HOUSE NEWS: New projects, new volunteer opportunities, new partnerships! Check it out!
Click here to see an entire list of what is happening this week at the Gainesville Catholic Worker.
Lots of new projects, new volunteer opportunities, and new stuff happening at the house this week, which we hope some of y’all will join in on! But before we get to what is going on this week, I wanted to share some photos with you from last week’s event with Brother Cornell West at the Bo Diddley Plaza Downtown with Occupy Gainesville. Check out the slideshow below:
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Tamra, Vickie, Johnny, Rudy and I were all there to hear Brother West speak (amazing). And we bumped into GCW friends and volunteers all over the place: Miriam from Arbor House, Diedre of Roundtable fame, and Willie (who I got a few good photos of with Brother West). If you haven’t read or heard Cornel West before, check him out online and pick up one of his books!
NEW PARTNERSHIP WITH LOCAL MICRO-FARM: Jade Allen and Lynn Chacko, members of the GCW extended family, have offered a partnership between the GCW and their urban micro-farm just a few blocks from UF. We’ll be helping steer volunteers to the micro-farm for a regular weekly workday (Thursdays, starting this week between 8am and noon) and also participate in a monthly big project workday at the micro-farm (second Saturday of each month, 9am-3pm). The produce from the micro-farm will be shared with our friends and neighbors at the cafe and through distribution as necessary to folks who don’t have access to healthy, fresh food. Jade has a doctorate in plant medicine and is looking forward to the opportunity to share with people the ins and outs of running your own urban, sustainable micro-farm and giving people the skills they need to grow their own food too. In keeping with CW co-founder Peter Maurin’s vision, we’re excited at having an “agronomic center” as part of the work of the GCW! If you want to volunteer regularly on Thursdays, or just show up on Thursdays when you’re able to help out, you can call Jade at 352-213-4053 or 352-337-0817 to get directions and let him know you’re coming!
COFFEE ANYONE? Each January we re-start the GCW Coffee Shop, from 1-3pm on Tuesdays. This is an opportunity for people who might need to get out of the cold to drop by, have a cup of coffee or tea (and sometimes a treat), read a magazine or newspaper, and just generally hang out and be welcomed. We’d appreciate a few volunteers to help out with the coffee shop if you’re able. This is a great, relaxed opportunity to both serve and get to know some of our friends who regularly come by the GCW. (Later this month or early next, we’ll also be running Art for All workshops in the living room adjacent to the dining room at this same time.) Set-up begins at 12:30pm and clean-up goes until about 3:30pm. Let us know if you can help out!
RETURNING TO THE STORY: It’s been a little while since we hosted a regular scripture study at the house, so if you’ve been waiting, here’s your chance. On Mondays (starting this week) from 12-1pm, we’ll be studying scripture together. Everyone is invited to join us. We’ll be discussing this week whether we study one book or flip around to different passages or what. If you come, feel free to bring a lunch to eat as we study!
FINAL WEEKEND FOR GALILEO OF GAINESVILLE: This play, created by volunteers and members of the homeless community over the past few years under the direction of the extraordinary Dan Kahn–with many a reading taking place during Dorothy’s Cafe–will end its run this weekend, with a special opportunity on Sunday for a talk-back with the performers. Shows this weekend will be Friday and Saturday at 8pm, then a special performance on Sunday at 2pm. People who are homeless are invited to attend Sunday’s performance for free and participate in the talk-back. The play is at the Acrosstown Repertory Theater, 619 South Main Street.
Hope everyone has a great week and we hope to see you around the house!
HOUSE NEWS: Let the new semester begin! Galileo of Gainesville benefit this Thursday!
Click here to see an entire list of what is happening this week at the Gainesville Catholic Worker.
We’re excited to start a new semester at the GCW! This opening week kicks off with a very special event that we hope many of you will be able to attend. Read on for more info and for a list of some of the highlights for this week…
GALILEO OF GAINESVILLE BENEFIT ON THURSDAY EVENING: This play, created by volunteers and members of the homeless community over the past few years under the direction of the extraordinary Dan Kahn, will have a run this month at the Acrosstown Repertory Theater, 619 South Main Street. Opening night is Friday BUT COME ON THURSDAY, JAN. 12, for the dress rehearsal which is will be a special benefit fundraiser for the Gainesville Catholic Worker House and the HOME Van. Thursday is a sliding scale benefit, so just pay what you can! The play will start at 8pm with doors opening at 7:30pm. We hope you can join us for this show. If not, the play will be performed for the next three weekends at the ART, Fridays and Saturdays at 8pm and Sundays at 2pm. Here’s some more about the play from the ART website: “A modern-day drama centering around an astronomy professor, cosmology, spirituality, and homelessness. This is an original script written by a Gainesville resident, and we are very excited to be able to bring it to our stage! Inspiration comes hard and squirrely into the mind of an astronomy professor. As his accustomed structures crumble, other things are rising…and shining. From classroom to living room to parkland to dreamscape, and from the heights of academia to the grime of street-living, our hero’s journey must include all voices, all visions, to give sense to his expanding sensibilities.”
COMMIT TO A REGULAR VOLUNTEER GIG WITH US THIS SEMESTER: Having a handful of regular, consistent volunteers who can be here week-in and week-out is such a big plus for us! If you are looking for a regular volunteer gig, we would love if you made it at the GCW this semester! Regular spots at the cafe, Breakfast Brigade, Coffee Shop, Art for All, community gardens, and farmer’s market gleaning and food preparation are all available! Every day of the week (except Sunday), we can accommodate you! Take a look at the regular schedule for this Spring 2012 semester at the bottom of the About Us page, and let us know if you’re interested in making a regular commitment! We would be so grateful!
FIRST CAFE IS WEDNESDAY: We need volunteers for this week’s cafe! Prep starts at 9:30am (we especially need a regular weekly volunteer to help set-up the dining room between 10-11am!), serving between 11:45am and 3pm, and clean-up between 2:30-4pm. Let us know by email if you can help!
SCRIPTURE STUDY AT HOLY FAITH ON SATURDAY: If you’re looking to unpack the story at the center of the Christian tradition, join Johnny on Saturday at Holy Faith Catholic Church, 747 NW 43rd Street. Johnny will be leading a presentation and study on “Scripture and Our Morality.” Here’s the description of the presentation: “Love and do what you want.” Really? Is it as simple as St. Augustine suggests in his sermon on 1 John?We’ll explore together six scriptural passages from the upcoming Spring “Why Catholic?” session, uncovering the insights the Bible holds for us on morality, freedom, discipleship, and love.
Looking forward to seeing everyone this week! Welcome back!
HOUSE NEWS: Need pizzas for Wednesday’s cafe! And Art for All Christmas gifts are half-price!
Click here to see an entire list of what is happening this week at the Gainesville Catholic Worker.
This week will be our last week of the Fall 2011 semester before we take a short holiday break. So if you need to get your GCW fix in, this is the week to do it!
Homemade veggie pizza for the cafe
ON THE MENU – PIZZA, PIZZA, PIZZA: Wednesday’s cafe will be the last cafe of the semester, and tradition demands that we make pizza! We’ll be serving homemade salads and homemade pizzas and want to invite others to help. We’ll be making 4-8 homemade pies at the house, but we could use many more! Can you help? Consider either 1) making a homemade pizza at your home and dropping it off at the cafe anytime between 11:45am and 2pm, or 2) purchase a pizza from one of our local pizzerias–Big Lou’s, Satchel’s, Leonardo’s, Five Star, Mamma Mia’s, etc–and drop it off at the house during the same time frame. Let us know if you’ll be able to bring a pizza to the house so we can plan accordingly.
ART FOR ALL ITEMS HALF-PRICE THIS WEEK: Our Art for All sale was a great success, but we still have a quite a few things left – and very little storage space. They are nice things, made with love, and many quite practical. If you have some last minute shopping to do, please consider shopping with us and supporting a good cause! We will be here this week, Monday through Friday between 10 and 5. Call if you want to pick something up during other hours: 371-4695. You can check out photos of the gifts here!
- For stockings: beaded coil bracelets $2 – $5, urban flower bows and headbands $2, necklaces $5, bottle-top magnets $1, cup coozies $2, bookmarks $.50
- For Christmas – paper crane ornaments $4, jewelry-sized gift boxes $2, and holiday earrings $3
- For everyday use – recycled t-shirt rugs $15, quilted coasters $5, aprons $5
- For the cold: hand-knit hats $7, and t-shirt “snecklaces” $2
You can also honor a friend or family member by giving a gift to the Breakfast Brigade. For $20 you will receive a handmade Christmas card for giving that says: “In your name the gift of a warm breakfast has been given to ten folks waiting before dawn for day labor.” Thanks for your support!
We rely on the gifts and contributions of family and friends to be able to do this work. Once or twice a year, we send out a short appeal asking folks to please help if they are in a position to do so. We’ll be sending that appeal out within the next week or so (via email and along with a newsletter, hopefully!). If you can give a little something extra at this time of year, we would be ever so grateful! You can drop your contribution by the house or send it to us in the mail at 218 NW 2nd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601.
We wish you peace during this Advent season, and hope you have a wonderful holiday break! See you in January if we don’t see you this week!
HOUSE NEWS: End of the Semester Prayer Service and 2nd chance to get Art for All items!
Maya checking out the jewelry table at the Art for All sale
Click here to see an entire list of what is happening this week at the Gainesville Catholic Worker.
So many, many thanks to all of you who dropped by, helped out, and bought things at the Art for All sale this past weekend to support the Gainesville Catholic Worker and our cadre of artists! You can click here to see photos our own Tamra Rich took and posted to her Facebook page (scroll to the bottom to see the photos from the sale). If you didn’t get to visit the sale, but would still like to check out some of our items and do a little holiday shopping, we’ll be out at two places this weekend selling more (see below for more info).
Special thanks too to Diedre Houchen who presented last week’s Roundtable. Diedre’s presentations are always worth seeing and taking part in, and this one as usual engendered good discussion and left an impression. Thanks Diedre! On to what is happening this week…
SECOND CHANCE FOR ART FOR ALL ITEMS: We’ve been invited to bring Art for All items to sell at two different events this weekend, so if you didn’t get a chance to come by last weekend, here’s another chance. On Saturday, from 3-7pm, we’ll have a table at the Winter Art Fair downtown at the Sun Center (the area around the Hippodrome). Kelli and I visited the fair last year and enjoyed the many eclectic offerings. We hope you’ll visit our table and see the other vendors too. On Sunday, from 7:30-10pm at Holy Faith Catholic Church (747 NW 43rd Ave), we’ll have a table during their Christmas concert. The music at the concert is incredible and entry is free. Stop by and see us if you go or if you’re in the area and want to pick up something to support the GCW and our group of artists. Click here to see a sampling of items from Art for All.
NEED TO BORROW A CAMP LANTERN OR BATTERY-POWERED LIGHT: Speaking of the Winter Art Fair, we need some camp lanterns or battery-powered lights to help light our table at the fair. If you have any and can let us borrow them for the weekend, we would be very appreciative. Just email us at gvillecw@yahoo.com and let us know. Thanks!
GCW MEMBER FEATURED ON BLOG: Vickie Machado, a GCW live-in community member and MA student on religion at UF, was recently featured on the Eco-stewards blog, which highlights the intersection between religion and the environment. You can read her piece, “Some Thoughts on Mindful Living,” by clicking here. The piece grew out of a Roundtable she gave earlier this semester at the house. Congrats Vickie!
END OF THE SEMESTER PRAYER SERVICE AND POTLUCK: We’re grateful for everyone who has contributed to making the GCW work this semester, and we’re holding an “end of the semester” prayer service and potluck dinner to say thank you. The prayer service will begin at 6pm, with the potluck dinner to follow. We especially want to encourage you to attend if you are graduating or moving out of the Gainesville after the semester. We’d like to say a personal thank you to all of those who have helped and especially those who will be moving on to new things in their life. We’ll also be saying a special thanks and giving a special blessing to Daniel Loya who has spent the past semester living with us at the GCW and serving as a member of the live-in community. Come hear and share stories about Daniel! Bring a dish to share if you can!
That’s all for now folks. This is the penultimate week of the Fall 2011 semester at the GCW, so come and help out while we’re still open. We’ll be taking a break during the holidays starting December 19.
HOUSE NEWS: Our thanks, Art for All sale, First Thursday Roundtable – this week!
Jennifer and Arthur enjoying an afternoon at the Green House
To see a complete list of what is happening this week, click here.
Belated Thanksgiving wishes to all of you from all of us at the GCW! The great orator, William Jennings Bryan, once said: “On Thanksgiving Day, we acknowledge our dependence.” Everything we do at the GCW, we know how dependent we are on you–our volunteers, our guests and friends, our contributors. For all that you do to hold us up and encourage our work, we give thanks. We cannot do it alone; we have created a place of welcome, compassion and care, by working together. So in this post-Thanksgiving time, we say thank you–thank you for your prayers and your support, for all the notes of encouragement; for your steadfast presence at the house and in our lives; for the manner in which each of you embody compassion every day in your relationships, at work, in your families, in your places of worship, and elsewhere; for your financial support of the GCW, the donations and contributions you make, not only from your surplus but often at personal sacrifice; and finally thank you for being part of the GCW family.
FIRST THURSDAY ROUNDTABLE AND POTLUCK DINNER FOCUSES ON EDUCATION: We’re excited to have Roundtable favorite Diedre Houchen with us to lead this month’s Roundtable. The topic for this month’s Roundtable is, “Limiting or Lifting: Educating our children for the world we want or the one we have?” We’ll have a broad discussion about the purpose of schooling, how that purpose is actualized in public education and current trends in educational policy. We’ll ask the question, what is the heart of education and how do we make sure we guard that vision for America’s children? Diedre is a doctoral student in education at UF, former coordinator for the youth-oriented Food and Farm Preservation Project at Florida Organic Growers, and author of the article “Uneasy Justice: Apartheid, Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa.” If you can bring a dish to share, great! Roundtable is on Thursday, from 6:30-8pm.
ART FOR ALL SALE: Join us for our second “annual” holiday sale and open house! GCW members, volunteers, guests and friends from the street, under the direction of local artists and crafters, have created a variety of beautiful and unique artwork and crafts this fall. Part art therapy, part cottage industry, part celebration of creativity and community–the process and results have been enjoyed by everyone involved. The creations are eclectic and employ skill, attention and creativity to transform used, everyday items into something beautiful and useful. All proceeds go to support the Gainesville Catholic Worker and participating artists. These items make great holiday gifts while supporting the dignity and creativity of the artists and crafters. The sale will take place on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4, from 1-5pm both days at the Green House of the Gainesville Catholic Worker, 218 NW 2nd Avenue. Please help us advertise the sale by spreading the word, inviting your family and friends to come, forwarding this email, posting on Facebook, etc. If you want to help at the sale and open house, let us know! We especially need help with donations of light, Christmas-style finger foods for the sale/open house. Let Kelli know if you can help out by emailing her at gvillecw@yahoo.com.
BREAKFAST BRIGADE HELP: We don’t have anyone signed up to help this week at the Breakfast Brigade on Friday, 4:15-7am. Let us know if you can make it and help out!
HOUSE NEWS: Upcoming Events!
This week, we take a semi-break to enjoy the long Thanksgiving weekend. No cafe on Wednesday, Brigade on Friday or Art for All on Saturday… We’ll be taking a deep breath before we plunge into a busy few weeks as the semester draws to a close. Here are a few events to look forward to in the coming weeks:
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1 - FIRST THURSDAY ROUNDTABLE AND POTLUCK DINNER: Our last Roundtable of the semester will be hosted and led by Diedre Houchen, a doctoral student in education at UF, former coordinator for the youth-oriented Food and Farm Preservation Project at Florida Organic Growers, and author of the article “Uneasy Justice: Apartheid, Truth and Reconciliation in South Africa.” We’ll announce the topic of the Roundtable in next week’s email. Diedre is a favorite Roundtable presenter at the GCW, always offering provocative and engaging issues for discussion and reflection. Bring a dish to share if you can. Roundtable is Thursday, from 6:30-8pm.
SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, DECEMBER 3-4 - ART FOR ALL SALE: Join us for our second “annual” holiday sale and open house! GCW members, volunteers, guests and friends from the street, under the direction of local artists and crafters, have created a variety of beautiful and unique artwork and crafts this fall. Part art therapy, part cottage industry, part celebration of creativity and community–the process and results have been enjoyed by everyone involved. The creations are eclectic and employ skill, attention and creativity to transform used, everyday items into something beautiful and useful. All proceeds go to support the Gainesville Catholic Worker and participating artists. These items make great holiday gifts while supporting the dignity and creativity of the artists and crafters. The sale will take place on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4, from 1-5pm both days at the Green House of the Gainesville Catholic Worker, 218 NW 2nd Avenue. Please help us advertise the sale by spreading the word, inviting your family and friends to come, forwarding this email, posting on Facebook, etc. If you want to help at the sale and open house, let us know!
THURSDAY, DECEMBER 8 - END OF SEMESTER PRAYER SERVICE AND POTLUCK DINNER: Join us as we thank everyone who has been part of the GCW for this past semester and especially as we recognize any volunteers or friends who will be moving on from Gainesville. This prayer service and potluck dinner allows the opportunity to reflect on our time together, give thanks for our community, and celebrate. We hope you can join us! Prayer service will begin at 6pm with potluck meal to follow. Bring a dish to share if you can!
We have three more cafes left (last one is on December 14) and three more Breakfast Brigades (last Brigade is on December 16), until we go on break for the Christmas holiday. If you haven’t had a chance to help out, we would still love to have you join us!
HOUSE NEWS: Art for All Sale – Save the date!
hand knit or sewn flower pins made from scrap yarn and fabric
For list of what is happening this week, click here.
ART FOR ALL SALE COMING UP: Join us for our second “annual” holiday sale and open house! GCW members, volunteers, guests and friends from the street, under the direction of local artists and crafters, have created a variety of beautiful and unique artwork and crafts this fall. Part art therapy, part cottage industry, part celebration of creativity and community–the process and results have been enjoyed by everyone involved. The creations are eclectic and employ skill, attention and creativity to transform used, everyday items into something beautiful and useful. All proceeds go to support the Gainesville Catholic Worker and participating artists. These items make great holiday gifts while supporting the dignity and creativity of the artists and crafters. The sale will take place on Saturday, December 3 and Sunday, December 4, from 1-5pm both days at the Green House of the Gainesville Catholic Worker, 218 NW 2nd Avenue. Please help us advertise the sale by spreading the word, inviting your family and friends to come, forwarding this email, posting on Facebook, etc. If you want to help at the sale and open house, let us know!
SWEET POTATO GLEANING: If you have some free time, join us on Tuesday of this week at 2:45pm, to glean sweet potatoes. We’ll meet at the house at 2:45pm and walk to a downtown garden where we’ve been invited to glean sweet potatoes. Hope you can make it!
SCRIPTURE AND SOCIAL JUSTICE: Johnny will speaking at St. Augustine Catholic Church and Student Center, 1738 W. University Avenue, at 7pm on Thursday on justice and scripture. Feel free to drop by.
HOUSE NEWS: Volunteer opportunities aplenty!
For list of what is happening this week, click here.
If you have ever thought about volunteering at the house but haven’t gotten around to it, now’s a great time to do so! Volunteer opportunities abound–help out at the cafe, Breakfast Brigade, Art for All, football game parties, or in the parking lot garden! Click here to see a full list of what we do.
Thanks to everyone who showed up last week for a great discussion around the Occupy Wall Street movement, with about 40 folks in attendance!
Have a great week!
(Please excuse the video advertisement below [if it appears on your screen]. It’s one of the costs of a “free” blog…)
HOUSE NEWS: Roundtable on Occupy Wall Street this Thursday, and more!
To see our full schedule for this week, click here.
NEW RAISED BEDS ARE IN: Thanks to the folks who helped out two weeks ago, we now have our new raised beds in the parking lot garden, and have already set about planting. Broccoli and lettuce are in, soon to be joined by onions, mustard greens, kale, cauliflower and more. You can see photos of the process for putting the raised beds in by clicking here. We’re grateful to Travis and the folks at Florida Organic Growers, Grow Gainesville, the Grahams and others for helping get the new garden ready to go. Those veggies will be making it into our meals at the cafe very soon!
FIRST THURSDAY ROUNDTABLE ON OCCUPY WALL STREET: This Thursday we’ll be hosting our monthly roundtable discussion and potluck, from 6:30-8pm, with our focus being on the Occupy Wall Street movement. We’ll discuss what’s going on, what issues are in play, what the movement might mean, as well as the intersection between the OWS movement and the teachings of our various faith traditions. If you can bring a dish to share, that would be great!
NEED NEW CHEFS AND AFTERNOON VOLUNTEERS FOR CAFE: With the start of a new month, we’re looking for new “chefs-in-training” for the cafe on Wednesdays. Kelli will work with the new chefs in preparing meals for the cafe from local, in-season food, feeding upwards of 50-75 people each Wednesday. If you can commit to coming between 9:30-11:30am each Wednesday during November (excepting the Wed before Thanksgiving), we would love to have you! Just contact Kelli at our email address. Also, we’ve been a bit short on afternoon volunteers for the cafe in recent weeks. If you can join us for an hour or so anytime between 11:45am and 4pm, we’d appreciate the help. Thanks!
NO KNITTING ON HALLOWEEN: No Green House Knitters on Monday since it’s Halloween…
Special thanks to the JustFaith group for providing food and drinks for Saturday’s football game! Hope to see some of you this week!
HOUSE NEWS: Raising our voices and raising a garden
For a full listing of what is happening at the house this week, click here.
I was in New York City this weekend to speak at a conference, and Saturday afternoon I got the chance to join the Occupy Wall Street gathering happening at Zuccotti Park. Meanwhile, members of our household here have been participating in the Occupy Gainesville gathering at the Downtown Plaza, active especially on the food and comfort committee, bringing down a breakfast last week to the menagerie of folks who have found some unity within their diversity, i.e. “We are the 99%.” It is an unequivocally good thing that large numbers of people in towns and cities across our nation–and around the world this past Saturday in solidarity actions–are raising their voices against the class warfare which has been waged in our nation since at least the Reagan Administration. The bailout of corporations and banks during the recent recession is only the latest in a long line of indignities perpetrated against the impoverished and the spiraling downward middle class. The resources, wealth and power of our nation have been systematically transferred to and now are concentrated in the hands of a small minority–symbolically the “1%”, although the number is actually even smaller than that.
As people of faith, we do not believe in a God that sanctions extreme wealth and extreme poverty. We believe in a God that has provided “enough” for all of us, and we are challenged to make sure that everyone has “enough” of what they need to live in dignity. At the GCW, our lives are radically opened to the real life suffering which is caused by the greed of the few over the need of the many. We support the effort of the Occupy Wall Street movement to unmask the injustice which is the result of a system rigged to satisfy corporate greed while ignoring human needs.
HELP US RAISE OUR GARDEN: On Friday, between 12:30 and 4:30pm, we’ll be preparing our new raised beds for the parking lot garden where we grow some of the food we use to prepare meals for our friends who visit the GCW. We need some volunteers willing to join us at 12:30pm at the GCW to shovel dirt into the truck and pick up the materials for the raised beds. We’ll also need some folks around 2pm at the GCW to help us assemble the beds and transfer the dirt out of the truck. If you can join us, please email us or otherwise let us know.
SPECIAL BREAKFAST BRIGADES TO SUPPORT OCCUPY GAINESVILLE: In support of Occupy Gainesville, the new Citizens Co-op on Main Street has been accepting donations to help provide food for the folks gathered at the Downtown Plaza. We’ve offered our kitchen to help make a breakfast from the Citizen Co-op donations and deliver it to the plaza on Tuesday and Thursday this week, with prep to begin at 6:15am and delivery between 8-9am. We welcome anyone who wants to come anytime between 6:15-9am on these days and join us in this action.
AND THE BEAT GOES ON: All of our regular projects–the cafe, Friday’s Breakfast Brigade, Art for All, Green House Knitters, Centering Prayer, and more–are in full swing, so please check out the schedule and join us whenever you can. We are so grateful to all of you for all that you share of yourselves to keep our projects going!
