July 14-16, 2006

Participants: Caln Quarter: Marie Ryan, Reading Meeting; Kim DiLoberto, Uwchlan Meeting; Upper Susquehanna Quarter: SCFM: Lynne Heritage, Steve Tuttle, Margie Frysinger, Robin Tuttle; Wellsboro Meeting: Beth Higginson, Alex Boyd; Millville Meeting: Ed Solenberger, Mel and Carol Endy, Garry Wamser, Marianna Wood, Steve Wood, Jessa Wood, Noah Wood, Amanda Birk, Chris Lent, Melanie Anderson, Tom Anderson, Joanna Anderson, Nancy Gale, Bob and Constance Miller, Wade Wright. Saturday Night Potluck: Jim and Carolyn Dalton, Bill and Alice Lent with dishes from Foster and Betsy Doan. Leadership: Leanne Mazurek from College Misericordia and Lent's Organics. Keynote speaker: Hollister Knowlton, Chestnut Hill Meeting, from PYM's Environmental Working Group.

Using Joanna Macy's concept, The Great Turning, (see article on www.usqm.org) as the theme of this workcamp, we explored how Quakers can support one another in helping the creation move forward to a future where all revere, respect and take responsibility for our Earth and its health. We sang, played games, had workshops, talked and listened, and worked together all weekend, thinking about how we can 1) work to slow down the destruction to our planet wrought by our industrial-growth society, 2) how we can create and support sustainable alternatives, and 3) how we can work to bring about a change in consciousness, a spiritual renewal in our society regarding our relationship to the Earth, and the Creation.

Chris Lent and Amanda Birk, hosts of the weekend and owners of Lent's Organics, shared how their farm is working toward a sustainable future. We enjoyed a tour of the farm, seeing their croplands, green and hoop houses, their egg chicken flock, compost turning pigs, Percheron draft horses, and their straw bale home currently under production. We all took turns ground driving their team of horses around the farm. What an inspiration to see an eight-year-old driving a team of two 1,700 pound horses with ease and confidence! We managed to clear five 800 foot long rows of onions, and then all went for a refreshing swim in the pond.

Hollister Knowlton told stories and shared experiences she has gained from dedicating her life to working to heal the earth. We heard about her trip to Gaviotas, in Columbia, South America, and learned about ZERI, an organization learning about how we can recycle wastes from any one of the five life domains to create food an energy in place of waste and destruction. She led us in the Elm Dance, a gift from Joanna Macy and people in Russia deeply affected by the Chernobyl nuclear accident: we prayed for the healing of the trees, and the world.

Friday night we looked at stars, double stars, globular clusters and nebulae in Wade's 11 inch computerized GPS telescope, and further considered our place in the cosmos. Cassiopea, Ursa Major and Minor, Scorpio, Draco, Hercules, and Bootes we some of the constellations we identified.

We enjoyed good food and companionship for the duration of the weekend, with so much time to share stories of how we have seen folks moving forward in this great adventure. A huge deluge or rain all Saturday morning didn't phase the program one bit: we built community and shared under the very adequate dining fly.

Friends are considering having more such workcamps as the progress on the straw bale house continues. Perhaps early in November, and certainly next summer…please contact Wade if you have any interest in helping make this happen.