HOUSE NEWS: Coffee, greens, and garden dreams – and a bit of Obama

For more information on what’s happening this week at the Green House, please click here.

Thanks so much for helping last week with the delicious soups, fresh bread, and presence at the house! Everything went just right – even to the very last bowl of soup served at the close of the cafe.  We’re in a similar bind this week with John gone and Kelli here (except Kelli knows how to cook…), so please write and let us know if you can help and when so we can be sure we’re covered!

We have had so many greens donated from local farmers! Last week’s abundance combined with that of this week will result in a departure from our usual soup. This week it’s “greens and beans” and baked sweet potatoes. It’s a healthy,  hardy meal that our own family loves. If you are interested in trying it out for yours, here’s the recipe we’ll be using (x 50!).

February is the time of year, here in Gainesville, to start dreaming of spring gardening. After losing the water at our wonderful empty-lot garden last summer we had to adjust our dreams a bit.  We decided to try to grow as much as we can with what we’ve got – a small postage-stamp front yard with wonderful sun almost all day long.  We’re going to experiment with some self-watering pots and maybe window boxes to take advantage of all our assets. HOWEVER, we have bigger dreams brewing that are in the approval process (city-owned land). Pray for us; it could be WONDERFUL!

Also, we just received our copy of the Catholic Agitator, published by the Los Angeles Catholic Worker.  Many of you know how much we admire them and that we have modeled some of what we do here after Hennacy House. In this month’s edition, Jeff Dietrich, long-term LACW community member, writes a front-page theological reflection on the Obama presidency. So many of us wrestle with  the gap between our values, hopes, and ideals contrasted with political “reality.” Jeff’s article helps to put it into a broader and biblical perspective.  The Moral Captivity of Obama is an interesting read.

Oh, and we could use coffee donations – fair trade preferably!

Thank you – and hope to see you this week!

Kelli and John

HOUSE NEWS: Photos from the week that was

Click on any photos to see more from this past week. Thanks for all the help everyone!

A tight fit on the way to Breakfast Brigade stops

Doing dishes at Dorothy's Cafe

Alexandria knitting, Maegan during down-time tea at Brigade

HOUSE NEWS: Boy, do we need some help this week!

Dear friends,

John is at the house by himself this week so scheduling volunteers ahead of time is more important than ever! Please let us know if you are coming to help so we can make sure we’re covered at the right times! In addition to the projects and timeslots listed on “this week” there are also some special volunteer opportunities this week:

CUTTING GREENS: A lot of collard greens were donated this week and we need help processing them so they won’t go to waste. Tuesday during the coffee house would be an ideal time, from 1pm to 3pm. Also, if anyone is willing to help cook these, we can freeze them for later use.

LOOKING FOR SOME SOUP: Kelli is visiting her parents this week (her father is not well) and will not be cooking the soup. We usually cook up about eight gallons. If you are willing to prepare a gallon or so of soup, please let us know. We can provide a very simple (and tasty) recipe for lentil soup or you can cook up a batch of your own favorite soup. Please let us know as soon as possible if you can help out in this way.

BAKING BREAD: We will also need bread for the cafe. John can cook up a batch of 12, but if someone is willing to bake six-eight additional loaves at home, it would be a huge help!

Last week was a hectic, but exciting week. Michael Stoops from the National Coalition for the Homeless stayed with us during the early part of the week, followed by a wonderful group of young people from the Trail of Dreams. We also had a full house at the Cafe. The coffee house on Tuesday and Thursday is still a work in progress while we wait and see if this is something folks want. Meanwhile, the smaller numbers at those have afforded us the opportunity to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee with people as they come, which has been very nice.

Email us at gvillecw@yahoo.com to let us know if you can help out this week!

Have a great week. We hope to see you!

~ Kelli and John

HOUSE NEWS: Inspiration… and Help!

LAST WEEK’S ROUNDTABLE: Lucy Ngatia’s talk on climate change mitigation in Kenya was so inspiring.  A small group of Kenyan women, noting changes in their community – fewer zebras  and other wildlife,  a shrinking river,  a disappearing snowcap on the mountain – decided to take action.  An important point that Lucy made was that it was in meeting and discussing that the women became inspired:  first that their observations were true – that each realized she was not the only one who hadn’t seen a zebra recently; but also that it was their responsibility to do something, and that together they could make a difference.  Even though “third world” countries do much less damage to the environment than the highly industrialized ones do, there is an impact – and these women refuse to shift the blame or wait for change. They are now growing trees in family nurseries and planting them to replace the ones used up for firewood. They are building cow sheds and learning to build inexpensive biodigesters (thank you, Dave Chynoweth!) to transform dung into energy with which to replace the wood fuel. Why the women? Because they care for the children – not only their own, but those “downstream” where water is becoming more scarce.  Listening to Lucy, I wanted to help them, but I also wanted to think about how the changes these women are making in their daily lives translate into things we might be doing here based on what we, here in Gainesville, see.  Such a “Catholic Worker Way” of seeing things – asking what one can do right now to in this particular situation to alleviate suffering, not waiting for the Powers That Be to come to their senses.

HELP NEEDED: We are trying to schedule volunteers so that things will be covered adequately during the coffee houses, Dorothy’s Cafe, and the Breakfast Brigade. We are still regularly running short of help during the Coffee House and the Cafe. If you can help, please email or call ahead so we’ll know you are coming so we can send out a request for more help if it’s needed; times and duties are listed here. If you can commit to a regular volunteer time each week, let us know that too.

COFFEE HOUSE CHANGE: Times are still the same, and good coffee and tea are still flowing. But we would like to try out an all-women’s coffee shop on Thursday. So, women volunteers, this would be a great time to volunteer.

Thanks for all you do to keep the “Green House” going. We hope to see you this week.

HOUSE NEWS: Climate Change Mitigation and Volunteer Help

For a complete schedule for This Week, click here.

At our first roundtable of the semester this Thursday,  we’re excited to have Lucy Ngapia, a UF doctoral student from Kenya, discuss her work with Kenyan women to mitigate climate change.  Please bring a dish to share if you can and join us from 6-7:30 for an interesting discussion with Lucy.

Also, we especially need help at Dorothy’s Cafe on Wednesday! Please see “this week” for timeslots and a description of work to be done.  Let us know if you can help; we’re trying to schedule folks ahead so we’ll have even coverage throughout the day. You can sign up for any time period that fits your schedule -from one hour to all day long.

Other volunteer opps this week include Breakfast Brigade on Friday and the new Coffee House on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Again, check “this week” for details.

Thanks for all you do help the work of the house go on. So many people came to get blankets, socks, and warm clothes over the last couple weeks, and it was so good to have them!  We’re not sure who brought the hand-crocheted hats (and scarf), but a big thank you for the time you put in to making these beautiful, much-needed items. And thanks, too, for the coffee, tea, and coffee makers.  It is heartening for everyone involved to be able to be able to share what we have with neighbors who need it, and it was particularly sweet to see eyes light up at the bounty shared over the cold snap.

HOUSE NEWS: Volunteer Opportunities Galore!

For a complete schedule of This Week, click here.

The Epiphany Party was a great start to the new semester and to a new year. Delicious food, good company and lots of warmth – both human and fireplace-generated.  A big THANK YOU to everyone who helped get things off to such a good start!

SCHEDULING HELP: This week marks the start of house projects old and new – some with a twist. The biggest change is that we hope to schedule folks ahead of time whenever possible to insure that we have even coverage. Things go so much more smoothly and mean a lot more to both volunteers and guests when we have the “right” amount of volunteer help.  At the end of this email is a list of tasks and times for the coffee house, café, and breakfast brigade. Please write and let us know where we can plug you in; multiple time slots are fine by us!

THANK YOU: Also, a huge thank you to folks who donated blankets, jackets, sweatshirts, socks, and warm hats. The doorbell has been ringing regularly and a lot of folks have asked us to please let you know how much they appreciate your generosity. Thanks, too, to those of you who have donated coffee and coffee pots to the Coffee House project. We are looking forward to providing the kind of warm, relaxing atmosphere we enjoy at “real” coffee shops. Please feel free to drop by on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons to enjoy a cup.

NEEDS: Hats, gloves, men’s jackets, fair trade coffee and tea

PLEASE WRITE AND LET US KNOW IF YOU CAN HELP:

Tuesday Coffee House:
Preparation 12:30 – 1 (1-2 volunteers)
Serving and Kitchen Help 1-3 (2-3 volunteers)
Clean up 3-4 (1-2 volunteers)

Wednesday Café:
Preparation 11-12 (2 volunteers)
Serving and Kitchen Help 11:45 – 5 (4-5 volunters)
Clean up – ongoing from noon till 6 (3-4 volunteers)

Thursday Coffee House (see above for tasks and times)

Friday Breakfast Brigade:
4:15 – 7 (6 volunteers)

Have a good week! We hope to see you!

HOUSE NEWS: Let 2010 begin! Join us for an open house this Friday!

Dear friends,

Officially, our new schedule for the Spring 2010 semester (January thru May) starts next week. But this week we wanted to share a few quick updates and some information with you as you consider your commitments, projects and plans for the coming months.

Last semester, after talks with a handful of our long-time supporters and community members, we came to the insight that it was time for us to start reflecting on the future of the work of the Gainesville Catholic Worker. It’s been over 10 years since we started most of the projects which comprise the GCW, and it’s been 6 years since we’ve been in the Green House (nee the Blue House). The work can sometimes be so hectic and fast-paced that we don’t always do a good job of evaluating what we’ve done and where we’ve been, as well as considering where we are going and what we are striving to be. So we’ve decided to use the next several months as a period of discernment to revisit the original mission of the house, to consider what we’ve learned and experienced, and to reflect on where we want to go from here. We’ve made a few changes, including some slight tweaks to the schedule, to help us do this.  We ask that you keep us in your prayers and we invite your feedback on what your experience has been as a part of the extended community that makes up the GCW.

EPIPHANY OPEN HOUSE: This Friday, from 7-9pm, join us at the GCW for an Epiphany open house celebration. We’ll have hot apple cider and a few other goodies, and we’re hoping many of you will bring something to share too! If you’ve never been to the house or it’s been awhile, come and see our new paint job (90% complete); if you’re a regular at the house, come and let us know how your holidays were! We’d love to see you!

GCW COFFEE SHOP: Our regular schedule starts next week, and one new addition to the schedule will be a Tuesday and Thursday Coffee Shop at the house for our friends looking for a good cup of coffee and refuge from the cold. We’ll be doing the coffee shop from 1-3pm on those days. To help make this work well, we’re looking for a nice gift of a large coffee maker from someone! If you have the means and can help us out, let us know. And for other folks looking to contribute, we’ll be looking for good, fair-trade coffee and tea and other related necessities to keep our supply regularly stocked, and a handful of folks that can act as “baristas” at the coffee shop. Let us know if you’re interested.  Thanks!

THURSDAY CHANGES: In addition to the coffee shop on Thursday, we’ll be hosting a Mass and potluck dinner on the First Thursday of each month, as well as a monthly Roundtable discussion (instead of weekly) with potluck dinner every Third Thursday.

VOLUNTEERING AT THE GCW: First, and most importantly, we ALWAYS love to have volunteers who can make a regular weekly commitment to the various projects that happen at the GCW, especially Dorothy’s Cafe. Knowing that we have a handful of regular volunteers who know what they’re doing and can help manage other volunteers is always a big plus for us. So, if you’re looking for a regular volunteering gig, think about what we offer and let us know what you’d like to do. Secondly, we started asking people to sign up to volunteer with the Breakfast Brigade each week at the end of last semester, and we’re going to carry it over and expand it for this semester. Each week when we send out the Monday email (and Facebook message) letting folks know what is going on, take a look at it and email (or call) us and let us know what you’d like to be scheduled for. This process seemed to deepen the experience for folks, as well as make projects more manageable too.

Finally, if you were away for the holidays, welcome back! We can’t wait to see you and hear about any adventures you may have had. And as always, thanks to all of you for your kindness, support and generosity. We are especially grateful!

In peace,

John

HOUSE NEWS: Thanks and consider helping the GCW with your holiday giving

Dear friends,

Last week was our final “active” week of the semester. This week we’ll be finishing up a few odds-and-ends and then taking a holiday break until

Tommy with his "new" bike

the beginning of January. We wanted to take this time to thank all of you for everything you have given to make this semester at the GCW a good one. We are always grateful for how many people seem to find something in this work that they can find joy in and to which they commit themselves.

We also want to invite you to consider supporting the work here at the GCW with a financial gift this holiday season if you are able. We have always undertaken this work based on the premise that it will resonate with many people and that if many of us give a little, then we will find we have what we need to continue to move forward. As you know, no one at the GCW is paid. We are not a social service agency and we do not receive grants or funds from the government. The folks who live at the GCW contribute to help make ends meet, and we rely on friends, family members and supporters to help us continue the work. If you have the means and can offer a gift this holiday, we hope you’ll do so. Checks can be sent to the GCW, 218 NW 2^nd Ave, Gainesville, FL 32601. (One note: This is not a tax-deductible gift. We are not a registered non-profit organization and we try to model

Leroy and Vickie on dishes

sacrificial giving in our community. If you want to know more about our decision to not register as a non-profit, feel free to contact us.)

Lastly, it has been right around ten years since Kelli started the Breakfast Brigade and Dorothy’s Café, as well as close to 6 years since we purchased this house and expanded our work. We have decided that it is time to revisit the vision that has guided the GCW for these many years and to evaluate what the next steps for our community and our work will be. To that end, beginning in January, we will be entering into a period of discernment with several long-time and committed members of the extended GCW community. This discernment period will go through the spring semester and encompass reflection on what we have been and done and where we want to go from here. The vision that sustains a community like the GCW needs to be revisited and evaluated every so often to take into consideration what we have learned, in what direction we are being called, and how to get there. We will arrange our community life and schedule in such a way as to allow us adequate space and time to reflect deeply and seriously. We’ll share a little more about

Football fun on Saturdays!

this process with you when we restart in January and we hope you’ll help us in the process as the months go by next semester.

Thanks again for being part of the GCW. We hope you have a peaceful, joyful holiday.

In peace,

Kelli and John

HOUSE NEWS: Final Breakfast Brigade of the semester

Dear friends,

For a complete schedule of this week, click here.

THANKS: A special thanks to everyone who answered our call for blankets, glasses and pots last week. We are set on both glasses and pots now. We can still use blankets, so feel free to bring blankets by anytime if you have extra.

LAST BREAKFAST BRIGADE OF THE SEMESTER: This Friday morning will be our last Breakfast Brigade of the semester. Last week we started a sign-up process for the Brigade to try to make it a more manageable, as well as enjoyable experience. If you want to sign up for this week’s Brigade, please send an email to gvillecw@yahoo.com or send us a message on Facebook. We’ll send a note out to folks no later than early Thursday to let you know if you’re on the schedule for this week.

DOROTHY’S CAFE: We’re still on for the Cafe this week and next, so join us if you can, especially between 10-12 or 12-2 when we’re a little shorthanded. December 16 will be the last Cafe of the semester. We’ll “officially” be taking a break for the holidays beginning Thursday, December 17 through the beginning of January.

In peace,

John

HOUSE NEWS: As the semester winds down…

Dear friends,

For a complete list of what is happening at the GCW this week, click here.

HOUSE NEEDS: By the end of each semester, we typically find that we are starting to run out of a few necessities at the house. We need the following items:

• Drinking glasses for Dorothy’s Cafe. One of the differences at the GCW is that the folks who join us for meals get to eat off of real dishes, with tablecloths and cloth napkins, flowers on the table, and so on. Keeping up our supply of glasses is always difficult because we use so many of them and they break so easily.
• Blankets. Any blankets will do. We have already given out over a 100 blankets this year, and with the winter starting to come around, we anticipate more folks needing them.
• Dutch Oven-sized pots. We could use 1-2 Dutch Oven-sized pots. We had two when we started the semester, but one went missing and the other is no longer usable.

If you are in a position to help, please do.  And if possible, please remember us in your holiday giving this year!

MASS AND THANKSGIVING: Join us at 6pm on Thursday for our first Thursday Mass with our chaplain, Fr. John Phillips. Following Mass, we’ll share a potluck dinner and be celebrating the end of another semester at the GCW. In particular, we’ll be thanking Kim and Lawrence for their time with us at the house and blessing them on their next steps. We hope you can join us!

NEW PROCEDURE FOR BREAKFAST BRIGADE: Starting this Friday, we’ll be doing Breakfast Brigade a little differently than we have in years past. We’re asking folks who want to do Breakfast Brigade to “sign up” for it ahead of time. We’ve been a little overwhelmed by the number of volunteers lately, and we want to make sure that everyone who would like to gets a chance to help with the Brigade, and that it is fully experienced by those participating. So we’ll be limiting the number of volunteers each week to about 6-8 folks. If you want to do Brigade this week or next (the last two Brigades before we take a break for the holidays), please email us back at gvillecw@yahoo.com or put your name down on the list at the house which will be posted on the refrigerator.

Thanks again to everyone for all of your kindness and care as we do this work together.

In peace,

John