The Ridgeleaf

Occasionally from Kirkridge,
Bangor, Pennsylvania 18013

March 1996

Steadfastness

During the January blizzard, while seated comfortably in my overstuffed armchair before the glowing fire, I looked out our picture window in the direction of the Farmhouse. I could see nothing but the fierce snow whipping past horizontally. Every few seconds the mesmerizing movement would cease, the snow would flow straight up and then fall, leaving an ever deepening drift of whiteness on our deck. During those brief lulls, I could see the oak just beyond. Clinging to its trunk was a downy woodpecker, her feathers ruffling violently in the brutal wind.

I became involved with her dramatic plight. I watched off and on all day. I noticed that when the wind lessened even the least bit, she would brave the gale and make her way to the suet feeder suspended from the eave overhanging our window. She would take a few quick pecks of this essential fuel and then return to her tree, hanging on for dear life.

This process went on for hours. This little bird was the only creature to be seen during the entire blizzard. I developed a genuine concern for her and was tempted to capture her, bring her indoors and say, "Enough, dear one. You have been valiant but now you may rest." It was as if she were in an Olympic race and even when well beyond the finish line, she continued to run at full tilt, determined. I found myself praying for her and for all the creatures of the wood, that they might survive the storm.

In the morning, the blizzard continued, but my woodpecker was gone. By noon, at long last, the storm ended, the sun emerged, its reflection on so much whiteness blinding me as I surveyed the landscape for some sign of my little friend. The view was breathtakingly exquisite and inviting.

By the time we had pulled on our snowgear, birds of all varieties had flocked to the feeders on our deck--flickers, chickadees, juncos, nuthatches, cardinals, and blue jays--feasting on the seed, taking turns quite democratically, demonstrating no sense of competition, though I was sure each was desperately hungry after such a long fast. Strange how calamity can bring us together.

And then I spied her, my downy woodpecker. At least I choose to believe it was the same bird I'd come to admire. She was a smaller bird than most, yet she had braved the storm, had persevered, had been steadfast in spite of the forces set against her.

Now spring is on the way and the birds are seen daily on our deck. The drama of winter is past. But I continue to remember that woodpecker in the blizzard, and her courageous struggle. Against all odds, she set herself against the prevailing winds and she survived, integrity intact.

These are times when the prevailing winds of history are buffeting about those whose faith calls us to work for justice, peace, and the restoration of God's Creation. We are tempted to withdraw and take shelter from the blast. Every once in a while, we hear stories of those who have kept the faith and we take heart. I pray that we not be merely the "fair weather" faithful, but that like that little woodpecker, we might be steadfast.

"Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immovable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain." I Corinthians 15:58

Cynthia Crowner

CUBA TRIP IS ON!

As of printing time, Kirkridge Director Cynthia Crowner is leading thirty others on a sojourn to Cardenas, Cuba, hosted by the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue, an ecumenical retreat center like our own, concerned about the cutting edge issues of faith and politics in today's Cuba. Call us if you'd like a speaker.

HEY--IT NEVER HURTS TO ASK...

Kirkridge could use the following items: a kitchen table with two chairs in good condition, copies of any of Robert Raines' out of print books (Can you imagine, we don't have a single volume?!), a truck or station wagon with a tailgate so we can transport food from main to satellite kitchens--4-wheel drive would be ideal but we'll take a regular vehicle, an armchair in good condition, a small farm tractor with a front-end loader, a snowblower!!, all kinds of balls, bats, mits, and sleds. Donations to Kirkridge are tax-deductible. Just give us a call.

A REMINDER

Many thanks to all of you who have been able to give contributions both great and small to Kirkridge in the past months. These donations have sustained us through our less busy season, helped us make needed repairs, purchase new mattresses, and provide scholarships for many persons. We remind those who have not been able to respond to our fundraising appeals, that it costs $10 for us to send you our mailings each year. If each person on our list sent in just $10, we would be in terrific financial shape. We encourage you to do so. Thanks.

MANY THANKS TO ALL WHO BRING THEIR OWN GROUPS TO KIRKRIDGE

Each year, Kirkridge hosts over 60 groups who bring their own program. Some simply rent our facilities and do their own cooking, while for others, we provide the meals. Many thanks to: The Tibetan Buddhists, UNILEAD (Unitarian Universalists), the Westside Jesuits, New York University, Family Services of Burlington Co., Drew Theological Seminary, POTS and PANS (a homeless advocacy organization from the Bronx), The New Abolitionists, Oasis, Holistic Nurses, New Life Ministries, Natalie Kaye and friends, Bryn Mawr College, Lesbian Daughters of Holocaust Survivors, Evangelicals Concerned, Bishop Eustace Prep, Moravian Academy, the Samaritan Counselling Center, the Easton Area Mission Council, Women's Resources of Monroe County, Peggy Fuhs, Staten Island AIDS Task Force, We The People Living with AIDS, Lesbian Women of AA, LEPOCO, The Body Sacred workshop, Rick Jarow, Don Riso Enneagram teacher training, Marymount Manhattan College, Stuart Country Day School, the Snipes family, The Women's Collaborative, and a host of denominational groups: Presbyterian, United Church of Christ, Metropolitan Community, Quaker, United Methodist, Episcopalian, Moravian, and African Methodist Episcopal. If you would like to bring your group or family reunion to Kirkridge, or come for an individual retreat in one of our five apartments, call our Hospitality Registrar, Anne Bedics: (610) 588-1793.

The Ridgeleaf

A Peace That Defies Division

May 1996

When the Kirkridge Reconciliation in the Americas delegation arrived at the Juan G. Hall Presbyterian Church in Cardenas, Cuba, on a Sunday in February, it appeared shabby, as if it had been uninhabited for decades. But when the doors and windows opened and we all entered the sanctuary, it was a whole different story. A colorful mural depicting the history of Cuba filled one wall. On another was a photo history of the congregation which had been founded by missionaries from the U.S. Gradually, the sanctuary filled until it was standing room only.

A woman of African descent came to the podium radiating a joyous welcome to us strangers from the North. When the band began to play, it startled me. In many Protestant churches in Latin America, the same hymns we grew up with are sung, only in Spanish, often accompanied by a secondhand organ. Here, the music was indisputably Cubano, featuring electric piano, congas, bongos, and a fleet of guitars; the congregation felt free to move their bodies to the beat. The choir director was a Presbyterian missionary, Lois Kroeller, who had come to Cuba from the U.S. in the early 1950's. When the Revolution had come in 1959, some 60% of all Protestant clergy fled the island. Lois had stayed in Cuba, determined to witness to the reconciling power of God in a socialist society. Her project has been to indigenize the hymnody of the church in Cuba, to incorporate the vibrant, rhythmic, and danceable music of the island to enliven worship. She has most certainly succeeded!

Lois' choir sang a powerful anthem. I turned around to express my awe to my travelling companions in the pew behind me and they were in tears. Then I remembered that one participant, Howard McFall, had been called to a preaching mission in Cuba back in 1959 that had been cancelled due to the revolutionary tumult of that year. Now Howard was in a Presbyterian Church in Cuba for the first time and was about to offer a prayer for peace.

This was no easy task as we had heard by shortwave radio the night before that the Cuban Air Force had shot down two Cuban American planes as they were leaving Cuban airspace and had probably killed the pilots. We were sure that this incident was going to have negative consequences for the process of reconciliation we had come to promote. But Howard went to the pulpit and offered his prayer, lamenting the loss of life and pleading that our peoples find a way to continue our commitment to peacemaking-- a powerful heartfelt prayer, informed by the love, inspiration, courage, and generosity we had all experienced during our week with the staff of the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue in Cardenas.

Three youths then offered a liturgical dance using banners of earthtones to make a tender statement of their love of God's Creation. We sang together and we wept some more, united in worship as brothers and sisters in faith in spite of differences of nationality, language, ideology.

Next, two of our delegation's participants went to the pulpit. Rev. John Miller offered a sermon on the theme of reconciliation. His poignant words were translated by a Cuban American participant who had joined our group to begin the process of reconnecting with relatives who had stayed behind in Cuba when he and his family had left some 35 years ago. He introduced himself as someone who had left but who had also returned in a spirit of peace. More tears.

Rev. Rene Castellanos, introduced the prayers of intercession by quoting Walter Wink's book, *Engaging the Powers* by saying, "'History belongs to the intercessors.' So let us pray!"

(continued)

Our gracious Cubana lay leader invited us to pass the peace. Never had passing the peace been so meaningful to me and at the same time so ironic. The day after this incident which exemplified that the Cold War has indeed not ended, we were pledging ourselves to one another through an embrace and the kiss of peace. Jesus said, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not let them be afraid." (John 14: 27) One elderly woman pressed my cheeks between her boney hands and in English she said, "I love you!" How beautiful to be reconciled in that moment even as the politicians in Washington and Havana shouted speeches villifying the other side, as if honor was all that was at stake, as if we are not all beloved children of the same God.

Right now the dividing walls of hostility have been fortified for the indefinite future, but they are no obstacle to the love we encountered that week in Cuba. Our task is to create chinks in those walls so that eventually, they will crumble of their own weight. As we boarded the last flight from Havana to Miami before President Clinton's prohibition went into effect, we pledged to maintain our relationships with individual Cubans and the Center, to keep hope alive, and to pray that the peace of Christ might continue to dwell in our hearts as it did that Sunday morning in Cuba.

## SO WHAT IS A TARN?

Imagine yourself sitting by a quiet pond. Suddenly a fish jumps, dragonflies flutter past your hand as they scout the shore, swallows dip and dive and glide over the face of the water. The sun shines on your back and you slip into a meditative state. After several moments in a serene silence, you discover you are getting hot, so you jump in and swim to the island in the center of the pond. Refeshed you call to friends to join you for a romp in the water.

Yes! At this very moment, a one-acre tarn (an Old English word for small mountain lake) is being dug within sight of the Farmhouse. By mid- summer, Staff Associate Philip Snyder and a host of volunteers will have begun the landscaping of the tarn which will be filling in the coming months with water from a nearby mountain spring. Meditation spots will have been developed and a rim trail will have been laid out. Property staff Bill Mills and Fred Pugh will have erected birdhouses made by Kirkridge retreatants to attract a variety of species to the site. And we should be ready for swimming, nature walks, and meditation time. This work in progress has been made possible by a generous grant from the David K. Hardin Generativity Trust and the fundraising efforts by members of the Kirkridge board.

If you would like to participate in the landscaping project and become re-enchanted with the land, please note the Earthkeeping retreat scheduled from June 28-30 on the flyer enclosed. In addition, we will host afternoon "pond-keeping work parties" early in the summer. Call Phil at the Kirkridge office if you would like to participate in creating this lovely environment here.

## IONA PILGRIMAGE SHAPING UP FOR 1997

After Alison and Phillip Newell's recent retreat on Celtic Spirituality, a number of participants inquired about the next trip to the isle of Iona, Scotland, to visit Kirkridge's sister center there. In 563 A.D., St. Columba arrived to Iona from Ireland to begin a mission of the Celtic Church. The 13th century Benedictines built the Abbey which has been restored and is now the home of the ecumenical Iona Community. Founded in 1938, the Iona Community, like Kirkridge, seeks to break down the barriers between prayer and politics, between the sacred and the secular. The Argyll Hotel on the island has indicated that they can accommodate a group of up to 26 in May 1997 (dates and prices yet to be set) and Ali and Phillip have agreed to join us there. The week will include daily worship at the Abbey, conversations with members of the Iona community, walks throughout the island to explore its beaches, rocky coasts, and rolling hills, and time for solitude. It is not too early to indicate interest. Write Cynthia Crowner at Kirkridge to do so.

## WELCOME TO SEMINARY INTERN NOAH HART

Beginning in June, Noah Hart, M.Div. student at Eastern Baptist Seminary in Philadelphia, will join the Kirkridge staff for one year with a special focus on helping Kirkridge respond to the multi-cultural realities of our region. Noah brings to the position tremendous experience in this arena and we look forward with great enthusiasm to this collaboration.

The Ridgeleaf

September 1996

WITH EARS TO HEAR

As Native American tracker Jim Bruchac placed the blindfolds over our eyes, he told us to listen carefully for the drum, to see if we could walk toward it without making a sound. He said that cultivating the ability to be still and listen deeply would not only permit us to get close to our wild animal brothers and sisters, but that these skills would cross over into all other aspects of our lives. What did he mean?

How difficult it was to follow that drum! It seemed to be both behind and in front of me. I wobbled along the ground in a crouch listening for the random beat. It was humbling to discover that even though I have used my ears all my life, they seemed so untrained once that blindfold was in place.

Lately, I have been pondering this irony. What does it mean to listen deeply? The prophet Jeremiah was incensed that his people had ears but did not hear. (Jeremiah 5: 21) He was confounded by the audacity of a people who had benefited from the bounty of God's Creation, yet who could not see their way clear to be generous. How could a nation, whose God had led them out of oppression and into an abundant life, become so inured to the cries of the poor in their midst? Instead they chased after the idols of materialism and had become "deaf" to God's calling.

Of course Jeremiah was not talking about hearing in the physical sense, so much as being attentive to one's surroundings, one's society, one's own behavior. The Buddhists teach the spiritual practice of "mindfulness," developing compassionate attention to the present moment. I believe a Hebrew definition would add to "mindfulness" the remembering of God's liberation history. Is this what Jim Bruchac meant when he said learning to listen would cross over into all aspects of our lives?

I do know something about careful listening. I am already able to distinguish the cry of my own child even when he is in a crowd of children. I have begun to recognize the sneeze of the deer just yards from the deck. I wait with anticipation for the honking of the geese as they fly south this fall. I recognize the different mews of my cat which indicate particular needs.

With ears to truly "hear", I would come to know the songs each bird sings outside my window. I would detect the unspoken pain of a person who shares his or her story with me. I would listen to my own voice and identify the words of judgmentalism, racism, or elitism, and hopefully would begin to take more care so as not to inflict pain or perpetuate injustice. I would become more attuned to the pain of the world and would listen more deeply for God's calling to me. With ears to hear, I would become so skilled at listening that I would be able to hear the voice of "the other", people not like me, and accept them for who they are. Perhaps I would even be able to understand the concerns of those I often think of as "the enemy", and begin to hear the underlying fears that motivate members of the Religious Right, even the militias. Could that kind of listening lead us into God's liberating history of shalom?

This listening, this paying attention, is ultimately a subversive activity as it awakens us from the "deafness" that allows us to accept the status quo. God, grant that we may truly hear as you would have us hear so that we might be a faithful people. Amen.

Cynthia Crowner

ROBERT RAINES: HAS BOOK/WILL TRAVEL

Bob's new book, *The Living of These Years: Seven Tasks of Creative Aging*, will be published in May 1977 by Dutton Signet, a division of Penguin Books. Bob is available to give presentations about the book beginning next April and throughout 1997. His author's tour will take him to several cities and he is arranging speaking engagements now. Take note all early birds! Bob's address is: 164 Race Hill Road, Guilford, CT 06437.

THE TARN IS FILLING!

The long odyssey of the tarn excavation ended on a Friday evening in mid-July as the sun was setting. Just as the machines turned off, we looked up to see a full rainbow stretching above us, yet no rain had fallen. It felt like a blessing for long months of work and weather delays that led to this moment. Two hours later hurricane Bertha arrived, adding six feet of water. Now we have nine feet of water, and the tarn will eventually be over 16 feet deep. Plantings have begun, including over 75 varieties of flowers, grasses, shrubs, and trees. The butterflies, frogs, and tadpoles are already moving in. Hundreds of rocks have been set into place, and many wonderful volunteers have contributed labor, funds, plants, and prayers to help all this come into being. Much remains to be done, and we will be having a tarn work party on **Saturday, October 5 from 1pm on**. If you will be joining us, please let us know in advance. And yes, we can use those flowers (lilies, bergamot, irises, etc. etc.) and even trees such as shadblow and white pine that you may need to thin out of your gardens and yards! A "tarn tenders" committee is forming, led by Board President Brooks Smith, to provide ongoing caretaking. Please contact the office if you are interested.

Philip Snyder

HEARTFELT GRATITUDE TO STAFF ASSOCIATES PHIL AND PAT

Philip Snyder and Pat Paine have served as Kirkridge Staff Associates this past year. They leave Kirkridge at the end of August, and we will miss them. In addition to regular duties, Pat has offered her therapeutic skills to dozens of retreat participants over the year free of charge. She has helped many through difficult times. And she has been invaluable in the Booknest. With Pat's help, Philip has been the Kirkridge Earthkeeper this year. He created our new Plum Trail, making the hike from the mag road to Turning Point "user friendly." Phil designed, engineered and supervised the development of our new tarn, or pond, near the farmhouse, a gargantuan effort. Fifty volunteers from the Diamond Heart group provided labor to assist in the landscaping of the tarn. With the assistance of retreat participants from Phil and Pat's June Earthkeeping retreat, he created a new meditation path off the Circle Trail that loops through some of the most beautiful old forest at Kirkridge. Entryways to many of our regular trails have also been augmented and Phil has organized work parties to spruce up our Memorial Garden. Our gratitude to both Phil and Pat is profound. Their love of the land and of the people who come here has made this year's collaboration fruitful and sweet. They will return from time to time to continue work on the tarn and will offer another Earthkeeping retreat next June. We wish them well as they venture forth to Cyprus later this fall.

In September our New Staff Associates, Peg and Mac Hulslander, will begin their time on the mountain. Peg and Mac have lived in Raleigh, North Carolina for many years. Peg has run a sprouts business, and Mac has been the director of CLAY, an ecumenical organization that empowers the ministries of laity and clergy. They bring tremendous business, non-profit administration, and pastoral skills to Kirkridge. And they are enthusiastic about being a part of our ministry. We look forward to a rewarding partnership.

The Ridgeleaf

November 1996

Glimpses of the Kin-dom

"The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. . . . The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world." John 1: 5, 9

Even at Kirkridge it is easy to be swallowed up by the voracious appetite of the dominant culture, to find ourselves in an opaque darkness. But there are moments here, many moments when the light breaks through to that other side heralded by John the Baptist and proclaimed by Jesus. It is as if there is only a thin sheet of paper between the reality of the principalities and powers and the reign of God, and Kirkridge is on a perforated line which tears easily when people make the slightest effort to reach beyond the limits this world imposes.

When African- and Euro-American men and women, customarily separated from one another, can gather together and sing African American spirituals for three days in glorious six part harmonies, the kin-dom of God is at hand.

When survivors of abuse find the courage to confront their pain, release their anger, and find some inner core of strength and peace, the kin-dom of a healed humanity is recognized.

When preachers who so often feel isolated and intimidated by the values of secular culture gather on the mountain to sharpen their preaching skills, and find here a deep community of faith which empowers them to rediscover their prophetic voices, the kin-dom of God is proclaimed once again.

When gay and lesbian people come to the mountain and find that at least here, they do not need to choose between their sexuality and their faith, God's inclusive kin-dom is made manifest.

When seekers of many traditions gather for serious theologizing and Bible study and muster once again the courage to go against the social grain, the kin-dom of God is nearer at hand.

When women and men elect to be still in the quiet of this forest to listen for God's Word and calling, the kin-dom of God is almost tangible.

When those who are burdened by the load of unfulfilling work or the lack of work, come to share their delicate hope and leave having experienced God's unconditional love and acceptance, the kin-dom is at hand.

When weary urbanites sit on a bench to take in the view and reconnect with their miraculous place in the great web of Creation, the kin-dom of God is perceived.

Kirkridge is a numinous place where ordinary reality and God's ultimate reality are in close contact, a place where the light seeps through the seemingly opaque. Praise be to God for sanctuaries such as this, where we can rest in God, be healed by God's grace, be empowered for our ministries, and move courageously into God's kin-dom of shalom. Praise be to God for the light of hope in a dark time.

Cynthia Crowner

MANY THANKS, WITH APOLOGIES !

Due to a clerical error, a number of contributors were left off the Friends of Kirkridge list that was sent out with the last Ridgeleaf. We sincerely apologize and are mortified that this happened. We wish to thank all the following people for their generous support of Kirkridge during the fiscal year July 1, 1995--June 30, 1996: David and Barbara Osborne, Ursie and Bob Jaeger, David and Sally McAlpin, Della and Rustim Roy, Catherine McFarland, Jeffery Atwater, Nancy and Frank Tetz, Doug Tanner, Jo Clare Hartsig, Alice Price, Charles and Nan Powell. If your name was left off the Friends of Kirkridge list and you did not receive an acknowledgement from our office, please call us. Again, we apologize. With the computerization of our office and bookkeeping systems, we are hoping this kind of error will be avoided in the future. Thank you for understanding and forgiving. (610) 588-1793.

UPDATE ON SPECIAL EMPHASES

** Multiculturalism: Seminary Intern Noah Hart has been hard at work since June paying visits to African American and Hispanic congregations in the Philadelphia to New York corridor to spread the word about Kirkridge. He is extending an invitation to congregations to hold their retreats here and is looking for churches that may wish to collaborate with us on special program offerings. He is also compiling a regional media file so we will know how to better publicize Kirkridge events in racial and ethnic minority communities. We are very happy with Noah's commitment and enthusiasm for this outreach work and invite your cooperation and support for this effort.

** Earthkeeping: Former Staff Associates Phil Snyder and Pat Paine returned to Kirkridge the first week in October to continue work on the tarn (or pond) by the Farmhouse. A group of volunteers gathered to plant trees and shrubs on October 5. Phil and Pat will return next May to initiate the next phase of the tarn development--the building of a bridge, stocking the pond with fish and aquatic plants, and landscaping refinement. Phil and Pat are now on their way to Cyprus on a peacemaking mission.

** Cuban Church Relationship: Church leaders Rev. Raimundo Garcia Franco and his wife Rita Morris were guests at Kirkridge in October. They were the hosts of the Kirkridge Reconciliation in the Americas trip to Cuba last February and are now in the States to continue the relationship. In addition to serving on the leadership team with Rev. Lucius Walker of Pastors for Peace at a Kirkridge event in October, they will speak at churches and participate in meetings in Chicago, New York, and Boston. We are grateful that our relationship with the Christian Center for Reflection and Dialogue in Cuba is growing.

** The Iona Pilgrimage is a go. To date, thirty persons have given us deposits for the May 15-27, 1997, trip. By the time you receive this it will likely be filled at 35 participants. Feel free to call us if you missed the first announcement.

Members of the Kirkridge Board

Marilynn Anderson
Lydia Davis Barrett
Kate Cudlipp
Richard Deats, Sect'y
Alfonso Roman

Warren Dennis
Ann Eno
Mary Lee Fitzgerald
Wayne Meisel
Brooks Smith, Chair

Barbara Lundblad
Carole McCallum
Howard McFall
Catherine McFarland
Doug Tanner

David Osborne,
Treasurer
Charles Rice
AlliePerry, Vice
Chair

Many thanks to very hardworking board members who are committed to Kirkridge.

"At Kirkridge, someone like myself learns much more than he teaches. This is why I come back and back, to hear the stories that dovetail so closely with The Story; to know beyond doubt that at Kirkridge, the Book is open and honored-- and lived." —Dan Berrigan

November 1996

Dear Friends of Kirkridge,

The ministry of Kirkridge is such a blessing to me and to the 3,000 people who come each year. The enclosed Ridgeleaf will give you a synopsis of the kinds of experiences I have been privileged to witness on this mountain ridge. When I get too close to the forest to see the trees, my husband enthusiastically reminds me of how lucky he feels waking up each day in this beloved place. We hope to share it with many of you in the near future.

Enclosed also is a copy of the coming year's Lectionary lovingly prepared by Rev. Donna Schaper who has led two Kirkridge retreats on "Writing Our Way to God." Her work is a gift to all of us and we thank her. Also, please note the roster of upcoming events. Feel free to post these on your church or workplace bulletin board or at home to remind yourself.

## Program

1,329 persons participated in 46 Kirkridge retreats in the fiscal year ending June 30, 1996, 89 fewer than during the previous year. 97 persons received scholarship assistance totalling $9,514. Please request scholarship assistance if you need help as we do not wish to turn anyone away. To all who have given scholarship assistance, or have contributed to the New Generation Fund endowment (which has now topped $70,000!), we say a most sincere thank you. The enclosed Ridgeleaf will give you a sense of the diversity and power of the retreat experience at Kirkridge in this past year.

**What's Ahead:** The enclosed roster of events takes you through March. I want to ask you to let young adult friends know about the event co-sponsored with the Fellowship of Reconciliation, The Peacemaker Training Institute in January, for people aged 17-25, a New Generation Fund supported event. **Highlights beyond March:** Spirituality and Social Justice with Gwen and Bishop Dale White; Dialogue on Religion and Science with a viewing of a spectacular comet off Nelson Lodge deck with astronomer Peter Detterline; Marianne Preger and Julianna Simon for Mothers and Daughters; Gay, Lesbian and Christian; Robert Raines; Madeleine L'Engle; Dan Berrigan; Katie Cannon; Parker Palmer; Harville Hendrix & Helen Hunt

"Kirkridge has consistently been out in front of just about everybody in identifying the spiritual needs of American society." —Walter Wink (who returns to Kirkridge in February 1998)

## Hospitality

We welcomed 1,409 persons in 54 groups from churches and religious groups, social service agencies, educational and advocacy organizations last year, down by 12 groups from the previous year. In spite of the downturn, we continued to give discounts to those who work with the homeless, battered women, people with HIV, prisoners, and peace and justice ministries. Our private retreat ministry continues to grow as individuals discover that Kirkridge offers a quiet haven in a world that too often feels out of control. **Please let friends know about our hospitality program.** We have a beautiful new brochure we'd be happy to send you.

## BookNest

Our bookstore had an excellent year. Many sale books were scooped up by retreatants looking for a good buy. We add new titles weekly, are selling the new Columcille 1996-97 calendar, and offer a Kirkridge T-shirt for those eager to identify themselves with this place.

Finances

Our Operating Budget ran a deficit again this year. The decline in hospitality groups using our
facilities and the slight downturn in registrants for Kirkridge events certainly had an effect. We
also did not receive the amount of undesignated giving we had anticipated. So we have had to
make some tough decisions this year. We deferred a significant amount of capital
improvements we had budgeted. In May, the Board adopted a very conservative budget. When
our fulltime bookkeeper left in February we replaced her with a part-time one who has been
computerizing our system to streamline financial operations. Sadly, we also had to lay off our
hospitality registrar. Yes, downsizing has been necessitated at Kirkridge. But the current staff
team has been adjusting well to the new reality, giving their best efforts.

Property

We *have* accomplished some of the much needed work on our facilities. We have a new roof and new sewer pipes at the Farmhouse and have painted the meeting room. New carpeting is being installed at the Hermitage and trim has been painted at Turning Point. About half of the new mattresses and box springs that we need have been installed. Your contributions will make many of our guests more comfortable.

The glorious tarn, which will be a blessing for generations, was funded primarily by
foundations. Our multiculturalism internship project likewise was funded by a foundation
grant, not from our operating fund. See Ridgeleaf for an update on these special emphases,
some very promising program directions reponding to pressing challenges in our world.

We appeal to you:

Once again, we ask you to help us meet our goal of raising $60,000 in undesignated
contributions. This year we've tightened our belt, but some expenses, especially basic
maintenance and repairs, such as siding VanderBent House and repairing the Lodge Road,
simply cannot be put off indefinitely. We want to be able to offer discounts to religious groups
and non-profits, to those working with the poor, and those engaged in peacemaking ministries.
And we want to continue our tradition of offering scholarships to those who could not
participate in Kirkridge programs without them. With your help, we will continue these
practices. We thank you for your generous support of Kirkridge and encourage you to
return to the mountain soon.

We regularly receive letters, cards, and even stories from retreat participants describing the transformative events that take place here. A recent note from a Kirkridge retreatant ended with this prayer:

"May our God of grace and glory continue to establish your work and keep Kirkridge in the thick of the struggle in which people of faith have been promised ultimate victory."

With your help and God's, we will.

Picket and Pray,

Cynthia Crowner, Director

Brooks Smith, Board Chairperson

Virginia Mollenkott has this to say about Kirkridge:

"For more than 20 years, Kirkridge has provided safe space for lesbian and gay people of faith, a place where we can and do build warm community several times a year. It's also a firm fulcrum from which we can minister to church and society. So let's Picket, Pray, and help pay the bills."