Stony Point CenterMarch 2015
In This Issue
Challenging Carbon Pharaohs
Come to the Waters
Holy Discontent
Upcoming Events
Farm Update
UNCO 15
Telling the Stories of Jesus
Recipe from our kitchen
Like us on Facebook  Follow us on Twitter  Find us on Pinterest



Although it is still hard to see signs of actual, physical spring on campus, we do have a fresh crop of upcoming spring events and conferences to tell you about and invite you to.  Spring is so beautiful at Stony Point Center, (I do have faith that it will come!) that I hope you will find an excuse to come even if the events listed below don't coincide with your calendar.  Even a day or two away, by oneself or with a group of friends, to smell the flowers, listen to the birds, and breathe in the spirit of creation, could do wonders for the winter-ravaged soul.  Come join us, and we may even have some Stony Point Center maple syrup (see farm update) for you to pour on your waffles!
  
Sincerely,
Kitty Ufford-Chase
Co-Director
Stony Point Center 
Multifaith Resident Sahar participates in the prayer service.

Challenging Carbon Pharaohs with Prayers & Props
Thoughts from Multifaith Resident Elyse Brazel
At a time when our Jewish and Christian community members are remembering the exodus and the struggle against empire with Passover and Palm Sunday fast approaching, a group of engaged citizens came together this last Sunday afternoon to challenge the ruling powers of today who pollute our world. 

 

Several members of the CLT community joined a group of people from different faith traditions at the West End Synagogue and Lincoln Center to challenge the Carbon Pharaohs. I was quite happy to participate in this event because I love the arts and street theater's power to engage people's imaginations. I met Rabbi Arthur Waskow, one of the lead organizers, this summer when he came to Stony Point as a part of the Summer Institute. I was moved by his prophetic words. The combination was irresistible. There was an interfaith prayer service where we heard words of wisdom from many people of different traditions and sang "We've got the whole world in our hands" while tossing around a giant inflatable globe. Rabbi Arthur Waskow reminded us of the metaphor that the name of God, YHWH, can only be "pronounced" by simply breathing, therefore the "climate crisis" is actually a crisis in the Name of God. Our planet is at a crisis point, like that of the Israelites leaving Egypt and all that they had known, when our choices truly are death - or rebirth into something new and unexpected.

CLT at Carbon Pharaohs Event
CLT at Carbon Pharaohs Event

 

After the service, our group spilled out of the synagogue with costumes and props to go perform street theater at Lincoln Center outside the David H Koch Theater, one of the Koch brothers, a pair of climate-change-denying billionaires buying control of American democracy. We carried Matzah, the unleavened bread eaten during Passover to remember the biblical narrative when the Israelites left Egypt in such haste they could not wait for their bread dough to rise, to remind us of the urgency of this time in the fight for eco-social justice. We also carried palm leaves representing the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Jesus as he rode into Jerusalem, as a symbol of spiritual victory over death and destruction. The actress playing Mother nature called out the modern day Carbon Pharaohs for their part in the climate plagues that have ravaged our world to the point of planetary crisis. The followers of the Carbon Pharaohs switched their allegiance and came to the side of Mother nature, embodying the transformation necessary to achieve eco-social justice.

Come to the Waters - The 2015-2016 Horizons Bible Study

May 5-7, 2015
Come to the Waters by the Rev. Judy Record Fletcher is the Horizons Bible Study for 2015-16. The lessons of the study feature stories and images of water in the Bible. Just as water nourishes our bodies, so the passages on water nourish our spirits. The study opens with the chaotic waters of Creation and ends with the River of Life in the Revelation in John. Baptism, the absence of water, and streams of mercy are some of the other lesson themes.
Learn more on our Upcoming Events page.
Holy Discontent: Finding Meaning in Spiritual Pot Holes
May 18-22, 2015
Join Spiritual Director Christopher McCauley for a four-day retreat at Stony Point Center. This experience, open to people of all religious traditions, focuses not on how to "fix" what is wrong in our lives, but instead how to find meaning even in the challenges.
The retreat will be held in the restored Gilmor Sloane House on the Stony Point Center Campus from May 18- 22, 2015. There will be no more than 15 to 18 participants, and much of the experience will revolve around the "table fellowship" in the formal dining room as participants gather for delicious meals with one another each evening.
For more information, visit our website.
Join us for more great events
Indian Point Convergence
April 5
Rock Stars and Prophets: Generations of Justice and Love
April 8-11
A Jewish-Buddhist Exploration of the Sacred
April 17-19
2015 Convocation of Peacemakers
June 4-7
Weekend of Freedom Retreat
September 17-20
Visit our Upcoming Events page to learn more.

Farm Update
March is a season of transition on the farm. It is also a time of sweetness - especially the sweetness of maple syrup. See what's happening on the farm here
UNCO15 EAST
May 18-20, 2015
UNCO is an unconference for church leaders, pastors, families, and seminarians. It is three days of worship and open space discussion on the church and its future. With an eye toward intentional diversity and ecumenism, we draw from the wealth of knowledge at the gathering.
The leaders, topics, and workshops will be harvested from the participants. During these discussions, we will share ideas about planting communities, writing liturgy, creating art, innovating technology, or wherever our passions and insights might lead us.
YOU bring the conference. The hosts and many volunteers provide a space and facilitate bringing individuals together for UNCO.
Learn more here.
Telling the Stories of Jesus as a Strategy for Social Justice & Peacemaking in the Global Community
May 29-31, 2015
A weekend workshop of the Network of Biblical Storytellers, Int'l & The Center and Library for the Bible and Social Justice
The purpose of this weekend workshop will be to explore the learning and telling of the stories of Jesus, the Messiah of peace, as a strategy for social justice and peacemaking in the global community of the 21st century. On the occasion of the publication of Tom Boomershine's The Messiah of Peace, and building on the work of Walter Wink, this workshop will seek to rediscover the power of religious communities that "engage the powers" through non-violent resistance to the myth of warfare and dominance as the way to peace. A theory underlying this workshop is that we need to build a new framework for biblical interpretation and the communication of the Gospel of peace in the communication culture of the digital age.
For more information, click here.
Join us for the Summer Institute

We are seeking fabulous young adults to join us for a summer of learning and growing. For more information, visit our website.




17 Cricketown Rd
Stony Point, NY 10980
845-786-5674

Stony Point Center is a national conference center of the Presbyterian Church (USA).
 
Recipe
from
the
SPC
Kitchen 
We enjoy St. Paddy's Day here. This year we had corned beef, cabbage, Irish soda bread, and green cupcakes. These can be any color you want for your favorite holiday.

Ingredients: � c butter, softened, 1 c sugar, 1 Tbsp vanilla, 2 large eggs, 2 c flour, � tsp salt, 1 c buttermilk, � c mayonnaise, 1 tsp baking soda, 1 Tbsp white vinegar, 2 Tbsp cocoa powder, 1-2 oz green food coloring

Instructions:
1. Cream the butter and sugar then add in the vanilla and mix well until smooth.
2. Add in eggs one at a time mixing to incorporate well.
3. Sift the flour, salt and cocoa powder.
4. Add in flour mixture, mayonnaise, and buttermilk and mix well until incorporated.
5. Add in green coloring as it is mixing to make sure it mixes into all batter.
6. Make a mixture with vinegar and baking powder. It will frizzle up some.
7. Remove batter from mixer and fold in the vinegar mixture just until incorporated.
8. Scoop batter into cupcake pan lined with cupcake cups.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 18-20 minutes.
10. The cakes will be very moist, allow to cool before frosting.
We like to make mini cupcakes. It will also make about 24 regular-sized cupcakes. 
St. Paddy's Day Green Velvet Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting