IF -
Cover article from the most recent ARC newsletter.
See the entire newsletter
here.
by Jan Wiersma, ARC Director
“If I knew the world would end tomorrow, I would plant an apple tree in my
garden.”
Martin
Luther, visionary, reformer (1483-1546)
IF
you could stake a claim for the future,
where would you place your hope? If you could pass your wisdom to the next
generation, what values would you teach? What ethical legacy would you
leave? Without a vision for what
may be,
what
has been
loses value.
Three decades ago, hope was that ARC would “grow like an oak,” slow and
strong, and so it has. And growth continues. Thirty-two years only mark the
end of infancy in the life of an oak, which may live as long as 800 years.
ARC is just coming of age.
A member of a group retreating here for the first time took me aside to say,
“I felt as though the ARC itself became another member of our group, with
its own personality and presence. Just being here deepened the experience
for all of us.”
Many who love ARC see the next 30 years as a time of increased maturation,
of quickening response to the spiritual hungers and social ills of today—and
of tomorrow. For this reason the Board has launched the
ARC: Our Next 30 Years
fundraising initiative to provide the kind of financial stability needed to
ensure ARC’s continued existence. Phase One, begun last September, was
successfully completed by last year’s end. Phase Two, building regular
monthly contributions and pledges, is currently underway.
Despite difficult economic times, we have experienced an amazing response.
One friend of ARC accompanied her generous donation with the comment, “I
know there are a lot of people who are not able to give right now—so I’m giving
more, because I can.”
But economic security is only part of the picture. The Board of Directors
invites you to join them in a vision quest this fall and winter, exploring
ARC’s potential by pondering two questions:
“What do you value most about ARC?” and “What is one wish you have
for ARC’s future?”
If the world still turns in 30 years, what qualities do you hope will be
preserved here? The beauty of the physical environment? The sense of the
sacred that enfolds you? The acceptance of spiritual diversity? The warmth
of being welcomed “home” into community? The values that are modeled by
those who live here? What makes the critical difference for you?
These questions will be explored at a series of visioning summits to be held
throughout the fall and winter. All those with connections to ARC are
invited to participate. In addition, a series of focus groups and interviews
will be held with past and potential retreatants, reflecting as much
diversity as our society offers. If you would like to “plant a tree” for ARC
in this way, please contact us!
“If the only prayer you ever said was ‘Thank you,’ that would be enough.”Meister
Eckhardt, mystic (1260-1328)
IF
you gave thanks for the things
that really mattered to you, what would they be? The future is always
uncertain and so gratitude focuses on what is, or what has been. Like a
sapling reaching for the sun but fed by the earth, hope reaches toward the
future but is fed by the past.
Scientists have found that oaks grow best with a layer of oak leaf mulch
around their base. Microorganisms in the fallen leaves help release
nutrition for the tree slowly, as it is needed. In much the same way, those
who have loved and tended ARC in the past leave a legacy that lives on in
the traditions and beauties that still guide and nourish us. In these pages,
we express our gratitude for the many people, past
and present, who have furnished ARC with a such a rich layer of “mulch”: our
founders, of course, and Ruth Halvorson in particular, whose original vision
remains so vital and resilient. Our current Board comprises a remarkable
constellation of hard-working, generous, visionary individuals dedicated to
nurturing ARC into the next generation; they stand on the foundations laid
in the past.
Donors’ monetary contributions make up as much as 40% of our operational
costs; some of them are honored here. Not listed by name are dozens more who
came bearing gifts in response to our expressed needs: books and hand-made
items for the bookstore, hostas and other plants, lamps, computer equipment
and expertise, woodcutting skills to cut and carry the great oaks that warm
us through the winter. We are grateful, too, for the Caritas Vocal Ensemble
whose exquisite concerts benefit ARC and other non-profits. And there are
many more whose contributions, large and small, were noted and appreciated.
Jan Hunter, pictured below in the John L. Sullivan Memorial Garden, is just
one of nearly a hundred volunteers who collectively donate the equivalent of
two full-time staff positions each year. Our resident community, of course,
makes the welcome happen. And where would we be without our guests, for
whose sake it all exists? To all of the above,
thank you, thank you, thank you!
Jan Wiersma, Director
