Blog Archives
HOUSE NEWS: Art for All is back! And our first monthly workday at the micro-farm!
Click here to see an entire list of what is happening this week at the Gainesville Catholic Worker.
Thanks to everyone who came out for last week’s Roundtable, a very informative and challenging presentation on simplicity and sustainability with Dave Chynoweth. We had about 22 people come for the Roundtable and to enjoy the HOMEMADE LEMON MERINGUE AND CHOCOLATE PECAN PIES that Kelli made. You never know what you’ll miss if you don’t show up!
ART FOR ALL IS BACK! Our popular program, Art for All, will be happening on Tuesdays during the Coffee Shop this semester. Local artists lead folks in creating beautiful arts and practical crafts from recycled and up-cycled materials for personal use or to sell. Everyone is welcome to attend and participate and it is always good to have an extra few people willing to volunteer and help out while also participating! Let us know if you can make it.
MONTHLY WORKDAY AT THE MICRO-FARM SATURDAY: Jade Allen and Lynn Chacko, supporters of the GCW, have offered a partnership between the GCW and their urban micro-farm just a few blocks from UF. This Saturday will be our first regular monthly workday, as we help with farm chores to ensure a good bounty to share with our friends and neighbors at the cafe and through distribution. It would be great to have a nice large group to do the work! This is a great opportunity for organizations looking for a service project too! Contact us at the GCW if you plan on coming for any time between 9am and 3pm on Saturday. You can also call Jade at 352-213-4053 or 352-337-0817 to get directions and let him know you’re coming! And don’t forget that every Thursday, between 8am-noon, we’ll be doing chores at the farm too if you want to come out.
VOLUNTEERS FOR THE FARMERS MARKET CAFE ON WEDNESDAY: If you’ve never been to Wednesday’s cafe at the house, we highly recommend it, whether you can just drop by for a quick meal or to help out. Area farmers share with us extra produce they have following the Saturday Farmer’s Market on 441. They help us to get good, wholesome, fresh, and nutritious produce to people who don’t necessarily have access to it regularly. And Kelli and her team of cooks always manage to take whatever ingredients we have on hand that week and turn it into something delicious and filling. So feel free to come by and volunteer anytime between 9:30am and 4pm, BUT especially just come by and share a meal. You’ll be glad you did.
And don’t forget that you are always welcome to join us for centering prayer and reflection (Mondays at 11:15am or Fridays at 6:45am) or Scripture Study (Mondays from noon-1pm). To read last week’s reflection on the gospel of Matthew, click here.
HOUSE NEWS: First Thursday Roundtable with GCW legend Dave Chynoweth this week, and more!
Click here to see an entire list of what is happening this week at the Gainesville Catholic Worker.
FIRST THURSDAY ROUNDTABLE ON SIMPLICITY, SPIRITUALITY: We’re excited to have our own Dave Chynoweth present this month’s roundtable, Thursday, from 6:30-8pm. If you’ve never heard Dave, it is always challenging, provocative, and fun. He’s a bit of a legend here at the GCW because of his presentations (and other reasons). Dave is a former professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Florida. He’ll lead us in a discussion on “Simplicity Sustainability and Downsizing One’s Life.” Dave will share from his personal experience as well as challenge with questions about our own lifestyle choices, the impact we have on the world around us and inside of us, and the role of spirituality. Bring a dish to share if you can!
STUDYING THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW: Last week we decided that we’d study the gospel of Matthew this semester and we broke open the first chapter. For a recap of last week’s study, read the reflection, “Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus? Wake me when it’s over..” We’re meeting on Mondays at lunchtime for one hour, between 12-1pm at the GCW. We’ll be looking at chapter 2 this week. Join us if you can.
MICRO-FARM PARTNERSHIP OFF TO A ROUSING START: We announced last week our new partnership with Jade and Lynn’s micro-farm, helping to provide friends and visitors to the GCW with a steady stream of good, local, healthy, organic produce. We had a good group show up on Thursday, during our weekly volunteer slot, 8am-noon; and then our teenage son and 2 of his friends from Eastside did some hours of work on Saturday. Jade has a doctorate in plant medicine and is also willing to share with people the ins and outs of starting your own garden and growing your food. 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!
Thanks to everyone who helps out at the GCW each week. We are so grateful for your commitment and generosity! Hope to see you this week!
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!
