism, and ageism all in the space of 10 minutes each. One audience member described it as "truly sensational." Others described it as "powerful." Producer Marie-Elena Ortiz is now thinking about how to repeat the festival with school-age kids to empower them to think about and act on social justice issues.
Garden Corner
planting
We've started to plant in our gardens! Of course, that's involved lots of work on fences and a multifaith blessing ceremony to start everything off right. For more information, read the latest article from Will here
An Unusual Conversation at Stony Point Center.
On Tuesday night, May 14th, Stony Point Center had the opportunity to host Producer Zeljko Mirkovic and the two primary characters whose story is documented in the movie, "The Second Meeting." The story tells of the friendship that has developed between Dale Zelko, a Air Force fighter pilot, and Zoltan Dani, who was the missile commander who shot down Dale's F-117A Stealth bomber during the NATO-led bombings in Serbia in 1999.
It was an evening of significant sharing as these three men told their stories and reflected on the meaning of the conflict and the broader implications of their personal reconciliation. We are grateful to Rev. Bob Brashear from West Park Presbyterian Church for his work in bringing Dale, Zoltan and Zeljko to us for a fascinating conversation. More information about the film can be found at their website.
Imagine
arts center
Imagine yourself in a space with lots of materials to play with - clay, wood, fabric, paint, canvas, paper pulp. Now imagine that your hands have created a beautiful piece of art. Can you see it? Can you feel it? Can you tell someone about it? 
Now, imagine yourself being a part of building that space - using hands and hearts to install windows, interior framing, drywall, exterior siding. Can you see yourself doing that? Can you feel the calluses on your hands? Can you tell someone about it?
With your help, this can become reality. We can turn the roughed-in space into a great space for imagination to bear fruit. Contact Jane MacDonald if you would like to arrange a work group over the summer. 
Honor the Two Row
Representatives of the Two-Row Wampum Treaty Renewal Campaign stayed overnight at Allison House Friday, May 17th; in the morning they enjoyed a pancake breakfast (with maple syrup made right here at Stony Point) and planning meeting.  What were they planning?  Imagine two rows of canoes and kayaks paddling down the Hudson River from Albany to NYC - one row of Indians, the other of their allies, representing the Haudenasaunee (Iroquois) and Dutch signers of the Two-Row Wampum Treaty in 1613.  This enactment will actually happen in July-August of this year, 400 years after the treaty was signed, to encourage awareness of the first people to live in these lands, and care of the environment we all share.  The paddlers will spend the night at Stony Point Center on August 5th (join us for a potluck evening meal!)  For more information visit their website.
Remembering Helen Gillikin
Louise Palm remembers Helen Gillikin's time at Stony Point Center as we mark her passing. To read more about this wonderful woman, read the article on our website.
 

Recipe
from
the
SPC
kitchen 
Ingredients crinkle cookies
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar, 1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (we like to use organic, fair-trade cocoa from Equal Exchange), 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 8 tablespoons unsalted butter (at room temperature), 1 1/4 cups sugar, 2 eggs, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat an oven to 350�F. Grease 2 baking sheets with butter.
Put the confectioners' sugar into a bowl and set aside.
In another bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until creamy, about 3 minutes. Turn off the mixer and scrape down the bowl with a rubber spatula. Add 1 egg and beat on medium speed until blended. Add the other egg and vanilla and beat until blended.
Turn off the mixer and add the flour mixture. Beat on low speed just until blended.
Using a tablespoon, scoop up a rounded spoonful of dough. Scrape the dough off the spoon into the palm of your other hand. Roll the dough into a ball. Roll the ball in the confectioners' sugar until covered. Place the balls on a prepared baking sheet. Repeat, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart.
When 1 baking sheet is full, put it in the oven and bake the cookies until they are crackled and puffed, 10 to 12 minutes. Using oven mitts, remove the baking sheet from the oven and set it on a wire rack for 15 minutes.
Using a metal spatula, move the cookies onto the rack and let cool completely.
Makes about 24 cookies.
Chocolate Crinkle Cookies from Williams-Sonoma