Youth Events
Good Earth Hunger Mission 2010
Christ Church youth and adult volunteers returned from Athens
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Older youth and adults arrived early in the week to work on the building of an outdoor shower to be used by mission groups coming to the farm. Other youth and chaperones joined them later in the week and helped with the garden, pantry, and farm chores.
To see pictures from the Youth Group Mission Trip, click here.
A Week in the Life of Good Earth Farm
Good Earth Farm is on the outskirts of Athens, Ohio at the end of Armitage road, a long country lane named after an early landowner. A peaceful and quiet location most of the time, except when a train rolls through, whistle blowing, on the adjacent tracks (usually in the middle of the night!) There are many friendly greetings exchanged throughout the day with passersby on the much traveled bikeway, which also runs alongside the property.
Paul and Sara Clever operate the farm in partnership with others who share their mission of responding to hunger by growing, gleaning and donating food to feed the hungry in their local community. By word and example, they bring to those who cross their path a better understanding of sustainable living. On the farm they live by a rule of life, beginning each day at 6:30 am with Morning Prayer, and ending most days with Evening Prayer at the setting of the sun. Good Earth hosts a weekly Community Eucharist and provides the evening meal, oftentimes welcoming anywhere from 20 to 40 friends, visitors, farm volunteers and parishioners from Good Shepherd Episcopal Church. The days are long and ordered for our hosts - both long term residents and short term interns. They share daily chores and tasks in addition to their areas of specialty: Dan, the garden; Kelley, the livestock; Kyle, the beekeeper; Heidi, the preservationist; Kelly, public relations; and John, cook extraordinaire and all-around general helper.
A week at Good Earth Farm was much more than a mission trip for the youth and adults of Christ Church, Dayton - it was an experience of living and worshiping in community where hard work is satisfying, difficult issues are explored, and life lessons are learned.
In the course of our time on the farm, our mission team donated and constructed an outdoor shower house to be used by visiting groups. We harvested, weeded, and replanted in the garden, and also gleaned peas and beans in the fields of another local farm. We washed, weighed and delivered the fresh produce to the Community Food Initiative ‘donation station’ at the farmer’s market for distribution to area food pantries and soup kitchens. In addition to donating produce, we used some of what was harvested in many of the meals cooked and consumed throughout the week. Some assisted with farm chores such as milking the cow and gathering fresh eggs from the hens. An afternoon was spent washing, coring, and chopping cabbage that was then preserved into sauerkraut. At the Athens County Food Pantry we boxed and bagged hundreds of pounds of food to be distributed to local families. We were truly a part of the process of feeding folks in need.
That second week of June at Good Earth was probably one of the busiest times they have seen yet this season. In addition to hosting our group, the summer camp counselors from Procter came for a full day of volunteer work and team building, preparing an herb garden and working in the field. All week long people came to the farm - some to volunteer for a morning or afternoon in the field, some to feed us a meal or drop off a dessert. Others came to work on special projects like Dick, a parish member from the church who is working to set-up an outdoor kitchen. Robert; their landlord, neighbor and friend, comes with his tractor to assist in moving large and heavy objects such as floors, walls, and roofs for the building projects – or lends his ATV for smaller jobs.
The transformation that took place on the farm in just one week was amazing! What we found on arrival is not what we left behind on June 20. And what we took with us will stay with us forever. Clearly, the Holy Spirit is at work in the place, a life-giving spirit of cooperation and common ministry that is shared by all who come into her presence. Blessings to Paul, Sara, and their dedicated team who care for the Good Earth and her people. Godspeed!
More information about Good Earth can be found at the following link. http://www.chogs.org/goodearth.htm
Ongoing Activity:
Soda Can Recycling:
Recycling continues on the first Sunday of each month as a fundraiser for the youth program. Please drop your pop/soda cans off by the ticket booth in the church parking lot for pick up. It is greatly appreciated if they are rinsed first! The Youth Program can earn anywhere from $10 to as much as $40 a month. The money is used to help offset the registration fees for youth events including Genesis, Exodus, and Summer Camp. Thanks to all those who regularly contribute and thanks to the Nixon family for their coordination of this fundraising effort!!