Dec.
2015


Who are you waiting for?
A Quaker Reflects on Advent
Growing up in a Quaker meeting that didn't use the liturgy of the Christian tradition, advent to me was only connected to the advent calendar. I was not raised to think of advent as a spiritual season of waiting, of focusing on the renewal of the birth of the Prince of Peace into a troubled world. Last week, in the aftermath of the religiously based killings in San Bernadino and Colorado Springs, I heard two reports on the radio back to back. The first one was about Jerry Fallwell, Jr. calling on the students of Liberty University to arm themselves in anticipation of the arrival of Muslim terrorists; the other was about a college classroom where the professor had his students act out how they would respond if an active shooter burst into their classroom.

It made the choice so stark in my heart. Who are we waiting for? What are we choosing to anticipate? A religious extremist and more and more violence, or a little baby born to an unwed mother in a stable to bring love and justice and peace to an aching, fearful and oppressed world? As Homeland Security rolls out a new way to "measure" and alert people to possible threats, will we spend our mental and emotional energies focused on our fears? Or will we choose hope and life, anticipating with our own actions that welcome, justice, wisdom, and understanding will prevail. We created our Farm the Land, Grow the Spirit Multifaith Peace, Justice and Earthcare Summer Institute to share that vision with college students. It is the kind of energizing, creative, restorative experience that Stony Point Center and the Community of Living Traditions are all about, every day. So what are you waiting for? Surely you know a young adult that is yearning for the opportunity....

Kitty Ufford-Chase, Co-Director, Stony Point Center
Stony Point Center 7th Annual Summer Institute 2016
Farm the Land, Grow the Spirit: A Multifaith Peace, Justice and Earthcare Program for Young Adults
May 31-July 3, Session 1, and July 10-August 7, Session 2
Students may attend one session only or both, but are encouraged to come for both. You may leave or stay on campus during the break, where there will be celebrations and free time.
The Stony Point Center Summer Institute is seeking Jewish, Christian and Muslim young adults, ages 19-29, who are grounded in their religious tradition, serious about spirituality and the state of the planet, and excited by social activism in a multireligious context.
We offer a rich opportunity to live in a supportive community with peers from different faiths and with similar interests. Together we will study and share the three Abrahamic traditions, what they teach about social activism, nonviolence and justice, and apply them to personal and social transformation as we strengthen our relationship to the earth.
This year the Institute will include the Muslim observance of Ramadan* and the Jewish observance of Shavuot.** Institute students will have the opportunity both to learn and to share in these experiences, while having the opportunity to practice and share their traditions as well. Deadline for online application is Feb. 15, 2016. Free for students accepted into the Institute.
Learn more about this exciting opportunity here.
Artist-in-Residence Program
We are seeking artists!
Stony Point Center is excited to offer a 3-6 month Artist-in-Residence Volunteer Program to established and up-and-coming professional artists of all genres to make use of its new Art Space (including pottery, woodworking, painting and fiber arts studios). Stony Point Center believes that art is a critical tool to help people make the connections between that which grounds them spiritually and the work they are called to do in the world. We want to encourage art that nurtures the human spirit and the multifaith movement for peace, nonviolence and eco-social justice.
Learn more about this program here. Learn about upcoming workshops in February and March (for beginners too!) on papermaking, quilting and printing in our Art Space here.
Alternative Spring Break 2016
Peace by Piece: March 6-12, 13-19, or 20-26, 2016
We are continuing to accept applicants from individuals and groups for this event! This is a chance for college students and young adults (you or someone you know) to come together from different schools and walks of life, to take a breath and consider the larger questions of life together, of how to take on the pieces of work that make for peace while sustaining ourselves in the process.
It will be a combination of unstructured time, work, play, rest, creativity, community, conversation and the Sacred. This year's Person of Inspiration will be Kayla Mueller, a 26 year old humanitarian aid worker who was kidnapped by ISIS in August of 2013 in Syria and killed in February 2015. We will reflect and converse on some of her writings about peace, suffering, hope and life. More here....
Farm Update
Mild weather and farm conferences
While our fields are put to bed, farming continues. Kale and spinach are doing well in hoop houses. The chickens enjoy the mild weather. It's time to play catch up on reflection of the year and time to plan for the future. It's also time to get together with other farmers to  learn and grow.
Learn about what's happening on our farm here.
Recipe from our... Multifaith Fair-Trade Gift Shop!
Tis the season... for hot drinks and holiday shopping. Take time this season to enjoy a cup of fair-trade HOT COCOA. It tastes great and makes the world a better place by supporting farmers and their families.
Ingredients 
Milk, Sugar, and Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa
Directions
Fill your mug with your milk of choice - pour milk into a pot.
Add 1 heaping Tbsp. of both high-quality sugar and Equal Exchange Organic Baking Cocoa (or to taste). Whisk together.
Place on stove on low heat, constantly stirring with whisk. Do not let it boil or stick to the bottom of pot. When it's hot enough for your taste and all has been dissolved, pour into your mug and enjoy!

This recipe comes to you from Equal Exchange. Visit them for great products and more recipes.