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| 1680 - 373rd Avenue NE, Stanchfield, MN 55080
| 763-689-3540 (located 8 miles northwest of Cambridge, MN) |
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May 2004 Newsletter TABLE OF CONTENTS: Top Ten Reasons Why People Volunteer at ARC Keeping Promises-Keeping Peace: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict ARC Ecumenical Retreat Community Thinking like an Archipelago by Nancy Victorin-Vangerud, Director I have had the feeling throughout my life that nowhere in this world is the center. --Gabrielle Roy I was standing at the sink one morning, watching the sun rise through the trees, cutting up a banana peel for the compost bucket. Dwight had told me that it was better for the decomposition process if the larger 'offerings' were chopped up into smaller bits. As the light struck the window sill, it struck me how the banana peel I was cutting up will decompose to make the compost that will then enrich the garden soil that will nourish the plants that will grow the veggies that we will be picking, washing and cooking for a meal that will strengthen my hands that will cut up the peelings for another compost, another garden, and other vegetables, that we will be eating. Such is life in an ecological community! But it also struck me that I was cutting up the banana peel because Dwight suggested it would make the job of preparing the compost easier. Thus, something as simple as cutting up a banana peel holds significance for community life. Sure, I could just toss the whole peel in to save some time and effort on my part, assuming that someone else will do the chopping down the line. But because I seek to honor this strange thing called 'ARC' that flows between, in, and within our lives, I chopped up the banana peel. Whether it's an act of love or just a plain part of duty, either way, we're connected to others in ways that may ultimately be unfathomable. Community life comprises more than individuals added together like pop-it beads. Like God, community is what we live immersed in and move toward to have our being (Acts 17:28). "Connect the dots...," people like Thomas Friedman cried after September 11th. Look for the interconnections, see the deeper patterns, link the unlikely puzzle pieces, and follow the currents of our times. "Think like an archipelago," I say, tipping my hat to Aldo Leopold, whose vision sparked the environmental movement years ago with his essay in A Sand County Almanac, 'Thinking like a mountain'. But I'm talking salt water here. For six years, my family and I lived on the island-continent of Australia, in the city of Perth, often called the most isolated capital in the world. But coastal life along the edge of the Pacific and Indian Oceans swamped me in a perceptual sea-change. As a child I grew up thinking I lived at the center of the world, and that the coast marked the boundary of my American identity. See, from the perspective of the center, the sea is what separates us. But what if the edge is not the end? What if the edge is the place of possibility for connection, for relationship? What if we re-imagine ourselves not as isolated and individual island-egos, but living within an ocean of islands-a global archipelago? The image invites us to new horizons as interdependent and interconnected people. These days we yearn for a spiritual life that centers ourselves in the love and compassion of God. But what if God is more like the ocean than the "ground of being," as Paul Tillich imagined? What if it is at the edges of our lives, that we find ourselves more in touch with the elusive, the mysterious, the deeper currents of spiritual presence? Might there be a spirituality of the sacred edge, as well the sacred center? The edge is where we are met and invited to go out into "deeper water" (Luke 5:1-6). What does this mean for ARC? Ah, you've heard the play on words already-ARC-archipelago. Certainly ARC has been a place where spiritual connections have been made in the past--within and without, between and amongst. But what new connections, new relationships are possible now at the many edges of our lives? What deeper waters are we now invited to explore? In Action, Reflection and Celebration: the ARC Story, Ruth Halvorson and Nadia Christensen recount playful images associated with ARC's name that have given enfleshment to ARC's mission--an archangel sculpted from the rock, an arc of electrical energy, the arc of the rainbow and of course, ol' Noah's ark. What enfleshment of ARC's mission emerges now? Thinking (and praying) like an archipelago makes me reflect on the edges of my life, even in central Minnesota! The edge of the woods, the edge of the creek, the edge of community? The edges of spirituality, sustainability and social justice? ARC is a place where connections can be made and the deeper waters between us and within us can be explored together. Where are the edges in your life? How will you connect the dots in a world of suffering and beauty? Maybe ARC will be one place where the ebb and flow of the Spirit will renew possibilities for you. We celebrate that Chris recently did the training and passed the exam to be a Certified Food Manager. Nancy spent a week in Taiwan teaching on ecofeminism with Roman Catholic and Presbyterian women's groups as the guest of the Taiwan Ecological Stewardship Association. Aaron fasted for 30 hours to help raise $850 for WorldVision with the Cambridge United Methodist youth group. Debra and Lois Neve presented a workshop in February on how to use the retreat setting for college classroom teaching at the Regional Collaboration Conference on Wisdom. Dwight has been speaking at churches and to youth groups about his trip to Israel-Palestine. Joy graduated from the two year Spiritual Guidance Training Program in St. Paul. Jerome cooks meals once a month as a volunteer with Grace House, a hospice provided by AIDS Care Partners. And Tux got his vaccinations! ARC now offers...Spiritual Companioning Often we need someone to talk to, to look at different things happening to us, and to reflect with us on where the Divine is present in our daily lives. This is where the value of having a Spiritual Companion lies. It provides us with time to meet with another person who will walk with us on our spiritual journey-who will listen to us, and who will hold our deepest pains and truths in sacred trust. ARC is pleased to let you know that when you come on retreat, Joy Danvers and Carol Johnson, Interim Director, will be available to offer you the ministry of spiritual companioning. The sessions usually last an hour, and the sliding scale fee will be in addition to the retreat fee. Joy is a Sister of Mercy from New Zealand. She has recently received certification after graduating from the two-year Spiritual Guidance Training Program held at the Carondolet Center in St. Paul. Please feel free to talk directly with either one about spiritual companioning. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If we do not find and practice ways of hospitality, we will grow increasingly hostile. Hospitality is the answer to hostility. Jesus said to love your neighbour, hospitality is how. --Father Daniel Holman, OSB, and Lonnie Collins Pratt Radical Hospitality: Benedict's Way of Love Soulscapes of the Spirit: Keeping Promises--Keeping Peace A Heart as Big as the World: Hope in a Time of Global
Despair Labor Day Weekend! Ora et labora: Pray and Work, Baking Bread: Old and New Traditions The Top Ten Reasons Why People Volunteer at ARC......................By Debra Ricci 10. out of a belief in volunteering 9. to give back a little of what one has been given 8. to meet wonderful, interesting people 7. out of enjoyment of doing the work itself (e.g. tree felling and woodcutting) 6. to be together working with a friend/spouse 5. to BE in the woods, particularly to BE in the ARC space ("to be in a place I love") 4. out of a belief in the ARC mission and to contribute directly to its ministry 3. to participate in shared prayer or to work with a particular community member 2. to interact with others around the subjects of spirituality, peace, and justice ....And the Number 1 reason is: for the fun, fellowship, camaraderie, and community! Most ARC volunteers say they find just the right variety of tasks-whether it's food preparation and clean-up, housecleaning, office work, lawn and garden work, building maintenance, woodcutting, etc- and just the right amount of direction. They enjoy their efforts most when they can work with and get to know other volunteers and community members. "Nothing is a chore if someone's doing it with you," one person has remarked. But long hours at the same task, especially if it is physically demanding (such as woodcutting and roofing), can be daunting. Volunteers say they get enough rest and retreat time during their stay, and we would like to make sure rest balances the hard work. Usually volunteers arrive on Friday night and stay through Sunday afternoon with breaks, evenings, and worship times for rest and reflection. Would you like to join the volunteers? Indicate below! Mail to: ARC Retreat Center, 1680-373rd Ave. NE, Stanchfield, MN 55080 Name(s): ______________________________________________Phone: (____) _____________ Street Address: __________________________________________________________________ City: ___________________________________ State: __________ Zip: ___________________ Special Needs (diet, accessibility, etc.): _______________________________________________ In specific circumstances retreat scholarships are available. Please inquire when registering. PLEASE CHECK APPROPRIATE ITEMS: ___ I am registering for the following retreat(s): (Deposit: $35 per person per night, nonrefundable.) Title: _________________________________ Date: ______________ Deposit: __________________ ____I am contributing to the ARC retreat ministry with a gift of $___________. (in honor or in memory of a loved one __________________________________________ ) ___ I am moving. My new address is above. (All gifts are tax deductible.) ___ I would like a Gift Certificate. Please include name of recipient, address (if you'd like it sent directly) and payment. Rates are on the back page. ___ I would like to volunteer ________ for a day, _________ a weekend, _________ longer. Keeping Promises-Keeping Peace: The Palestinian-Israeli Conflict through the Eyes of ARC Sojourners by Ruth and Loren Halvorson, Dick and Zarida Young, Dwight Haberman and Debra Ricci During December 2003 and January 2004, three contingents from ARC journeyed to Palestine-Israel to investigate the conflict for themselves. Dick and Zarida Young and Ruth and Loren Halvorson returned just before Christmas from a two-week trip. Dwight Haberman and Debra Ricci's fact-finding tour in January took them to several of the same places. Altogether the six of us covered five schools, four refugee camps, five medical facilities, eleven non-governmental peace organizations (NGOs), and several churches and holy sites. Ruth and Loren shared the following about their experience: Although there is great diversity in the Israeli leadership over the Palestinian issue, we were told that recent polls indicated that the majority of Israelis (70%) do not agree with the harsh position their government has taken. We heard gripping personal stories and learned first hand from the Palestinians themselves about the increasing hardship and daily struggles they endure just to survive. This struggle was brought home to us especially as we waited at checkpoints and visited refugee camps, schools, hospitals, churches, and saw illegally occupied land and the controversial separation wall which many call the "Apartheid Wall." But we were also encouraged to learn about the many efforts of Israeli organizations such as human rights groups, Rabbis for Peace, Israeli Committee Against Home Demolition, and the Joint Coalition of Women for a Just Peace working tirelessly for a fair and equitable solution. As one rabbi said, "The more we hold onto the land the more we become unworthy." Another unforgettable comment was, "People are more holy than the land." The problem, as we understand the way both Palestinian and Israeli peacemakers have expressed it, is best captured in a statement from a retired UN official at the Bethlehem YWCA: "'Zionism' as an ideology has hijacked the State of Israel for its own political ends. The State of Israel deals unjustly with non-Jews, particularly the Palestinians. Regression in the form of place. This is not the way to peace. The State of Israel is destined to fail as long as Zionists strive toward exclusivity. Palestinian exclusion, isolation, extraction, transfer, and harassment are readily observable to those who can travel there but are not being made visible to the world community through the U.S. and Israeli media. Peacemakers throughout Israel on both sides are asking the U.S. people to stop sending money to the Sharon government and to inform themselves about what is happening in Israel." The extent of the occupation of Palestine by Israel since 1948 and the oppression of the Palestinian people made a lasting impression on Dick and Zarida Young. This is what they would like to share: "The Israelis are able to do this with their tanks, jets, apartheid wall, checkpoints, identity cards, and institutionalized harassment because the U.S. government has supported Israel morally and financially without question. Israel receives more U.S. foreign aid than all other countries combined and, for over 45 years, we have failed to challenge the occupation. We interacted with numerous Palestinian Christians in Nazareth, Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The stories of their suffering at the hands of the Israelis was overwhelming to us." Yet, Dick and Zarida see glimmers of hope in the work of Pastor Mitri Raheb and institutions such as Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Augusta Victoria Hospital, a vocational school in Jerusalem, and several other interfaith ministries. "The land is beautiful. We felt no fear traveling there, and we urge others to make the journey," they added. During their visit, Dwight and Debra kept their eyes and hearts open for volunteer opportunities. On the last day of their trip, they visited Hope Secondary School in Beit Jala northwest of Bethlehem on the West Bank. Instituted by the Mennonites in 1961, Hope School currently serves 150 Muslim and Christian boys and girls in grades 6-12. Integrated into the curriculum are the peacemaking skills expressed in the Arabic words that greet all who pass through the front door: "We learn to take the perspective of the other and honor it along with our own." Debra and Dwight leave this summer for a one-year extendable project at Hope School. What can you do? Besides your prayers for peace in the Middle East and for Dwight and Debra as they prepare for and implement their plans, here are some of the ways they suggest you can be an effective peacemaker: Lobby your local, state, and federal representatives to examine their positions. · Leverage your church outreach groups to support justice projects for the peacemakers and people who are suffering. · Inform yourself and others through means other than U.S. media channels. Books Bennis, Phyllis (2003). Understanding the Palestinian-Israeli Conflict. St. Lowell, MA: Tari Publications, www.tari.org. Mitri Raheb (1995). I am a Palestinian Christian. Mpls: Fortress. (for more, contact Dwight at likehike@aol.com). Website Palestine Israel Justice Project - http://www.mumac.org/pijp/pijp.html The new ARC cookbook is HERE! You can have your very own copy! Favorites from the ARC Kitchen is a combination of new and old favorites from ARC. If you wish to order one now, please fill out the adjacent mail order form, or you can pick one up next time you're at ARC on a retreat. ARC Cookbook Order Form Please send me ________ copies of Favorites from the ARC Kitchen at $14.95 per copy and shipping and handling charges of $4.95 per book. Enclosed is my check or money order for $_______. Mail to: Name____________________________________ Address __________________________________ City ______________ State ___ Zip __________ RECIPE FOR: Marinated Mushrooms (Mmmmmmmm…..!) 1 lb. small mushrooms ¼-1/2 tsp. thyme (1 in. diameter) 1 med. Clove garlic, minced 3 T olive oil Fresh black pepper 1-2 T. lemon juice Handful finely minced parsley ½ tsp. salt Clean the mushrooms thoroughly, slicing off and discarding the stems. Place the mushroom caps in a saucepan with no added water, cover and cook them over medium heat, 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade by combining all the remaining ingredients in a medium-small bowl. Drain the mushrooms. (For a great soup stock, reserve the liquid.) Place the mushrooms in the marinade, stir gently and let marinate, either refrigerated or at room temperature, for at least several hours. Stir occasionally during marination. Serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 4-6. RETREATS To arrange a group or private retreat, call 763/689-3540. Office hours: 9 am to 5 pm e-mail: arcretreat@hotmail.com Web-site: www.arcretreat.org 24-Hr Retreat (Sun-Thurs)...........................................$70 24-Hr Retreat (Fri/Sat).................................................$75 Weekend Retreat (Fri eve-Sun aft).............................$145 Day Retreat (9-4)................$20 Weekdays, $25 Weekends ARC-Led Weekend....................................................$155 Hermitage (24 hrs)..............$70 Weekdays, $75 Weekends Cottage..............................................Call/e-mail for rates Rates are slightly higher for profit-making organizations.
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