rate world and in the midst of consumerist society which demands things to happen at the speed of light and that people appear to be successful at all costs.

rate world and in the midst of consumerist society which demands things to happen at the speed of light and that people appear to be successful at all costs.

MAIL TO:Bethlehem Farm

P.O. Box 274Pence Springs, WV 24962

More Online!Right on the Mark by Colleen

Wish List:

THE BETHLEHEM FARM NEWSLETTER

Going Solar

25’ Tape Measures

> Anne and

Mark

Read the comings and goings of our community as Brian, Kathleen and Micah move to the Alderson Hospitality House and we welcome new Caretak-ers, Laura Zerhusen and Brent Fernandez.

Coming Soon:2009 Worksite Pictures!

www.BethlehemFarm.net

Pool Table

Stamps

Volume 4, Issue 2FALL 2009

Cordless Phones

with Caller ID

Prayers

Dewalt or Milwaukee

Cordless Drills

Full Fitted Sheets

Digital Camera

Page 2

Last year, my employer allowed me to take an unpaid leave of absence from my corporate job so that I could spend three months as an autumn servant at Bethlehem Farm. I like to think of my fi rst visit to the farm in the fall of 2007 as fate, as I came by suggestion of a friend who found it on www.cnvs.org but did not actually know any of the Caretakers or anyone who had ever gone there. God was calling me to a new home that changed my life that week and continues to change my life to this day. Currently, much of my time is still spent in the corpo-

People often ask us how we have learned what we know about farming, construction, canning, and all the other aspects of life here on the farm. We sure have a whole lot more to learn, but what we do know tends to come from the generosity of friends

who are willing to teach us. And take our word for it, our neighbors Anne and Mark know a lot. We met Anne and Mark in March of this year as we were brought together in discussions about starting a community garden in nearby Al-derson. Through these discussions, we found that we have a lot of values in common, and Anne and Mark were intrigued enough to come out for a community night here at the Farm. After an evening spent sharing our vision and dreams for the future, Anne and Mark off ered several ways that they could be of help to us here at the Farm. Right off the bat they were willing to mentor us in beekeeping, exchange gardening

expertise, and use their tractor to maintain our driveway. All of these were certainly ways that we needed assistance, and they generously off ered themselves after just meeting us once. As we’ve become friends, it has become clear that helping is characteristic of Anne and Mark. They are warm and hospitable, from Anne’s deep love for all of creation to Mark’s witty pragmatism. They are very busy people, tending their own large gardens, selling produce and goodies at local Farmers’ Markets, keep-ing their honey bees, and doing many other projects. Anne is also a part-time professor at a nearby college and Mark is a woodworker. They are, however, always quick to off er their assistance whenever we can use it. In the 6 months that we have known them we have felt their friendshinp in many ways: helping us acquire honeybees, including us in their beekeeping activities, coming to the Farm regularly to help Colleen and Brian learn to work with our bees; teaching Colleen how to service our tractor, coming over multiple times with Mark’s tractor to mow the pasture alongside Colleen; off ering Ashley advice about pastured poultry; teaching Laura how to use a pressure canner; and coming to a worksite to help when we were shorthanded. The list could go on and on, and it probably will as we continue to learn from them and become better friends. (Continued on page 4)

Cookin’ Up Some Curiosity A tale from our newest Board Member, Katie Feise

(Continued on page 3)

Pressure Washer

Recipes from home...

2009 Projects:

FRENCH TOAST CASSEROLE1 Loaf of bread (cubed)1 Dozen Eggs1 Pint Half & Half4 Tbs. Butter1/2 C. Brown sugar (packed)1 tsp. Cinnamon

Break loaf of bread into pieces. Place in 9x13 pan. Beat eggs with half & half in bowl and pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Before bak-ing, mix brown sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle over top. Cut margarine and dot on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes. Can sprinkle with powdered sugar or serve with maple syrup.

Thanks to Kathleen’s sister, Andrea, for sharing! Send us your favorite recipe!

Another Season of Service

2 3

COOKIN’ (Contrinued from page 1)

Fuel for the FutureThe Farm Goes Solar

From Dreams

...To Reality

> Spring 2009 Newsletter Article about electricity

conservationv With the help of our

neighbor, Richard Hypes, we prepare with a new roof

It is not always easy to explain to friends, family, co-workers, and acquaintances the experiences at the farm that I have internalized and thus have deeply changed me. I somehow seem, however, to share my farm experience at least once per week by telling a new story or sharing with a new person. And sometimes those whom I share with don’t really “get it,” which I’m sure none of you out there understand :-). So, earlier this year, I decided to have a farm-themed party to better share my experience at the farm with friends. The main attraction was food, something EVERY-ONE can relate to. At my event called “Cook up a Farm Party,” I demonstrated how to make home-made bread from scratch and served scratch-made black bean burgers, hummus, salsa, quesadillas, applesauce from the farm, trail mix and of course some already-made bread. I explained what kind of food would be served at the work sites, which led to describing a typical day in the life of a service-week volunteer and the practice of eating local and organic foods. At the end of the party, I distributed dona-tion forms and information on ordering a cook book. Months later, I feel like I am hearing more and more stories from my friends about experimenting with making their own food from scratch or buying organic. I would encourage anyone who has been to the farm to share their experience this way as it is easy and joyful to share the cornerstone of simplicity through food!

This year volunteers from as far as San Diego, CA and as close as Morgantown, WV collectively put in over 7,260 hours of work in our community. Over 20 proj-ects this season took us all over Sum-mers, Greenbrier, and Monroe counties, aff ording many opportunities to learn new skills, to make homes safer and more comfortable and to build lasting friend-ships. Crews spent their time organizing at the Loaves and Fishes Thrift Store and Food Pantry, meeting Fred and Scarlett at Wellspring (a local social service non-profi t), addressing environmental issues with Rangers from the National Park Ser-vice, and working with clients in the area. Projects included: fl oor repair and new carpet at Vickie, Lee and Juanita’s, scraping and painting Sandy and Tinker’s house and at Mildred’s home, building a porch addition, wheelchair ramp and roof over it all for Lavonia and Raymond, and building a wheelchair ramp and making the bathroom handicap friendly at Joyce

We owe a special thank you to the Wells-Fargo Foundation for recognizing Katie’s comittment to volunteerism with a $10,000 award to Bethlehem Farm.

CALL FOR SILENT AUCTION ITEMS

and Kelvey’s. We installed vinyl siding at Sharon and Lee’s, did more painting and siding with Albert and Anna, worked with Charles to build a wheelchair ramp for him and Susie, put on a tin roof at Jack and Janice’s, re-placed Dorothy’s porch roof and fi xed her bathroom fl oor. By midsummer we were rebuilding Chris’ front and back porches and the front porch roof, painting Granny’s house and rebuilding her front porch, working with Richard to put a tin roof on his house where he lives with his mom, Brenda, and build-ing a wheelchair ramp for Brenda and Little John. The summer concluded with paint-ing Barbara’s fence, making Mary’s front porch safer along with siding, and sidewalk repair, demolishing Shirley’s concrete patio and replacing it with a new roofed porch, and putting on new roof for Annie, who lives just a few miles down Clayton Road! Thank you to all our volunteers who made each project a success, touching the lives of many in a long-lasting way.

In the spring newsletter light was shed on the issues of mountaintop re-moval and electricity consumption. At that time, the idea of harvesting so-lar energy to reduce our dependency on non-renewable natural resources was in the long-term strategic plan for the Farm—a goal to be fulfi lled at some later, undecided, future date. We are happy to share that the former,

3- When the economy does pick up, supply will be low and de-mand will be high pushing prices back up. Thanks to proceeds from our Winter Benefi t in Chicago and do-nations from newsletter appeals, we were able to seize this time-

With the help of our friends, Adam and Mike, to share our newest step toward sustainability with everyone we created “My Farm is Solar Powered” stickers, which are directly tied to the “Sunny Day Fund,” our campagin to raise the remaining $11,000 needed to install the solar panels. Visit bethlehemfarm.net/solarenergy to donate.

YOUR $25 + 40 YEARS OF WV SUNLIGHT = SAVES 800lbs OF COAL

Anyone can contribute to the success of the Chicago Benefi t with the donation of a silent auction item! We are particularly interested in items unique to Chicago like gift certifi cates, sports and cultural tickets, and handcrafted items such as pottery, paintings, quilts, woodwork, exclusive experiences like a stay at a cabin or timeshare and other unique items. A great opportunity for advertisement!

Contact Ashley (bethlehemfarm@gmail.com) if you are able to contribute to the auction!

How long until we’re up and running?$24,000 - Used to Purchase PV Solar Panels$11,000 - Needed to Install the Panels$3,855 - Raised for Installation (Since July ‘09)$7,145 - TO GO = 25% SOLAR POWER

to reduce energy consump-tion and (for the truly am-bitious) plans for creating your own solar systems.

ity explanations, coal usage calculations, ways

Bring Sustainability HomeVisit www.yourgreendream.com for simple electric-

“undecided future date” is now. Many of you know the story of the Farm and how it began, namely due to the vision, and hardwork of a handful of comi-tted individuals. When BF Board-Chair and frequent Group Week participant, Tom Ruggaber, tells of the Farm’s concep-tion he often adds the detail of a “working of the Spirit”. In 2004 when Bethlehem Farm was merely a vison the plan was to have a fully functioning property by 2007. That goal was achieved by 2005. The Farm’s 2008 Renewable En-ergy Plan identifi ed 2009 as the time to start fundraising for renewable energy options. Purchase and installation of a sys-tem to cover half our energy demand was projected to com-mence in 2010 or 2011. When things fall into place and dreams are brought to the light of reality, it is a time for celebration. In addition, it is also an opportunity to acknowledge how, as we strive to live the Gospel cornerstones, we are aided by forces beyond our understanding. Eric has long been in discussion with local sustainable en-ergy experts. In May his early inquiries paid off when Vertis Bream, an International Architech of Sustainable Homes and Proprieter of Energy Options and Construction, whom Eric met at a Pennsylvania Association of Sustainable Agriculture (PASA) Conference, asked if the Farm would be interested in purchasing photovoltaic (PV) panels along with him at a 20% discount. Vertis said PV panels are probably the lowest they would be in the forseeable future for three main reasons: 1- The European PV market has collapsed due to the poor economy, so demand is low and supply is high for the moment, which equals lower prices. 2- Locally, BP solar, the last domestic solar panel pro-ducer, is stopping production of PV panels and switching to silicon wafer production at their Fredericksburg, MD plant, and thus are selling their stock at a discount.

limited opportunity. This combination of the right price and carefully saved funds were the signs of the Spirit we needed to make the jump to solar power, allowing our dreams of further preserving these mountains to become a reality.

By Ashley By Ashley & Colleen

Mission Statement:

Bethlehem Farm is a

Catholic community in Appalachia that transforms lives

through service with the local community and the teaching of

sustainable practices.

We invite volunteers to join in living the

Gospel cornerstones of community, prayer, service and simplicity.

Caretaker Community:

Ashley BooneSustainability Coordinator

Brent FernandezLoaves & Fishes Director

Colleen FittsDevelopment Offi cer

Eric FittsDirector / Gardener

Andi GrandyRetreats Coordinator

Joe PrieboyProject Coordinator

Andy RebollarVolunteer Coordinator

Laura ZerhusenHouse Manager

Fund Raising Updateby Eric Fitts, Director

Printed on 100% post-consumer recycled

paper

4

Check us out online!www.bethlehemfarm.net

Questions and comments regarding this publication and/or article submissions can be sent to the editor, Ashley Boone, at bethlehemfarm@gmail.com. We can all also be reached at 304.445.7143.

$79,000 (GOAL)

$50,286 (FEB ‘09)

$34,970 (DEC ‘08)

$8,793 (OCT ‘08) (OCT ‘08)

We surpassed our 2009 Goal, but not without a lot of time

and eff ort. Consider becoming a monthly donor. Doing so will en-

able us to spend less time fund-raising and more time out in the

g arden and in our community.

MARK (Continued from Page 1)

by our friends at PostNet in Lewisburg, WV.

Sometimes the level of generosity displayed by these two people astounds me. I had to ask at one point: what makes you such selfl ess people (in other words: why do you keep helping us)? They have a few answers, all of which make me more and more grateful to be able to call them friends. One is that they have been in the posi-tion of needing advice or hands-on training, and no one was available to help them. They know how that feels and they want to help us avoid being in that position. Another is very powerful: they say that the mission of Bethlehem Farm really resonates with what they believe in, from our low-income home repair projects to our service-learning retreats with our volunteers to our ef-forts to live in a sustainable way. It was neat to hear that, because whenever I describe Anne and Mark to others, I tend to say, “They are our kind of people.” We are so blessed that the feeling is mutual.

One of the fi rst things I did after the market crash of October 2008 was to plant garlic—1600 cloves of garlic. You might think it an odd response to crisis, but there were good reasons. First, the seed was free—I just selected the largest bulbs from last year’s harvest. Second, garlic is the base of many meals here, so it saved us money in the food budget. Third, raw garlic has medicinal (and mystical) qualities that improve our health. Finally, garlic does not depend on the stock

$68,525 (MAY ‘09)

$95,950 (AUG ‘09)

market in deciding when to sprout, how large to grow, or how good to taste. In these ways, garlic is a secure investment: it saves us money, provides us sustenance, heals our ills, and is reliable. Investing your contributions with Bethlehem Farm is, in many ways, an investment of “garlic” quality. Your donation is leveraged by the freely-given volunteer hours of the Caretaker community and our 400 week-long volunteers, saving money on labor costs. Your donation enables Bethlehem Farm to continue to bring physical and spiritual sustenance to the low-in-come families whose homes we repair and to the service-retreat participants who grow in faith here. Your donation heals the earth through our caring for God’s Creation—whether in our free range chicken yard, organic gardens, or solar-powered Farm house (coming soon!) Finally, you can always rely on your donation being invested wisely toward our mission and leading to posi-tive change. We have deep gratitude for our many donations and grants given over the past year. We set a goal of raising $80,000 this fi scal year. It is with great pride that I can announce that we have smashed that goal and raised over $96,000. Surpassing our goal allowed us to increase the funding of our home repair program, install a lifetime metal roof on the Farm House while materi-al prices are low, and purchase solar panels on sale. Going forward into fi scal year 2010 (which begins October 1st, 2009), we again need to raise $80,000 to keep our programs moving forward and continue realizing our vision for the future. Please consider giving from your heart to help us live this essen-tial mission at a time when so many people need our help.

A Special Thanks for Your Extra Generosity:

Jillian ZingaleAndy TraresLauren LaCoyPatrick WoodHolly Scheibel

Wells Fargo FoundationWachovia Foundation Matching Gifts Diocese of Wheeling-CharlestonPauline and Robert HanichRichard and Sherry BooneCarrie and Andrew ArchualRuth Payne and Linda WespJohn and Chris MarasiKatie FeiseLaura Jones and Sam LeizearKera Foote and Scott McNelisMark and Colleen Prieboy

2009 Summer Servants:Tara MorinSophie GrodsinskyMoira ReillyCaitlin InmanAlice Foreman

Bethlehem Farm: all the good qualities of garlic, without the garlic breath.

$95,950