News from Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries
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Below is the latest news from the Bartimaeus Cooperative Ministries circle. You can now also follow us on Facebook.
I completed my semester of Hebrew studies; thanks again to Sam Thomas for his generosity in letting me sit in. I got to speak in his "Introduction to Christianity" class at California Lutheran University too, and have gotten to know a few professors around campus. It’s a good connection. Sam’s also been working hard with Elaine on the Abundant Table Farm Project board, as they go through significant transition.
This month we pulled the fall garden and put in the winter one (lettuce, kale, artichokes, onions, garlic). The new worm bin is doing great; the compost pile not so much. We purchased a little 1984 biodiesel pick-up from our friend Eric Hodge, who runs an off-the-grid, solar-powered auto shop in the neighborhood, makes his own biodiesel, and is a free diving spearfisherman and mushroom hunter. What a dude!
Elaine and I enjoyed the entire month at home, hosting Melissa Shank and Chris Grataski from Lynchburg, VA (below at left and right). Bartimaeus Institute alumnae, they spent September helping us transition to a permaculture regime in our garden (watch for a photo essay coming soon).
I was at the annual
gathering sponsored by www.Jesus
Radicals.org, the “flagship” of young Christian anarchists in the
U.S. Thanks to Christine and Steve Clemens for their hospitality in Minneapolis. Speaking of younger activists, we worked this
summer with student environmental filmmakers at UC Santa Barbara on their documentary on the Ventura watershed.
We also continue to collaborate with the
nearby Abundant Table Farm Project,
with whom we are currently studying Ellen
Davis’ Scripture, Culture and Agriculture. The Word
& World Mentoring Program goes well; we’ll next meet at Stony Point, NY
in October as part of events around the opening of the Center and Library for
the Bible and Social Justice. And we’re
pleased that Elaine is increasing
her hours at the Pasadena Peace and
Justice Academy this coming school year.
To read the whole story click on link below:
August 2011 News from the Circle
The
summer garden is coming in strong, especially with fruit. Yes, those are our oranges, peaches, grapes
and raspberries pictured above (thanks to Ted
Lyddon Hatten for the photos). On
top of that there are apples, strawberries, plums and apricots (and melons to
come). It’s been an incredible bounty—and
a little overwhelming to keep up with; the processing (freezing, drying,
canning) will stretch on for months. Sadly,
we had to take down our apricot tree after harvest this year, as it was
terminally infected with brown rot. So
our intensive gardening learning curve continues, and we’re grateful we were at
home all month to tend to it all. A
highlight too was attending the July 22nd open house at the new Ventura River Steelhead Preserve just a
few miles from our house, a major new project of the Ojai Valley Land Conservancy.
On a hike there we were thrilled to observe several young and adult
steelhead in one of the Preserve’s shaded perennial pools!
After
presenting our “watershed discipleship” Bible study at the Los Angeles Catholic Worker early this month, Elaine and I drove on
to Orange County to celebrate my mom’s
89th birthday! While down
south we enjoyed a long lunch with Tommy
and Lindsay Airey, whose journey has taken them from Rick Warren’s
Saddleback Church to helping launch the new Anabaptist Network in North
America (http://anabaptistnetwork.ning.com/). On the way back we attended a board meeting
for the Abundant Table Farm Project
in Oxnard, where we continue to try to shape a sustainable future for this
awesome faith-rooted organic farming internship (http://theabundanttable.org/blog/).
Elaine
and I enjoyed an uninterrupted month at home, continuing to put in the summer
garden and preserve the last of the winter one (right: Elaine sporting the “Yes. We Can.” poster & apron; left: her
niece Erica and friend Monica harvest kale). 
We got a lot done around the house and yard, caught
up on doctor’s appointments, and attended several Ojai Valley Watershed Council meetings. Elaine led a weekend retreat for Knox Presbyterian Church here in the
valley, which afforded us the opportunity to visit with Matt and Jill Colwell. Elaine also took her maiden voyage out to the
Channel Islands with local spearfishing genius Eric Hodge’s boat—a
spectacular day! Congratulations to Eric
for the recent opening of his amazing all solar- and biodiesel-powered auto
mechanic shop close by!
I
spoke in Albuquerque at a University of New Mexico symposium on faith and
radical ecology, along with John Zerzan
and Layla Abdel-Rahim (right).
While in town Elaine and I got to visit with old friends and BCM
supporters Vonnie and Audrey Owen, and also with folks from Albuquerque Mennonite Church, Trinity House
Catholic Worker and the Center for Action and Contemplation. After a couple of days at Ojo Caliente
and hanging out with longtime colleague Fred
Vigil in northern New Mexico, we returned to our annual BCM retreat in
Altadena, hosted by board chair Rick
Kidd.
