Community of Communities: An Intentional Community Network!

Bethany House is now part of an even larger community–a community for communities!

We are now listed on two different websites where people who are looking for an intentional community to join can find us. It’s great to know that we are one small part of a growing network of intentional communities popping up across the globe!

http://communityofcommunities.info/

Click the link to this site and search Trenton under cities. Bethany house is the only intentional community listed in Trenton.

http://directory.ic.org/records/?action=view&page=view&record_id=24504

 

I encourage you to click through both these sites to see just how many communities there are out there.

Planting the Bethany House Garden!

Last Friday we were able to get the plants in right on time! We were very excited with the variety that we were able to plant this year and are excitedly anticipating the amount of crops we will be able to donate to Crisis Ministry.

We have now planted Swiss chard, tons of tomatoes, peppers, basil, cilantro, eggplant, brussel sprouts, lettuce, and so much more!

Thanks to everyone who contributed, and thanks especially to Dave and Linda for their continuing hard work and generosity!!

Gardening hands!

Relaxing after lots of hard work with the new chairs that Dave and Linda so generously gave to the Bethany House!

Planters at work.

Vespers 5/16/2013

Last Thursday the Bethany House was truly blessed with an incredible gathering which focused on understanding more what it meant to be in community and on how to foster a healthy community.

Lois really inspired me to further pursue community living and to continue learning how to creating and live in “a value system based on compassion, equality, justice, and economies of caring.” I am further inspired to “make friends on purpose” and work to find and create an environment where “all of us can bring our gifts and needs, struggles and strengths to the circle, exchanging wants, needs, and offers in authentic egalitarian community.”

 Here is a list of some of more favorite quotes from Lois (which Linda provided):

“Inclusion is the next civil rights movement.”
“Reciprocity is about mutuality: expressing mutual action and relationship.”
the 7 P’s: People, Passion, Patience, Processes we Practice, Principles, Picnics, Play
“The definition of poverty to us is: Money, Friends, and Meaning.”

Thank you so much, Lois, for your insights into fostering community.

Co-host Cherry showing us a graphic depiction of our learnings for the night.

Sharing a meal that Bill and Debby Davis so graciously provided.

View of the group. Photo being taken by Dave Byers